leaky water holding tank

[sticks]

Went into the bus barn today and heard the alarm on from the water bay. Gauge read almost empty and noticed a small drip seemingly coming from the grey water bypass pipe port side. Closer inspection showed that it was coming from around the bottom of the stainless steel holding tank( water) and traveling to the outside of the grey water drain near by . Oh oh! Houston we have a problem! Could this be something simpler? Where do I start getting this fixed short of prevailing on the factory ( Liberty) in Chicago to bail me out? How easy is it to remove the spray on foam insulation under the frame to directly inspect the bottom of the water tank. Getting ready to drive to Lexington for a big horse show( naturally) in another 10 days.

[jack14r]

I think that Liberty would be my first call.

[BoaterAl]

Can we break this down a little at a time. Here goes......This water stuff is just a mine field as many of the members who have owned boats. That fluid can do some amazing travel from point A to B.
Could you just be out of water ? the coach leans and sets off the alarm ? Can you check the location of all the gravity drain hoses ? Came loose, hit by road object and relocated ? Just a couple of long shots from the "whats it's worth dept in KC "
AL

[jack14r]

Al,You are right,there is a fresh water dump that is near the bottom of the side of the tank as well as the fresh water supply to the pump,I think that both of these have rubber hoses with clamps on them.It would be very easy to have a loose clamp that would cause a leak.

[sticks]

Thanks for your tips. The SLOW drip seems to be coming from underneath the water holding tank over to the copper pipe right at the bottom of the coach and down the OUTSIDE of this pipe.This pipe is labeled " gray water bypass" and thus should not leak water out of the water holding tank. All of this is located on the port side adjacent to the waste tank. And yes I know I started out the month storage in my barn with a 3/4 full water tank. Since it "leaked" down to the 10% mark on the gauge, ( thus setting off the alarm), the leak must be at or close to the bottom of the tank. I'll go around to the starboard side in the morning and check the connection to the pump. If there is a leaky hose there I would be ecstatic as this would be a whole lot easier to fix then a " hole" or corrosion in the tank ,which would be hard to imagine in a 5 year old coach. I'll report back tomorrow. Thanks again for your advice.

[truk4u]

Sticks,

I doubt the water tank itself is leaking, they are well built in the Liberty. Mine was in a different location and much older than yours, but I'm posting the picture so you can see the hose hook ups. I'm sure yours will have a similar hose placement. You should be able to get at the hoses and clamps and I would guess that's where your leak is. The bottom fittings hook to the fresh water drain and water pump inlet. The top fitting was the overflow. The holes up the side are for the tank level sensors.

7174

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Let me start by saying we had a leak in the SS water tank on our first Liberty. It looked great with all the ground and polished weld joints, but over time minute holes begain to show up. I ended up removing the tank and rewelding it. I put about 3 PSI in the tank (greater than the head pressure from the water in it) and tested my welds with soapy water. I blew so many bubbles all around the tank (not where I welded) that it looked like Lawrence Welk was there.

I ended up rewelding the entire tank. Problem solved. It seems daunting but the tank came out in about 20 munutes with the removal of a few hose connections. I pulled it onto a floor jack and balanced it while sliding it out the rest of the way.

Having now scared you about bad welds, it is possible and probable the leak is in a hose fitting so I would suggest you empty the tank, pull it and dry everything out, fill the tank with the fitting(s) plugged to verify the tank has not had a porous weld and re-install it with new connections and clamps. If you assume it is a connection and just fix that, and in fact a weld is leaking, over time the moisture will crate problems of major proportions. You can test with air if you want, but be prepared for the tank to bulge and make scary noises, and whatever you do be very carefull not to exceed 3 or 4 PSI. I has a test plug with a gauge that I used.

Removing the tank I think is an important part of this to insure you have dried stuff out and have the leak problem corrected. You could leak as little as a shot glass of water per day, mostof which will evaporate or be absorbed by the wood bulkheads and floor, and that constant moisture will cause rotting, mold and mildew all of which are very destructive.

[GDeen]

No way a Liberty tank leaks - its Stainless!

[jack14r]

Liberty does guarantee the items that they manufacturer for life to the original owner,but they are usually very willing to warranty these type of items to the second purchaser especially if you bought it from them.If you really do have a leak in the tank I would call the salesman and get him to help with warranty.

[sticks]

Thanks to POG advice, I found the problem. A plastic T connector on the side of the hot water tank starboard side ( water bay) had a crack and was dripping steadily . Ran over to port side and down gray water drain pipe. Also dripping on starboard side after I realized what was wrong. $9.50 part should fix it. Thanks all!!!

[sticks]

Oh ya, " long live Liberty water tanks"

[BenC]

The tanks are stainless steel, but remember, by the definition of welding, the crystalline structure is altered at a weld, and that is where the rust develops on the stainless tanks (i.e. the corners or where baffles were attached to the outside wall of the tank via weld).

[chiplamb]

My 97 Liberty XL40 has a leaking water tank. Pulled both yesterday and am having them completely rewelded. Doing this job exactly one time. Had started redoing all plumbing in PEX but could not get at the rest without tanks out. Problem solved. Whole bay plumbing now PEX. Good bye to the Flare Fit stuff! Ugh!

[Gil_J]

If you have a leaking aluminum waste water tank I doubt rewelding is a good long term fix. The waste in aluminum tanks tend to erode the aluminun.

[chiplamb]

If you have a leaking aluminum waste water tank I doubt rewelding is a good long term fix. The waste in aluminum tanks tend to erode the aluminun.

It's 304 stainless steel. A couple welds are leaking. Found one leak already in the steam out process. Going to see what the welding shop wants to do tomorrow.

[Anthem]

oh wow. . Im surprised both my hot water and waste tanks (both steel) (1994 liberty) - havent had any leaking issues. Knock on wood. .

[Gil_J]

I'm pretty sure Liberty used SS for all water tanks. Waste tanks were SS but at some point changed to aluminum and I believe still are today.

[chiplamb]

I'm pretty sure Liberty used SS for all water tanks. Waste tanks were SS but at some point changed to aluminum and I believe still are today.

Indeed waste tank is aluminum (late 96 build). I'll let everyone know how well we manage to duplicate it here in Augusta, that looks like the plan. Following the earlier post on pressure-testing the fresh tank (which is 304SS) and likely rewelding both sides. New plumbing is coming along nicely, just about completely eliminated the flare-fit stuff with the exception of the feeds to the kitchen sink. Also discovered that whoever put the Mach V Headhunter in just dropped it in place, not bolted to anything, so reworking that setup as well. Obviously renewing all drain couplings, dump valves et.c. as they are very common parts. If the tanks come back by mid-next week we ought to have it all buttoned up this time next week.