Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:19:14 -0600
Reply-To: alfred bagdan <abagdan@SHAW.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: alfred bagdan <abagdan@SHAW.CA>
Subject: Re: Puzzling water drip
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I had a cracked water pump which caused the dripping. I forgot to drain the
tank in the fall and it freezes up pretty solid here in Canada.
Alfred
85 Westy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rocket J Squirrel" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:49 AM
Subject: Puzzling water drip
> 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
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