What seemed to be a shower leak in RV was something totally different!

Dear Dave, 
We purchased a used RV. On the first outing, water appeared to be leaking from near/under the shower and soaking the carpet going to the back of the coach. I ordered (still waiting for) a snake camera to verify where the pipes are broken using the access cutout in the wall for the shower faucet. If the pipes under the shower are the problem, there is no access to work on the pipes, except removing a portion of the interior panel. My wife wants a second opinion and, if removed, how should it be done? You can see the pipes under the bathroom sink, but they are sink and main supply line only. No access from the fridge or hot water – exterior. Thanks. —Bill, 2003 Monaco Monarch SE, 30 ft.

From Dave:
This was the original question and Bill and I have had more correspondence since talking about cutting a square in the paneling behind the area for access and putting a larger framed panel piece to cover it. Maybe there was access underneath from the basement or a side cabinet.

Dear Bill,
Without being able to look at it, I can’t give a good second opinion. Is there any access from underneath the basement? Maybe a few pictures would help.

Dear Dave,
There is no access from the exterior of the coach or the storage areas underneath. I have spent hours trying to find access and there is none.

I guess my main concern is: What is normally done when there is no access?

A – Make an access to do the repair, or

B – Bypass the old with all new lines and connect back to the original before and after? Don’t know if B is possible yet until I can see the space under the shower.

The only possible access is to remove a portion (bottom) of the paneling on the interior wall which hides the back and side of the shower.

The PEX pipes come up to the backside of the shower controls about 40 inches from the floor (5×5 access cover on the wall). Since I can see both hot and cold supply lines on either side of the shower (on floor next to exterior wall), the shower supply lines must be teed off the main supply lines which are under the shower. Hopefully, I can confirm this with the camera I have ordered – BEFORE I do anything.

After I remove a portion of the wall, will there be enough room to operate the cutters/crimper to repair the line under or backside of shower?

Another possible cause of leak

Another possible cause of the leak could be a low point drain located almost directly across the coach from the shower, in a storage compartment. I can’t find where it connects to the supply lines. Under the shower? Assume this drain is part of the supply lines.

There is a small vent on the bottom of shower under the door. I took it off but could not see anything except wood and fiberglass.

My plan is to cut the wall panel with a Dremel saw blade and remove the staples. Are the panels generally glued to the wall studs, as well? Should the cut be the entire length of the wall 30+ inches? Or a portion? After repair, find a piece of trim to cover the cut? OR Make it look like an access panel? What is normally done?

If I can get pictures of the water lines and the space, would you be amenable to looking at them?

Thank you for your time and patience.

Eureka!!! Found the leak!

David,
A couple of days ago I decided to clean the access areas on both sides of the shower.

There was a fake hinged panel (partially screened) under the refrigerator, and I could see some heavy plastic garbage in the space. I removed the panel so I could clean underneath before I started my camera inspection.

I removed the plastic. Behind it was a cold-water line with a brass shutoff and a small plastic line running up behind the refrigerator. I could also see water marks on the plywood under the refrigerator. Hmmm?

I removed the exterior cover and found this… see pic. It looks as though the quick connect fitting failed, maybe because of too much of a bend or someone did not hook it back up.

The water had run to the left side and I assume the plastic underneath had diverted the water to run along the access hole for the pipes under the shower and then out to the carpet in the hallway!

I brought the motorhome down today from my shop to hook up to potable water. I closed the valve to fridge, purged the air and no leaks after an hour.

Lesson learned

Lesson learned? Things are not always as they seem to be! You don’t know how RELIEVED WE ARE! I had opened the exterior cover at least twice before – never saw it. But I still have questions:

1. I assume this line is for the icemaker? There is one in the freezer, but we do not plan on using it. Is it OK to not hook it up?
2. Winterizing? I assume I should open the shutoff valve to this line when winterizing?
3. Is there a better way to hook this up? Maybe use some sort of tee (exterior back of fridge) with a bleeder valve for winterizing?

Thank you very much, and I hope this helps you help others.

Note: Manual does not mention anything about winterizing an icemaker that I have found.

Dear Bill,
Yes, this is for the icemaker and I am surprised there is a quick connect fitting on it. I doubt this is original, but rather probably a DIY or dealer fix. The 1/4″ water line would typically come up through the bottom from the filter underneath the sink and go straight to the water valve. It would not have the quick disconnect that you see here. I would guess it had a sharp bend and froze, breaking the line.

If you are not going to use the icemaker, I would disconnect the line from the filter underneath the sink and cap that, or see if there is a shut off valve. To winterize, you would remove the filter, shut off the valve, and run the icemaker through a few cycles to get all the water out. That procedure is typically outlined in the refrigerator owner’s manual. The best way to connect this if you want to use the icemaker is to run a dedicated 1/4″ water line from the filter to the valve.

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