Water leak after dewinterization

[Wyo4Life]

After picking up my new 2024 Hawk last September in Bozeman and using it for 7-8 nights, I winterized it following the instructions exactly as laid out in Four Wheel Camper's winterization online video.

Yesterday, I dewinterized it and to my surprise had a leak on the hot side of the outdoor shower. If you look at the photo, the gray 1/2 inch riser fitting on the right hand side (hot side) had a crack in it. I was able to get a new riser at Home Depot early this morning and got it fixed. Everything is fine now but I am a little perplexed that this fitting cracked after I blew out all of the lines, just as the lady doing the video laid out. Luckily, I caught the leak before any kind of water damage could take place but was very frustrating given I followed FWC's winterization process exactly as they went through in the video.

I am wondering if this fitting may have had a slight crack in it from the factory and did not start leaking until I readied the camper for the season? Any insight you might have would be appreciated. Is this a known issue and if so, what is the solution?

 

[Jon R]

Can you send a picture showing the crack or describe its location and direction?

 

[rjap]

I have yet to winterize/de-winterize my 2025 Hawk or use the exterior shower. I don't see any leaks or cracks. This is what my plumbing looks like (slightly different from yours):

 

[Wyo4Life]

Can you send a picture showing the crack or describe its location and direction?

Jon, I threw the cracked piece away but it is the 1/2 inch gray riser that is screwed into the white 90 degree pvc piece. the crack was vertical, up and down and the only way I really noticed it when I took the whole thing out was when I unscrewed it from the white pvc with my channel locks it opened up. Otherwise you could not see the crack. That is what makes me wonder if it was cracked from the factory and over the short time I used it last fall when I got it and then over the winter it got weak and cracked all the way through.

 

[Wyo4Life]

I have yet to winterize/de-winterize my 2025 Hawk or use the exterior shower. I don't see any leaks or cracks. This is what my plumbing looks like (slightly different from yours):

View attachment 1314059View attachment 1314060

rjap, yours is definitely simpler than mine and if I have any other problems with mine I will simplify and use just a simple 90 degree elbow like yours is on the right hand side (hot side). On yours, they probably put that extension on the left side (cold side) coming off the brass valve in order to be able to screw on the fitting without hitting the the other side. I noticed there is not a lot of room between the valves to screw on the fittings when I took mine apart.

 

[Vic Harder]

cracks can happen just because of a differential in the expansion rates between the plastic and metal bits.

 

[BVDoug]

New member, 2018 Fleet on a 2019 Tacoma, had a crack two or three years ago and another one last winter. I like the differential expansion theory. I live in the mountains and the camper is on the truck all winter (nothing like a little weight in the bed to improve traction) so gets exposed to -10F or so. Plastics (I don’t know exactly which plastic is used) all have a much greater coefficient of expansion than brass, and the shower connection is to a male brass 1/2” NPT, not quite standard because the backflow preventer in the valve assembly protrudes a little and prevents a direct connection to the water line.

The brass contracts less than the plastic in the cold, so with a male brass connection in to a female plastic one, voila, a crack in the plastic. I have a lot of other water connections in the truck of course, but the connections to the shower are the only ones I can see with brass MPT to plastic.

My connection is now with a brass coupler, and I expect no more problems. The Ace Hardware 1/2” FPT x 1/2 D MPT coupler, Item #4017353 should work, but there are other options with elbows and so forth. The Zurn PEX parts installed on my unit are discontinued, so I had to move on anyway.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Doug, welcome to Wander the West!

Some campers seem to have a lot of trouble with winter related water leaks, your post will be help.

When you get chance, post some photos of your truck and camper.

 

[Wyo4Life]

New member, 2018 Fleet on a 2019 Tacoma, had a crack two or three years ago and another one last winter. I like the differential expansion theory. I live in the mountains and the camper is on the truck all winter (nothing like a little weight in the bed to improve traction) so gets exposed to -10F or so. Plastics (I don’t know exactly which plastic is used) all have a much greater coefficient of expansion than brass, and the shower connection is to a male brass 1/2” NPT, not quite standard because the backflow preventer in the valve assembly protrudes a little and prevents a direct connection to the water line.

The brass contracts less than the plastic in the cold, so with a male brass connection in to a female plastic one, voila, a crack in the plastic. I have a lot of other water connections in the truck of course, but the connections to the shower are the only ones I can see with brass MPT to plastic.

My connection is now with a brass coupler, and I expect no more problems. The Ace Hardware 1/2” FPT x 1/2 D MPT coupler, Item #4017353 should work, but there are other options with elbows and so forth. The Zurn PEX parts installed on my unit are discontinued, so I had to move on anyway.

Would love to see pictures of what you did, Doug. Thanks a lot.