Dear Dave,
I got my trailer new last season and used it one trip. The underbelly was full of water when I got it home. I took it to the dealer, thinking it had a water leak. I got it back a couple weeks later and they told me it’s just because I overfilled the fresh water tank. Is this possible? —Ryan, 2022 Starcraft Autumn Ridge 26BHS
Dear Ryan,
Is it possible, yes. Is it normal? NO! According to the owner’s manual for your rig, you can only fill the fresh water tank by inserting a hose into the gravity fill on the side of the rig.
This photo shows the gravity fill on the top. It has a cap screwed onto an inlet that you insert a hose from a water source to fill the tank. Underneath is the city water connection, where you would connect a hose and provide pressurized water throughout the system, bypassing the freshwater tank and the onboard water pump.
What happens when you hook up to city water
The reason I bring this up is some units have a valve that allows you to connect a hose to the city water connection. That would not only provide pressurized water throughout the coach but also fill the freshwater tank by turning the valve, which diverts the pressurized water to the freshwater tank.
When you insert a water hose into the gravity fill on the side of the rig, pressurized water flows through the hose, which is typically 1” ID, down to the freshwater tank with the connection typically mounted to the side of the tank close to the top. The freshwater tank has a vent tube that allows air from the tank to escape while water is filling, and the vent is generally located right by the gravity fill. However, I have learned never to say always and never to say never when it comes to how RV manufacturers and designers do things! The vent tube could go somewhere else, but there should be a vent tube.
Overflow tube
There should also be an overflow tube that diverts water to that tube and dumps an overfill situation to the ground. It makes no sense that the overfill or overflow would just come out of the tank and fill the underbelly. Again, never say never!
My assumption is the overfill tube was either not attached from the time of manufacturing or has either come loose or broken. Therefore, instead of flowing out of the bottom, it is flowing down the freshwater tank and, since you have an underbelly covering everything, it is pooling there.
So, is it possible to overfill the tank and have water in the belly? Yes, if the overfill hose is not connected. However, it should not happen if the overfill tube is installed correctly and the piping to the bottom is not compromised.
I would suggest contacting Starcraft Customer Service to get this documented and a path to fixing it. They were bought by Jayco a few years ago and then Jayco was bought by Thor, so they fall under the Thor umbrella of companies. However, you should have a Customer Service contact in your owner’s manual, and they can, hopefully, assist in getting it fixed correctly. The contact number on their website is 800-945-4787.
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Water is seeping into freshwater tank when hooked up to city water.
Dear Dave,
“I have a Starcraft Autumn Ridge trailer. When I hook up to city water at an RV park or campsite to run my shower, toilet, etc., it all works good. However, water has been flowing into my freshwater tank at the same time. Can’t figure out why. Have not done anything different.” —Jere
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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My trailer does not have an enclosed under belly, The fresh water fill does have the vent though. The tank does not have an overflow tube. The water comes out of the vent when full.
My last trailer did not have the vent, but did have an over flow tube.
An unanswered question is if the tank is ruptured at all. As Bob stated, sometimes there is only a small diameter vent tube and not an overflow on trailers. So if the water going in from a 1/2″+ fill hose was greater than what could be evacuated by a 1/4″ vent hose, it could rupture the tank.
No mention, so assume not, but it is possible.
I never fill with full water force. I also keep checking the level gauge in the trailer. It’s the only one that is fairly accurate.
Thank you Dave! You never fail to add to my understanding of RV construction and repair; thanks! 🙂
We purchased a new trailer in the summer, and its underbelly filled with water in the winter. The Suburban water heater was located under the rooftop plastic downspout and fresh water fill port. Water from the downspout flowed into the water heater exhaust vent and between the water heater and door flanges that were only sealed between each other with a foam rubber gasket. The dealer removed the under belly covering and water-soaked insulation that needed to be replaced with repairing the underbelly covering.