fresh Water tank leak

tonker
tonker Forum Participant Posts: 43
edited October 2023 in Motorhomes #1

Does anyone else have a problem with water coming out of the top of the lid from the freshwater tank when they are driving along?

I have sealed the lid and also bought a replacement but still the same.

I don't fill it to the top as it is. 

Can anyone recommend a solution? 

Thanks in advance

 

Moderator Edit:

Can you please clarify if your post relates to a motorhome or caravan in order that I can move it to a more appropriate section.

Many Thanks.

Comments

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2023 #2

    Over 16 years I've had fixed 35 to 50L water tanks in my last 4 my caravans. I never tow with water in the tank. Best practice is you should empty it. Yes they may have a strap over them and are probably glued down, but that weight of water moving around is going to cause problems. They should also have a vent hole in the top so water will get out.

     

    Colin

  • tonker
    tonker Forum Participant Posts: 43
    edited October 2023 #3

    As a motorhomer though, you need to carry water on board on case you want to stop off and wild camp.

    fair point about the weight causing a problem.

     

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,134 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2023 #4

    Tonker, your profile shows you as a caravanner.

    If you have a motorhome, your tank will likely be underslung. If that is the case, how would you know water leaks from the top?

    Perhaps you will clarify.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,299 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2023 #5

    Although underslung, the top of ours is accessed by a hatch in the step by the bed. This enables the submersible pump to be changed if required and the tank to be cleaned (if needed) through the larger hole. We only ever travel with the recommended 20 litres so have no issues. However, if the tank is overfilled when arriving on site,  so as to vent through the overflow, do get water seeping around the side of the large blue access hole. They clearly don’t seal very well.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited October 2023 #6

    vans with underslung tanks can still have an inspection hatch in the floor leading to the tank cap where the issue might have been spotted.

    Our tanks are between the heated double floors for full protection and there is 'inspection/cleaning' access to both via the sort of large round cap Tonker is probably describing.

    ours do not leak, despite regularly travelling with the tank full to the brim. Some motorhome tanks are not just large rectangular boxes, ours are irregularly shaped with the fresh tank dovetailing the waste tank which provides a sort of baffling. We don't get water sloshing about nor does the weight of the water compromises our payload...

    however, I have read of tank caps causing problems from time to time, they need checking and cleaning or even replacing the cap or rubber seal.

    perhaps Tonker can tell us more about his motorhome.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,134 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2023 #7

    Interesting, Steve. I’m on my 6th MH and none have had an accessible tank like yours.

    We wait to hear from the OP……

    Edit: And BB too. Perhaps it’s something found on continental vans, although mine too is an ‘overthere’ model🤷🏻‍♂️

  • tonker
    tonker Forum Participant Posts: 43
    edited October 2023 #8

    My profile is as a caravanner but have bought a Ford Herald motorhome to see how we get on now children have grown up.

    The tank is as shown in the picture from SteveL and the water heater is next to the cap.

    The tank is therefore accessible and water obviously sloshes around when driving and causes the water to come out of one of the access points at the top.

     

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,134 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2023 #9

    Thanks for explaining. I’m sure you can see why the confusion arose.

    Sorry, I can’t suggest a cure.

     

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited October 2023 #10

    Both our Swifts had access hatches to underslung tanks....one of them had the hatch on the bottom!! so that you got covered when trying to clean the tank🤷🏻‍♂️

    the two German vans have both had internal covers as in Steve's photo, but in one hatch I can access a blue cap (on a white tank) for fresh and a red cap (on a black tank) for waste water as the tanks are adjacent to each other....a bit ying/yang.

    im guessing the Herald MH is a few years old now and perhaps the seal need replacing...

  • LLM
    LLM Forum Participant Posts: 1,555 ✭✭
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    edited October 2023 #11

    None of the fitting shown in the picture should leak, although it is not unknown for water to escape from around the inspection cap if it is not secured.  In that regard it does need to be very tight.  Attempting to tighten it by hand is rarely enough.

  • tonker
    tonker Forum Participant Posts: 43
    edited October 2023 #12

    The Herald, bless it, is  a V reg, 

    Very powerful with a 2.5 TD engine.

     

    I will look at the seal on the cap and the top of the tank, and I guess a new washer first.

     

    Thanks for help so far.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,856 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2023 #13

    Tonker

    I have an onboard water tank in my motorhome. If I over fill the tank, say 100% plus, I do get some water leaking. If I fill to 95% no problem at all which I find perplexing. Its not coming out of the tank top seal as I always have a towel over it and it never gets wet! Is there evidence of water coming out of the top of the tank, i.e. wet around the seal? Short of removing the tank and sort of bench testing it I have not been able to find an answer so am now very cautious about over filling. 

    David

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited October 2023 #14

    David, in my experience fresh water tanks 'overflow' in one of two ways....

    either, as both my swifts did, the tank has holes in the very top and water just runs out all over the place under the van, first thing you know about it is wet feet!

    or, as in our two Carthagos, the waste has a small breather in the top of the tank which runs right back up along side the input filler pipe and vents out into the filler hole in the side of the van, effectively overflowing back from the water entry point...simple system and it's obvious when the tank is full.

    when filling, I stick the hose in tank, step inside the van, watch the water guage rise until it hits full then walk round to the filler and gradually reduce the speed of input until the water gently trickles out the filler hole...tank fully brimmed, no mess.