Shakedown cruise complete

[richard5933]

I got nearly my entire punch list completed and we had a successful one-night shakedown cruise this weekend. Went to a nearby resort area and stayed the night at the Walmart. Ran all systems except a/c (still need heat here at night). Owning an older conversion like ours always involves maintenance and systems checks, so we start each season with one of these shakedown overnights.

Found one fuel fitting dripping on the generator - probably wasn't tightened properly after recent fuel pump repair. Got it snugged up it seems ok. and Otherwise the mechanicals are doing ok.

Now I have two major annoyances to work out, both involving moisture being where it shouldn't.

First is water leaking into one of my luggage bays - apparently the water is entering above somewhere and dripping from the bay ceiling. I found water working its way down the outside wall of the bathroom cabinet directly above the bay. At first I thought it was the plumbing, but the moisture in that wall is 6+ inches above any plumbing, leading me to think it's a roof leak (or window leak) working its way down the outer wall of the bus. There are at least 3 roof openings (vents, etc) above that area, so it's logical. I guess I'll be making friends with my caulking gun the next sunny day we have.

The second leak is a very slow drip (2-3 drops/day) coming from the discharge port on my black tank. My black tank is an older polyethylene tank with screwed-on bronze flange fittings. There is only a thin rubber gasket sealing the flange to the tank. Last year I had to reseal the same type fitting on the fresh water tank. I used a slightly softer gasket and a thin coat of silicone sealant to help ensure contact. A year later that one is still holding tight. No money in the budget to replace the tanks right now, so onward with the repair.

Biggest annoyance will be getting to the area and pulling the flange fitting from the black tank. The screws are somewhat blocked by the valve body. Pulling the tank is possible if I can't do this with the tank in situ, but that would be a royal PITA. It's been leaking for a while I guess, since someone smeared the area with sealant at some time in the past. You can see the four screws on the flange in the photo - all are accessible but I suspect I'll need some knuckle bandages by the time I'm done.

I'm not panicked over it, but I don't like the idea of the black tank dripping into the bay, so it's on the list for this week. At least they're both only major in annoyance, not in actual problem level.

Oh - the joy of an older rig!

(BTW, for those that remember the other thread, the secondary black-tank valve I added is doing its job beautifully. It's the white valve in the photo.)