Date:         Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:49:47 -0700
Reply-To:     Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Puzzling water drip
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This is probably not a deal, big or otherwise, but it did puzzle me.

One week ago, prior to leaving for a camping trip, I had a friend help me
fill the water tank on the van, the first time it had water in it since
last fall. During winter, the tank was drained and I had run the sink pump
get as much water out of the system as I could.

The water pressure at the hose is pretty high and the tank filled quickly.
Caught me by surprise as I was watching the water level panel and it sat
on red. Suddenly the water gushed out the filler, the tank was clearly
full, though the red lamp never went out.

After putting away the hose I noticed a steady drip drip drip -- about 2
drops a second -- from the underside of the van. The van was parked
nose-down on a sloped driveway and the drip was between the propane bits
and the front wheel well. Being temporarily one-legged I was unable to
look under, but my friend did and only shrugged and said it appeared to be
coming from where the floor joins the van side.

I looked in the sink cabinet and saw no leak. I figured that some bit of
tubing or a fitting might have gotten damaged during the freeze. Something
else to take care of.

The drip continued for easily 30 minutes, at the same rate, didn't notice
whether it was still dripping when it came time to climb aboard and drive
away.

Later, at camp, I hauled myself around to the driver's side of the van on
my one operable leg and saw no sign of a leak, nor was there ever for the
rest of the trip. One the way home we drained the tank, there was a lot of
water in it so I know the hose did fill the tank and that the level sender
is knackered or can't work with our clean, clean water (if it's the
contacts type, will investigate this weekend: another thing to fix).

So my working theory is that when the tank filled and water gushed out
under the pressure of the hose, some amount must have been forced into
some hidden place in the van, maybe inside, and it had to leak out for a
while.

Could this have happened? Is there some overflow opening somewhere? I
thought the system was closed. (But wait -- when water drains out of the
tank it must be replaced with air, so there is an opening at the top
someplace.)

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
Bend, OR
KG6RCR