Dislodged fresh water fill tube

anoland · 10-14-2018, 02:33 AM

Prepping for a fall camping trip. I have a 2015 Thor Axis. I went to partially fill the fresh water tank as I have many times. Soon after water turned on I saw water running out of the rv in 3-4 places. Water on ground, in entry steps, in storage compartment.....
I looked into the fill hole and saw through to inside of unit! I assumed the fill tube/hose had dislodged as water is everywhere.
I can not see where the tube enters so can not see how to reach the area. Seems it is behind the hot water tank. Is it possible to reach this area or is this a dealer fix?

javelin · 10-14-2018, 08:48 PM

Hi welcome to the forum. People aren’t ignoring you but just may not be familiar with your coach or your specific problem's solution......like me for example. I assume most of the leaked water was a result of water already in the fill line or the source hose pumping water into a disconnected tank fill line. You are probably lucky that the fill line enters the fresh tank near the top and not at the bottom.....or you would see a lot more water potentially.

This sounds like Thor probably did not tighten a hose clamp at the wall of the fresh water fill. I assume it is the wall end that came off since you say you can see inside the coach. Can you unscrew the water fill fixture from the exterior wall (usually screwed on) and re-attach the disconnected tank fill hose to it? Use a bent metal coat hanger to fish for the tank hose if it fell down inside. Then re-install the hose fill fixture and recaulk around it. Make sure if there is a vent line going to the fixture that it remains as high as possible from wall to tank so it does not fill with water in future......a plugged vent line is a pain when filling and when draining. Hopefully someone with knowledge of your specific coach will chime in.

csseeker · 10-14-2018, 11:22 PM

It also depends on what model Axis you have. The 25.2 model water fill is right behind the couch and very easy to get to. My fresh water tank is under the couch. I'm currently replacing all the floor under the couch and fresh water tank. Couple of bolts and water lines and both the couch and water tank are out.

csseeker · 10-14-2018, 11:23 PM

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anoland · 10-15-2018, 10:15 PM

Thanks. The fresh water fill tube did come away from the opening. I was able to remove three outside screws to get to the hoses. I can get hold of the loose hose but not enough line to pull it out to refasten. May have to unattach lines from water tank to get enough slack.
I bought a new fill hose which extends 8 inches into fill opening. I think using this may have caused the hose to pull/push away. The fill hose takes a tight turn 4 inches in and the longer extender is rigid.
Open to any other solutions as I try to find slack to reattach hose.

javelin · 10-16-2018, 12:00 AM

Too bad there is not enough slack to be able to re-attach the internal fill hose to the exterior fill fixture again. Ideally it would be best to have access to the tank and interior side of the fill fixture so the original “undamaged” hose can be inspected for damage and re-connected as required. If that is not possible one other method would be to extend the existing fill hose with perhaps a straight twin male barb fitting and two new clamps and some matching hose for the extension. I don’t know what your existing internal fill hose looks like (specs in other words) so a barb fitting may not even be usable as a solution.....there is always more future leak risk with more buried clamps etc. I also wonder if your tank vent line also runs to the exterior water fill fixture? It may need some extending as well? We all learn what not to do, the hard way, on occasion.

The Gritz Carlton · 10-16-2018, 11:06 AM

"I bought a new fill hose which extends 8 inches into fill opening. I think using this may have caused the hose to pull/push away. The fill hose takes a tight turn 4 inches in and the longer extender is rigid."

Interestingly, this seems to be a common problem. I do the same thing as you and fortunately mine hasn't come loose yet. The problem is the fill tube drops down, then back up to the input port on the tank. Water "pools"in the fill line causing me to have to "force" water into the fill port in order to get the flow started. I actually cut the threaded end off the hose and push 4-6 inches of the water hose into the fill port creating a pressure seal so water will push through. Once it gets flowing it's OK. This is an item on my list when I go to Wakarusa in December.

javelin · 10-16-2018, 12:29 PM

I thought after posting my previous comment suggesting the short extension of the internal fill hose that if the hose dropped down and then up again to the top of the fresh tank there could be future winterization issues and fill issues. In effect a potential P trap could be created in that internal fill hose. So any hose extension attempt should be kept as short as possible to get the job done. Best solution is to gain access to both ends of the hose of course.....but a total PIA for many folks.

The Gritz Carlton · 10-16-2018, 12:57 PM

A P Trap would cause a freeze issue. Since the fill port is capped, a straight as possible gradual decline position for the fill line is the best solution. Every RV I've had in the past worked this way and I believe it's the norm. In the case of my coach, and seems to be many others with Thor, the fill line drops below the input and causes water to pool. My suggestion (and I'm sure Thor knows this) is to just wire-tie the hose up a little in and around the middle area or shorten the hose a bit so as to eliminate the low point and allow water to just free flow downward to the tank. The only thing that would prevent this is if the tank input is lower than the fill port on the outside. Since the tank is mounted above the floor under the bed, this is possible. Most tanks in my past (travel trailer) have been under the floor level. In that case I would need to install some type of diverter valve that would allow the city connection to fill the tank. Then, I would need a pretty large, free-flowing overflow tube to indicate when tank is full and not blow out with pressure in the tank.

Long & Winding road · 10-16-2018, 01:05 PM

is their no way to get to the hose on the inside of the RV?

Mine is under the bed but I know your floor plan is different.

What is directly behind the flll location? Perhaps you can use a super long needle nose plyers to pickup and direct the hose to the outside wall and hold in place while someone else connects the fitting? Just an idea.

If you replace the entire hose I would get one that cannot collapse (like a water safe reinforced nylon hose) and have it 4 or 6 inches longer than you need in case you have to tighten this connection again at a later date.

Let us know how it works out so we can help others in the future.

anoland · 11-10-2018, 11:14 PM

Because I could not manage this myself I had my awesome service department at the dealer (Pleasureland in Baxter MN) fix when I had the unit winterized. The mechanic reached around the hot water heater with both arms and blindly reattached the hose from the inside and added a second clamp. I could not see that this was even possible but he managed. I plan to shorten (or eliminate) the rigid portion of fill hose to avoid this in the future. So, did not need a new hose. The fill inlet is higher that the attachment to the tank and so no sagging in hose.
Thanks for all your input. Appreciated. Ann

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