Fixing a Kitchen Gray Water Tank Leak at Pipe Connection

[mgsmithnj]

My 2019 22RBE XLS has a leak in the kitchen gray water at the point where the tank connects to the dump drain pipe. I had previously taken it to my local (if you count 75 miles as local) dealer for repair over the winter. At the time we chose to apply some sealant and new clamp to stop the leak. They thought it was fixed, but on our first disconnected trip it leaked after only a couple of days.

After pulling down some of the underneath I was able to take a video (link below - too large to upload ) of the leak. It looks like its coming from the pipe connection. It appears to start as a very slow drip and then gets faster as more water is added to the tank. I had my wife run the sink why I watched the leak increase from a slow drip to a very fast drip. When I pulled the valve to empty the tank (at a site where I was connected), the leak nearly stopped after the tank drained. That kinda tells me the leak is probably towards the bottom of the connection where more water pressure from above is making it leak faster.

The dealer is suggesting the more expensive and time-consuming repair of completing replacing that fitting. Before I commit to that, I'm considering taking down most of the corrugated underneath so that I can get more complete access to the pipe and maybe see specifically where that leak is originating to fix it on my own.

My question to other owners is what can I use to seal the leak if I can find the exact spot? It's tough to see in the video, but it looks like the mechanic used something like FlexSeal around the pipe to seal it. I'm not 100% sure, but there is definitely something on the pipe that is black and looks like it could be that. Is there another type of sealant that can hold up to both travel and temperature changes or should I just use more of that? Or, should I not make the self-repair attempt and just go with a new pipe fitting?

I'm also wondering what the silverish material is underneath and around the pipe. Maybe that'll be more evident when I pull down the underneath.

[TucsonJim]

First, the easy answer. That "silverish" material is simply an insulating layer similar to an emergency blanket. It helps retain the heat in the underbelly when the furnace is running.

As for the leak. I have doubts that there will be anything you can apply externally to stop it. I'm going to defer to one of our other moderators who has a good knowledge of the plumbing systems on these rigs.

Tagging Cate&Rob .

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

I would agree with TucsonJim Jim . . . there is no way to reliably repair this leak with something applied externally. This looks like what your dealer tried to do. The right way to come at this is to drop the coroplast to gain full access and then remove the gate valve from the tank. Once everything is apart, you can determine whether this is lack of a seal between valve and tank . . . or if one or the other is cracked. If this gate valve is part of a manifold that includes other tank drains, I can advise on how I cut my drain manifold into pieces, reconnected with standard rubber sleeves, to make service one gate valve much easier.

Rob