Our travel trailer is a 29' Keystone Cougar. We bought it new about 2 yrs. ago. Everytime we have used it something has broken or fallen apart. It's always minor stuff that I can repair but it really makes me wonder about their quality control or lack thereof.
The one thing I haven't been able to figure out is this. Two trips ago the faucet screens started to get plugged with small particles of white plastic. The next trip the water stopped and I took the screens off but there was still no water flow in any faucet. I took everything I could find apart but did not find any blockages. I need to add that this happens when on park water or when on the unit pump system.
When we got back home The water systems were fine. I figured the blockage had broken loose during travel.
This past weekend we took another trip. Things worked fine at home. After getting set up I found that none of the cold faucets had any flow. The hot faucets all worked. I couldn't find any blockages. When we got back home yesterday The kitchen faucet (hot & cold) worked fine but the cold bathroom faucets and commode were still without flow. I guess I need to try blowing air in the lines to see if I can clean them out. I'm a little hesitant about doing this for fear of blowing something apart.
Anybody got a suggestion?
The Bear II said
08:45 AM Jun 29, 2010
I would hook up to city water and remove all particle screens and flush the system for a half hour. Open all faucets. Take any connections loose that can be completely disconnected like the shower head and toilet if the water inlet tube is long enough to reach and dump into the toilet bowl.
Also if your fresh water tank has a dump valve I would fully open it to dump the tank.
It sounds like you have particles left over from the build when the manufacturer drilled holes in the tank for sensors and connections.
I always use a two stage filter when I connect to city water or fill the fresh water tank. You never know what particles may come through a campgrounds water system.
Also, in regards to build quality. When we bought our 5th wheel the models the manufacturer built had become very popular. They were having trouble keeping up with demand. Ours had many small quality problems. We ended up taking it back to the factory about 6 times to get stuff fixed. The Cougars have become popular so maybe the manufacturer is or was rushing to get orders filled.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Tuesday 29th of June 2010 08:49:26 AM
Luvglass said
09:07 AM Jun 29, 2010
The Bears solution seems like a good idea and I would also recommend putting a filter on your water supply before it enters the rig.
We had an instance once where the campground we were in had a pipe break and we had both faucets and the toilet almost completely blocked with grit. I was unable to clear one faucet and we had to eventually replace it. Needless to say, they said they weren't responsible.
Since then I have never hooked up without a filter.
RodnReal said
03:33 PM Jun 29, 2010
Thanks guys. I'll give it a try just as soon as we find out what this hurricane is going to do.
Fred that filter has been on my todo list since we bought the trailer. I think I need to get with it once I get this straightened out.
--Rod
wmalefyt said
10:00 AM Jun 30, 2010
When we had RV's we always used a sediment filter attached at the water source before the hose. http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/tastepure-kdfcarbon-water-filter/18478 This sure helps eliminate a lot of sand, etc from getting into the system. In addition, we had an under the counter water filter for the kitchen faucet.
We are without an RV at present but still have thoughts of getting another one as we really love the lifestyle.
-- Edited by wmalefyt on Wednesday 30th of June 2010 10:02:36 AM
Terry and Jo said
11:54 AM Jun 30, 2010
Of course, since I am still learning this whole process, I have some follow up questions.
Are the sediment filters spoken of by Luvglass (Fred) and the Bear the kind that one can change internal filters, or does one have to replace the whole thing when they have reached their effective life?
Are there recommendations as to a particular type of filtration that is better than others? (Bear mentioning a two-stage filter is the reason for this question.)
Our Mobile Suites has one kind of filter, but it sounds like a "sediment" filter is a good idea to help protect the MS filter. Wmalefyt mentioned an under the counter filter for the kitchen faucet. Is there a particular type like that that is highly recommended?
Thanks for anyone's answers.
Terry
flyone said
12:10 PM Jun 30, 2010
Rod if you do put air to it make sure it is no more than 60 psi, it should be ok at that. Anymore than that and you may blow some of the piping/tubes apart. I have blown 60 psi air into mine several times without any problem when I go to winterize it. Question, do you use a regulator when out camping and not one at home? Maybe the screen in the regulator is stopped up? Just making suggestion beyond what Bear has suggested, in case it dosent work for you. Your pump may already have a screen filter on the outlet side, maybe its clogged up. Is the regulator adjustable maybe the pressure is set to low. Good luck let us know how it turns out. Has this happened at the same campground or at different campgrounds? Maybe water pressure at CG is really low.
Flyone
Luvglass said
01:49 PM Jun 30, 2010
I have a system like Bill mentions, a disposable sediment filter that goes outside the rig where the water hose attaches and a replaceable charcoal filter under the kitchen sink that feeds a separate water spigot. The outside filter lasts a long time and costs about $18 at Walmart, the undersink filter (BTW, pain in the ass to change), is about $33 from RV dealers.
dewwood said
01:56 PM Jun 30, 2010
For those looking for filter information here is a link with lots of info:
This is what I use:
http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/images/CanDualClearwMount.jpg
First One has a sediment filter and the second in line has a charcoal filter. I buy the replacement cartridges at the local hardware store or Home Depot/Lowes.
RodnReal said
07:43 AM Jul 1, 2010
Again, thanks for all the responses and suggestions. I'll try to clarify a little and answer a few questions.
The material I am finding in the faucest screens is white plastic. Most of it is the size of sand grains with a few larger pieces mixed in. That leads me to believe it is coming from the water system itself.
I use a regulator whenever and wherever I hook the hose up. It is non-adjustable. The screen is clean. It has happened at several parks and at home.
The stoppage seems to change. Sometimes it's all the faucets, sometimes only a few. Sometimes it happens only to one system, sometimes both. Sometimes only hot (or cold), sometimes both.
I've got a call into the dealer we bought it from and hope (but doubt) they can shed some light on the problem.
I plan on taking the lines apart at each outlet and running the water/blowing air this weekend to see if I can get them all cleared. My concern is that I get the lines cleared but don't find the source of the material. I don't think the tank figures into the city part of the system so don't know if the material is coming from there. I really don't want to take the cover off of the bottom of the trailer.
--Rod
RodnReal said
09:35 AM Jul 1, 2010
Holy Crap they actually called me back!
The tech I talked to said that it is a calcium buildup in the hot water tank. He said I probably need a new anode. He told me to drain and flush the tank, replace the anode and then back flush all the lines.
We'll see.
--Rod
RodnReal said
02:06 PM Jul 6, 2010
Just a quick update....
I pulled what was left of the anode and drained the water heater. I couldn't believe how much crap came out. I flushed it for about 1/2 hour and the refilled it. I let it set for about and hour then drained it again. This time I wasn't flushing, just let it glub out (no air getting in). That resulted in more stuff in the driveway. I got a flash light and looked in the drain and can see more stuff sitting there. I'm going to find a long thin spoon and see if I can remove it that way. Then keep flushing it until it's all gone.
I opened the faucets one by one and hooked up to city water without a pressure regulator. After several hours and draining the grey tanks twice they cleared one by one. Now all lines are flowing. I did find that the check valve on the city water inlet was not operating correctly.
The parts are ordered and hopefully everything will be a little smoother on the next trip. Based on the amount of buildup I saw I think I will be draining and flushing that hot water tank a lot more often.
Thanks for all your help and ideas.
--Rod
53 Merc said
05:14 PM Jul 6, 2010
RodnReal wrote:
Just a quick update....
I pulled what was left of the anode and drained the water heater. I couldn't believe how much crap came out. I flushed it for about 1/2 hour and the refilled it. I let it set for about and hour then drained it again. This time I wasn't flushing, just let it glub out (no air getting in). That resulted in more stuff in the driveway. I got a flash light and looked in the drain and can see more stuff sitting there. I'm going to find a long thin spoon and see if I can remove it that way. Then keep flushing it until it's all gone.
I opened the faucets one by one and hooked up to city water without a pressure regulator. After several hours and draining the grey tanks twice they cleared one by one. Now all lines are flowing. I did find that the check valve on the city water inlet was not operating correctly.
The parts are ordered and hopefully everything will be a little smoother on the next trip. Based on the amount of buildup I saw I think I will be draining and flushing that hot water tank a lot more often.
Thanks for all your help and ideas. --Rod
If you still see granules in the water heater, go to camping world and get a water heater flusher. It is a piece of 1/4 inch tubing that has a directional end on the wand. By manipulating the wand while flushing you can wash out more of the CaCl. I was astounded at how much I removed from mine.
RodnReal said
07:51 AM Jul 7, 2010
Thanks Merc
--Rod
mick22 said
08:56 AM Jul 9, 2010
I would still get the 2 filter unit mentioned. The one you can get filters at lowes or homedepot.
My only question about hot water tank is thier should be no way it would plug cold lines for sink or toilet. It could be hard water like you said but it should not be coming from hot water tank alone. The cold and hot water lines do not mix on toilet.
The one thing I haven't been able to figure out is this. Two trips ago the faucet screens started to get plugged with small particles of white plastic. The next trip the water stopped and I took the screens off but there was still no water flow in any faucet. I took everything I could find apart but did not find any blockages. I need to add that this happens when on park water or when on the unit pump system.
When we got back home The water systems were fine. I figured the blockage had broken loose during travel.
This past weekend we took another trip. Things worked fine at home. After getting set up I found that none of the cold faucets had any flow. The hot faucets all worked. I couldn't find any blockages. When we got back home yesterday The kitchen faucet (hot & cold) worked fine but the cold bathroom faucets and commode were still without flow. I guess I need to try blowing air in the lines to see if I can clean them out. I'm a little hesitant about doing this for fear of blowing something apart.
Anybody got a suggestion?
Also if your fresh water tank has a dump valve I would fully open it to dump the tank.
It sounds like you have particles left over from the build when the manufacturer drilled holes in the tank for sensors and connections.
I always use a two stage filter when I connect to city water or fill the fresh water tank. You never know what particles may come through a campgrounds water system.
Also, in regards to build quality. When we bought our 5th wheel the models the manufacturer built had become very popular. They were having trouble keeping up with demand. Ours had many small quality problems. We ended up taking it back to the factory about 6 times to get stuff fixed. The Cougars have become popular so maybe the manufacturer is or was rushing to get orders filled.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Tuesday 29th of June 2010 08:49:26 AM
We are without an RV at present but still have thoughts of getting another one as we really love the lifestyle.
-- Edited by wmalefyt on Wednesday 30th of June 2010 10:02:36 AM
Are the sediment filters spoken of by Luvglass (Fred) and the Bear the kind that one can change internal filters, or does one have to replace the whole thing when they have reached their effective life?
Are there recommendations as to a particular type of filtration that is better than others? (Bear mentioning a two-stage filter is the reason for this question.)
Our Mobile Suites has one kind of filter, but it sounds like a "sediment" filter is a good idea to help protect the MS filter. Wmalefyt mentioned an under the counter filter for the kitchen faucet. Is there a particular type like that that is highly recommended?
Thanks for anyone's answers.
Terry