Continuous leak - water heater or refrigerator - Montana Owners Club

Lchristi2 · 06-30-2015, 04:24 AM

I am having a continuous water leak next to slide which is in between refrigerator and hot water heater compartment. I am a femal and don't have a lot of experience with electronics but I know enough to get through most issues by reading. I checked the condenser hose on refrig and it is out the vent in the back of Rv. When I turned on electric of hot water heater I saw water come through then turned it off and thought that was the problem. This morning I woke up and there was water again on floor and hot water heater was never turned on.. We haven't had rain in approx 5 days so I can imagine it's raining either.. Please help, I am trying to avoid the $150/hr service charge for someone coming to my campground to diagnose if I can diagnose it myself 1st. It's a 2007 Keystone Montana 3500RL 5th wheel

WeBeFulltime · 06-30-2015, 04:42 AM

An RV water heater does not have to be "turned on" in order for it to leak. If the water supply is turned on it will leak if a problem exists.

I recently had to replace my 3 1/2 year old Suburban WH because of a leaking tank. I ordered it from Amazon and saved $300 from what local people wanted ($420 vs $750). I replaced mine with a 12 gallon exactly like the old one. Job not that difficult.Shipping was by FedEx and was included in price.

1retired06 · 06-30-2015, 06:29 AM

Absolutely on or off has no impact on a water leak re the heater. Do you have a sink next to the refrigerator? Does the refrigerator have an ice maker?

Lchristi2 · 06-30-2015, 07:51 AM

No sink in that side and refrig has no ice maker.. I called a local repair man and he said water heater most likely.. I bypassed the water tank and drained it completely and will continuously check throughout day. Is the 12 gal the same size as the 10 gal in dimensions? I currently have a sw10de and would like to upgrade if I need to buy a new heater. Is Amazon the best website for pricing?

Lchristi2 · 06-30-2015, 07:57 AM

Thank you for your help.. Also, if I have to replace heater, should I consider the tankless model? Pros vs cons

1retired06 · 06-30-2015, 08:46 AM

For pricing try tweety. Re tankless, $$$$. Good move on draining for sanity check. For a femal (your spelling) or anybody else, you have taken some good troubleshooting steps and asked some excellent questions. Do not know dimensions re 10 vs 12 gallon tank.

BB_TX · 06-30-2015, 08:54 AM

From the Suburban web site:

¡10 gallon water heater features 12,000 BTUs. Unit Size: 16-7/32"H x 16-7/32"W x 20-1/2"D.

¡12 gallon water heater features 12,000 BTUs and is 16-7/32"H x 16-7/32"W x 22-1/4"D.

So the 12 gallon is same height and width, but is 1 3/4" deeper than the 10 gallon.

**DQDick** · 06-30-2015, 08:57 AM

Another thing about the tankless is, to the best of my knowledge, it won't run on electric so you'll be burning propane when you could be using electric you're already paying for.

jimcol · 06-30-2015, 09:27 AM

You might need to check the hose on the refrigerator a little more. These hoses get brittle and break or flat come off the drain tray. Not sure on your model but on mine I can remove the lower vent and trace the hose with my fingers. Just a thought. Jim

BB_TX · 06-30-2015, 09:40 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by DQDick

Another thing about the tankless is, to the best of my knowledge, it won't run on electric so you'll be burning propane when you could be using electric you're already paying for.

Actually they do make electric RV models. But I think most if not all need 240 vac to operate. Takes a lot of power to provide continuous hot water.

Lchristi2 · 06-30-2015, 11:34 AM

I appreciate all the responses so far, it's scary to have a leak and not know where it's coming from and the potential for damage.. Currently, I have the min water to campground (I'm a seasonal camper and camper doesn't leave campground), turned off and fan is drying area as I write. Once area is dry and since water heater is drained and bypassed, I'm gonna turn water back on to see if a leak continues again. If it does, then I'm assuming there is a pipe disconnected somewhere. Any additional thoughts or do you think this is a good plan?? Sorry for spelling errors, I'm typing from iPhone and spellcheck is horrendous, lol..

Lchristi2 · 06-30-2015, 11:40 AM

Also, the refrigerator is located in the slide out so its further back then where the water is coming in from (good couple feet) so I'm pretty much eliminating refrigerator leaking at this point.. does this sound sensible? I wish I could upload pic so you can see area I'm referring to..

jimcol · 06-30-2015, 04:17 PM

Not sure on your unit but on mine there is a drawer under the refrigerator. I can remove the drawer and see the floor. Might take a look if possible as water is often seen away from the source. You are just seeing where it ends up not where it starts. Short of that I'm out of suggestions. Jim

WeBeFulltime · 07-01-2015, 03:05 AM

I didn't want to "clutter" your thread so I sent you a PM.

Lchristi2 · 07-01-2015, 03:45 AM

UPDATE: WH is bypassed and area got wet again awhile after water was turned on again.. Last resort is removing items from refrigerator, turning it off and seeing if that helps.. I'm gonna have to call someone out, the board under refrig was taken off and it's not wet under there and the refrig sits in slide and slide is out and there isn't water coming up the side of the slide to where the wetness is.. Ugh, this is so frustrating! There must be a broken pipe.. Could move have chewed through piping?? There is mice droppings all around area since my seasonal camper is next to woods :-(

jimcol · 07-01-2015, 04:22 AM

If you don't see any signs of wet under the frige I wouldn't waste my time with it. Sounds like a loose water connection, or as you suggested rodents may have chewed a water line. Know it is frustrating but repairs is just part of owning an RV. Good Luck, Jim

Lchristi2 · 07-01-2015, 08:10 AM

Question: for a 2007 montana 3500RL, how do you get to the compartment under the WH? It's not the WH and not the refrig so I think there is a disconnect with the piping but I can't see where to get to piping since all the pipes go into a hole down below the WH floor. Do I have to drop the belly?

Lchristi2 · 07-01-2015, 08:22 AM

the WH is off to the side in the storage compartment but the piping goes down another level than that and I see a bead of water on trim on same level as WH.. Wait a minute, how can water travel up 2 flights to come in??? Omg, this is horrendously confusing!!!

bncinwv · 07-01-2015, 08:28 AM

This is just a thought and may be a long shot, but if the leak is on the side of the convenience center in the basement, it may be worthwhile to remove the white plastic backing behind the water connections which hopefully will let you see beneath the toilet area as well. There are several screws which you can remove and then remove the white surround from the basement. Based upon your floor model, I am curious if the leak could possibly be associated with the toilet?? By removing the white panel, you will also have access various water fittings if this is in the area of the leak.
Bingo

Lchristi2 · 07-02-2015, 01:44 AM

I've been behind the white panel, which contains the WH and the toilet piping, and nothing is wet except I see a bead of water going down the wood trim on the side of the WH that I can't get to. Someone made the comment that the WH may still have some water in it, even after anode rod was removed and pressure relief valve opened, it may be causing the slow leak. The repair man is gonna come tomorrow and take out WH to confirm. I really need to eliminate WH just to save my sanity.

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