Losing fresh water!

[dadej]

"tube which IS on the side of the tank, not the top, and near one end."
Why and who would put a vent tube on the side of a tank? Just think about what can happen if you fill above the vent tube then the tank starts to drain while not in motion. A vacuum is created which is not good.

[Isaac-1]

I had the same sort of problem with the overflow on my Safari Trek, I solved it by drilling a pin hole (1/16th inch I think) in the overflow elbow fitting at the top of the fresh water tanks. Since then no major issue of loosing water driving down the road, as even a small pin hole will let enough air in to break the siphon effect.

[Burrington]

Originally Posted by Palmeris

So if it's a known issue you would think nh would change the design and add the higher gravity loop at time of manufacturing?

After they fixed mine with the higher loop, I advised Ken and Cole that it had definitely solved the problem. They said they would modify the standard installation so I'm surprised to hear its still a problem. Maybe some layouts don't have a cabinet above the tank to loop the hose up through.

[Burrington]

Originally Posted by dadej

"tube which IS on the side of the tank, not the top, and near one end."
Why and who would put a vent tube on the side of a tank? Just think about what can happen if you fill above the vent tube then the tank starts to drain while not in motion. A vacuum is created which is not good.

I think the tube is on the side of the tank because there is no space between the top of the tank and the floor. Making a space there would mean making the tank smaller, which none of us want. So the overflow is on the side, but near the top to minimize the loss of capacity. If it is filled above the overflow, it runs out until it is below the overflow outlet. After that, it sloshes out in motion. But when the tube is routed above the tank for a couple feet, gravity keeps the water in the tank.

[geo-gypsy]

I have actually seen my fresh water tank - up close and personal! When we were having some warranty repairs done last November, Mike had to pull the coroplast . . . and we spent the night inside the warranty/repairs building! (Bummer, no TV!) I got on one of their crawlers and took a tour underneath.

There cannot be any siphoning, period. Not the right conditions. The overflow is a half inch pipe that comes out of the driver's side forward upper corner of the fresh water tank. On my unit, there is about a foot of space above the fresh water tank. This overflow also acts as an air vent. Personally, I am thankful for the overflow. Once on our DRV, I forgot the fresh water fill and had water force-flowing out of the air vent in the waterworks area! On the NH, the overflow is large enough to protect against this lack of concentration. That said, I can see if one was on rough roads, mountain inclines, or just braking hard, water could continuously splash up to this corner and out the overflow tube. The overflow tube outlet is covered by mesh.

I do have a suggestion, though. When Mike and Jeff worked on our unit, they installed an access port in the coroplast in front of the fresh water tank. Cool the frustration (believe me, I have had to cool my own!), make a warranty appointment with Ken, and pass through Junction City. Get Mike and Jeff to install "an upward gooseneck" and also an access port in the coroplast! While there, also get them to make sure there is insulation around the fresh water tank, under the fresh water supply/fill line, and under the gray and black tanks. Also, there is a furnace "line" that runs next to the fresh water supply/fill line. Ask Mike to loosely cable tie this furnace "line" to the fresh water supply/fill line. That way if the Zone 2 furnace is running, the supply/fill line will be warmed. Oh, and if you do not have the "latest and greatest" Anderson Valve, they will warranty install a new Anderson Valve. The new Anderson is a 3 position valve, not 4 position.

Just my two cents,
Ron