fresh Water tank leak

Over 16 years I've had fixed 35 to 50L water tanks in my last 4 my caravans. I never tow with water in the tank. Best practice is you should empty it. Yes they may have a strap over them and are probably glued down, but that weight of water moving around is going to cause problems. They should also have a vent hole in the top so water will get out.

Colin

As a motorhomer though, you need to carry water on board on case you want to stop off and wild camp.

fair point about the weight causing a problem.

Tonker, your profile shows you as a caravanner.

If you have a motorhome, your tank will likely be underslung. If that is the case, how would you know water leaks from the top?

Perhaps you will clarify.

Although underslung, the top of ours is accessed by a hatch in the step by the bed. This enables the submersible pump to be changed if required and the tank to be cleaned (if needed) through the larger hole. We only ever travel with the recommended 20 litres so have no issues. However, if the tank is overfilled when arriving on site,  so as to vent through the overflow, do get water seeping around the side of the large blue access hole. They clearly don’t seal very well.

vans with underslung tanks can still have an inspection hatch in the floor leading to the tank cap where the issue might have been spotted.

Our tanks are between the heated double floors for full protection and there is 'inspection/cleaning' access to both via the sort of large round cap Tonker is probably describing.

ours do not leak, despite regularly travelling with the tank full to the brim. Some motorhome tanks are not just large rectangular boxes, ours are irregularly shaped with the fresh tank dovetailing the waste tank which provides a sort of baffling. We don't get water sloshing about nor does the weight of the water compromises our payload...

however, I have read of tank caps causing problems from time to time, they need checking and cleaning or even replacing the cap or rubber seal.

perhaps Tonker can tell us more about his motorhome.

Interesting, Steve. I’m on my 6th MH and none have had an accessible tank like yours.

We wait to hear from the OP……

Edit: And BB too. Perhaps it’s something found on continental vans, although mine too is an ‘overthere’ model🤷🏻‍♂️

My profile is as a caravanner but have bought a Ford Herald motorhome to see how we get on now children have grown up.

The tank is as shown in the picture from SteveL and the water heater is next to the cap.

The tank is therefore accessible and water obviously sloshes around when driving and causes the water to come out of one of the access points at the top.

Thanks for explaining. I’m sure you can see why the confusion arose.

Sorry, I can’t suggest a cure.

Both our Swifts had access hatches to underslung tanks....one of them had the hatch on the bottom!! so that you got covered when trying to clean the tank🤷🏻‍♂️

the two German vans have both had internal covers as in Steve's photo, but in one hatch I can access a blue cap (on a white tank) for fresh and a red cap (on a black tank) for waste water as the tanks are adjacent to each other....a bit ying/yang.

im guessing the Herald MH is a few years old now and perhaps the seal need replacing...

None of the fitting shown in the picture should leak, although it is not unknown for water to escape from around the inspection cap if it is not secured.  In that regard it does need to be very tight.  Attempting to tighten it by hand is rarely enough.