Water loss on kingham

This has happened several times before and is happening as I type. There is a small black pipe under the van just inside the sill between the water inlet valve and the electric hook up socket. It appears to be a drain point. Water is currently running out of this pipe. The tank is 75% full I have the heating on and hot water on so it's nothing to do with the cold weather. It's not the boiler drain point as that's at the rear of the van. Can anymore help me as I'm going crazy trying to work this out. I'm full timing atm so this is important. Cheers Rob

I would locate the auto drain down valve and see if this pipe is underneath the valve, if it is then for reasons you need to establish it is draining the hot water system. I have a fair Ford which has similar if not the same equipment on board and the only thin black pipe I have is on the drain down valve, which performs perfectly in all temperatures so yours should also work, indicating a possible fault?

The drain valve for hot water/boiler is at the rear of the van directly under the boiler. That hasn't been tripped. So don't think it's a hot water issue. I'm slowly losing all the water from the van. I live off grid and don't have access to mains water so I'll be buggered soon !!

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is this the type of valve you have at the rear by the heater, or a yellow lever?
if its the blue one and its not tripped (the button is still 'in') then there is something else causing it.
I have two drain valves, one automatic blue one and one with a manual lever....perhaps you have a second drain, too...

I have something similar as pictured and it's definitely not tripped. Can't find what the purpose of this pipe is anywhere. It only started today after I'd put some water into the system.

the freshwater tank hasnt got a drain thats open when you thought it should be closed?
....IE you used it to drain down the fresh tank last time?

What age is your van Rob ?

I can't think that mine has an outlet in that area, as both the fresh and grey water drains are just forward of the rear wheel. 

The only thing I can think of is an overflow for the fresh water, but if you're down to 75%, it can't be that.

I'll have a look under mine when it's light and see if I have a small black pipe where you describe.

ah, if youre filling and its overflowing, i imagine you can ignore the 75% full reading....these units are so bad, it could be full and is just overflowing...
can you physically check the tank is full (or 3/4) by looking inside it (inspection hatch?)...
secondly, turn off the filling pipe, does the 'overflow' stop after a few seconds?....
if so, its really just full and has been overflowing...
if not, does the guage fall to 1/2 full......ie, are you really losing water from the fresh system.
if its coming from the boiler, water only fills from the fresh tank with the water pump on, if ypu turn of the pump does the 'leak' stop?
good luck...
ps...by now (if its a genuine 'leak' or valve open) your fresh tank must be approaching empty.....is this the case?

I've checked under my van and the only pipe that other than being blue, fits the description, is adjacent to the water filler and without testing it (fresh currently drained down) I'm fairly certain it's a fresh water overflow.

I have nothing further forward towards the 240v socket.

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yes looks like an overflow pipe, so im guessing that the tank was full even though the 'guage' was showing 3/4....
I always fill until the water overflows....on mine its back out of the filler pipe, and the guage is unerringly accurate....its German, lol.

That's what's so good about the whale filling system, the solenoid switches off the pump so no overflow. Thereafter right or wrong, doesn't matter what the fresh water gauge registers. 

Whenever I refill the fresh water tank l start to get drips when it is full and as bolero boy suggested the readings on Sargent are sooo irregular one almost gives up on the accuracy ie waste tank remains in the red/full when empty.

Evening everyone. It's running out again tonight and has drained the system so now I'm stuck with no water and I'm full timing atm. Seriously hacked off. So it's got nothing to do with overfilling system and it's intermittent. This short black pipe is located under the van inline with around the middle of the sofa. Can't find any info on what it is. Wish I'd paid for extra warranty. Gotta try and fix the microwave shelf too which is hanging off. Who builds these vans, yts temps??

Sorry you are having these problems, treeclimbingrob, not a nice situation to be in when full timing, the last thing that you want, I cannot answer your query, as I don`t know your van,

I have heard so many problems with the newer vans, I have gone for  the tried and trusted older ones.

A lot of money is in these vans, and at least you should have better build quality control.

Good luck and hope it is sorted soon. Have you got water containers,? to fill with water, I just used water containers when I camped in Norfolk in December last year. as I had drained the system down. so can get by with them, not ideal but better than nothing.

Very best wishes,
Margaret.

I'm at a loss as to what it is in that case and I can't see anything obvious under my van in the area under the sofa.

Have you had the van from new, as it does sound like a drain down and I'm wondering if it's something a previous owner has added, or was a feature of earlier models.

It might be worth giving Auto-Sleeper a ring tomorrow and asking them directly if they're aware of the issue.

Hi treeclimbingrob, sorry to hear of your troubles but frankly not surprised. Can you trace the pipe in daylight ? If it disappears through the floor then you could trace from inside the van at that point.Sounds like a drain down point that might be placed at a low point in the system to aid complete draining? A call to A/s might help but from experience they have as much clue about specific build details as you or I - and they built it!
      The microwave shelves are a well documented fault . Small screws into end grain mdf are just not strong enough to support a heavy microwave being bounced around while driving. They should know better by now but dont seem to care. It is however easily fixed by using longer twinthread screws and adding 4 modesty blocks to give extra support. Since doing this I have had no more problems. Google 'modesty blocks ' available in colours to complement interior. I bought light beige , a bag  of 20 was £1. Come on A/s waken up , and smell the coffee, its just not good enough!

It disappears through the base of the van and I can't find it inside. I can't see how it can drain the whole system, makes no sense. I'll Google those blocks cheers for tip. I drive a lot in remote areas on bad roads and don't think the shelf will last much longer.

As suggested, give Autosleepers a ring quoting your van's job no. which should be in the glove compartment (letter and four nos.) It may also be on the plate that gives axle weights on the near side cab door pillar? Mark Burdett is always helpful to members of this forum. 
 Regards

treeclimbingrob wrote:Evening everyone. It's running out again tonight and has drained the system so now I'm stuck with no water and I'm full timing atm. Seriously hacked off. So it's got nothing to do with overfilling system and it's intermittent. This short black pipe is located under the van inline with around the middle of the sofa. Can't find any info on what it is.

Hi Rob
Do you mean the system has drained with the pump switched off?
I know on my van, the boiler dump valve will not drain the system unless the pump is on. If pump is off then the boiler dump valve (picture in 4th post) will not drain the fresh water tank.

I can't at the moment think of any other item in the van that holds water. So maybe you do have 2 dump valves.

I know I would be able to trace the pipe on my Warwick from inside the van by lifting the sofa and using my camera phone to get into nooks and crannies, but I'm not sure about a Kingham.

Hi don. Yes it still comes out with the pump off. I'm gonna take the van into west country useless homes today and see if they can help me. Atm I've got an unusable van that I'm living in. Luckily I can use local gym for shower etc.

i said earlier that (in addition to the main fresh water tank dump valve) i had two drains on my German van...
one is the blue automatic dump valve that protects the hotwater boiler and this will drain the hot water tank if temperatures fall and the van is unheated...
i also have a 2nd lift up valve as in the pics others have posted. this one will also turn on the water pump to assist full drain down.
im wondering if you have an as yet undiscovered 2nd dump valve, that is open and draining the system....as above, is the pump running?
give WCM a call, im sure they will at least help you identify what this mystery pipe is....
good luck, what a pain...

treeclimbingrob wrote:Evening everyone. It's running out again tonight and has drained the system so now I'm stuck with no water and I'm full timing atm. Seriously hacked off. So it's got nothing to do with overfilling system and it's intermittent. This short black pipe is located under the van inline with around the middle of the sofa. Can't find any info on what it is. Wish I'd paid for extra warranty. Gotta try and fix the microwave shelf too which is hanging off. Who builds these vans, yts temps??

"its running out again tonight....."
is this a clue?....if it wasnt running out before, during the day, and now it has started...what has changed?
one thing thats fairly obvious is the drop in temperature....its been pretty cold these last few nights.
i wonder if there is something that is tripping (the dump valve) but is happening at too high a temperature?
with you in the van and, persumably, the heating on this should not happen.....unless the valve is incorectly calibrated...
do you have a pipe exiting the vehicle at the rear, under the bed where the blue valve is? if not, perhaps AS (for whatever reason) have made it exit a bit further forward?...
when you check the dump valve, did you note the position of the 'cross piece' on the top...was this open?
as well as WCM, you could try Chelstons as another option....

just another thought, i guessing the tanks are external...could the waste tank be full and its this thats overflowing intermittently.....you wash dishes, it overflows.....you use the washroom, it overflows....?
dont know....clutching at straws now....
good luck...

Another clutch at a straw. When I disconnect me leisure battery the boiler dump valve opens. If you are using lights, heating (blown air type) TV. Etc is there a low voltage supply problem to the valve?  If you full time you probably have a small generator. Try connecting that up to EHU input on the van and see if that resolves the issue. Good luck.

Rob, i went past WCM yeaterday on my way to WSM and thought about your issues....hope you resolve the 'water' one and perhaps het the rest of the van up to where it should be...
i wish you well....

Rob, did your visit to WCM identify or solve the water loss ?