More water leak problems Harmony

We have just had a few days in Dorset and have found that the mystery water drips from various points of the chassis have got worse, and are unlikely to be caused by any of the problems suggested so helpfully when I wrote before. we turned out our glory hole locker under the rear nearside seat and found its carpeted floor (carpet stuck directly to underside of van) soaking wet. By coincidence we had been reading about someone having a problem with a Carver Cascade in a van of similar age. It seems that the heater's seals can go, or worse, that it can rust right through and leak down through the chassis.
This now seems likely to be the cause of the problem, but we had no way to cut off the water supply just to the heater to check it out. In the end I rang Auto-sleeper and apparently the only way is to buy a part from them which they call an 'Isolation Tool'. It is in the post and if it works we are hoping that we can manage a few more nights away. We don't mind not having hot water, if the leak is cured!
How or where we can get the heater mended we have no idea, as I believe this type are not made anymore. Any advice or comments would be welcome. Gran

The most likely culprits are the hose connectors which have a habit of cracking after a while.
It has been discussed at length on here in the past,so if you do a search for "carver", "water heater" etc. it could save some of us a great deal of typing

Frank

Thanks, Frank, should have guessed it was likely to be a common problem! Shall do my homework burrowing into past Carver topics before exploring heater compartment. just don't want to make it worse. Gran

Hi Gran.

The isolation tool you mention is only a piece of 3/8" iron bar about 4" long with a machined down section on one end. It goes into the heater behind the drain plug. It only works if it is in the right way round can't remember which way at the moment but I do know that the way it is listed in the Executive manual is the wrong way. AS got it wrong. So if you are following your manual and it dosen't work turn the bar around.

Cheers Whisky.

PS. Do a internet search for ARC SYSTEMS all the info you need is on there.

Hi Whisky, Thanks for your reply re AS 'isolation tool'. Unfortunately it didn't work either way round, and believe me I really tried! While away in the van last weekend I met a very helpful man in a caravan/camping shop, and explained my problem. He said that he wasn't surprised by the tool's failure but that a sure way to islate the heater was to detach the hot and cold hoses which fed it, and join them together to make a circuit excluding the pump. He sold me two jubilee clips and a small hose joiner insert. Getting at those hoses was a real pain as they were tucked under the heater. Realised that we had at last found the cause of the trouble when the hot hose came up too easily- the connector at the end was broken!
Because of its position below the heater, the leak was invisble from above as the water had gone straight down through the floor into the chassis. I joined the hot and cold pipes as advised-not easy in the confined space- and to our delight it has worked! So now no drips but no hot water either!
At some stage, when I can get time and courage, I plan to get the heater out through the wall and see if it is repairable, which it may be if the part or parts needed are still available. I will be studying all the info on the very helpful Carver topics here first though...still learning!
Kind regards, Gran,

Gran wrote:
At some stage, when I can get time and courage, I plan to get the heater out through the wall and see if it is repairable, which it may be if the part or parts needed are still available. I will be studying all the info on the very helpful Carver topics here first though...still learning!
Kind regards, Gran,

The hose connectors are readily available on Ebay, the hot and cold ones are different as the cold has a non return valve inside. While you are doing this job, replace the vent valve and the drain plug which are at the top & bottom of outside of the heater as these get brittle also.

You may be lucky and the broken stumps will unscrew easily, but if not, a hot screwdriver works wonders

Frank

whisky wrote:Hi Gran.

The isolation tool you mention is only a piece of 3/8" iron bar about 4" long with a machined down section on one end. It goes into the heater behind the drain plug. It only works if it is in the right way round can't remember which way at the moment but I do know that the way it is listed in the Executive manual is the wrong way. AS got it wrong. So if you are following your manual and it dosen't work turn the bar around.

Cheers Whisky.

PS. Do a internet search for ARC SYSTEMS all the info you need is on there.

I have one of these and I can confirm it doesnt work either way round no matter how loose/tight you put the drain back in.