Tim_the_camper
New Member
On April 18, 2011 I purchased a 2011 Crossroads Cruiser 285RL. Most of our camping until the summer of 2013 involved staying in RV parks hooked up to park water. Hence, we had little use for the fresh water storage tank.
In the summer of 2013, we noticed it was very difficult to fill the 58 gallon fresh water tank. Upon filling to overflow, the tank gauge light on the monitor panel would be 2/3, never "Full". Knowing that these gauges can be inaccurate, we didn’t consider something else might be wrong until we ran out of water long before we expected to on a dry camping trip. At that point it made sense to check the actual capacity of the tank. I then filled the tank until it overflowed and measured the water as the tank drained. It came to be 37.5 gallons. Clearly, there was a problem. We took the trailer to the dealer and asked them to take a look. What we were told was very disturbing. It seems the design of both the tank and the fill system is such that it is impossible to fill the tank to its maximum. The service technician told us the inlet to the tank is not at the top, but some distance down the side of the tank. Additionally, the fill line is routed with a low point designed in the system such that water cannot rise any higher in the tank than the low point in the fill system.
What I see are two problems:
1. We do not have a 58 gallon tank, but a 37.5 gallon tank which is not what we paid for.
2. Because the tank cannot be filled to capacity, we cannot adequately sanitize the system since the chlorine bleach and water combination called for in your manual has no way to make contact with the side walls of the fresh water tank above the level limited by its design and the fill line low point.
I consider this situation to be a serious health hazard. Not being able to sterilize our fresh water system because of this apparent design failure has the potential of causing serious illness and prevents us from "Keeping the fresh water system clean and free of any potential contaminations [as a] top priority." [Quote from Crossroads Owners Manual, page 41].
On September 29, 2013 I sent a registered letter to Crossroads, with a copy to my dealer, explaining the problem in detail. The letter was received by Dawn Oliver on October 3rd. I never received a response. On September 16th this year I sent a follow-up letter to Crossroads with a copy to my dealer. On September 24th I received a telephone call from Terry (he wouldn't spell his last name for me) at Crossroads saying the trailer was out of warranty and there was nothing he could do, although he would call the dealer for more information. I stated this was not really a warranty issue, but a design issue that was a health hazard and that all owners of this model should be notified. He said he'd get back to me.
The response from Terry at Crossroads was that "unfortunately, they can't do anything for me." Again, he was reminded this was a design, not a malfunction issue, and that it presented a health hazard. It made no difference.
***Those who own a recent model Cruiser with a purported 58 gal freshwater tank should be aware that YOU CANNOT FULLY STERILIZE YOUR TANK TO DUE THE FAULTY DESIGN of the system. Further, Crossroads will make no effort to rectify the unsafe design.**
In the summer of 2013, we noticed it was very difficult to fill the 58 gallon fresh water tank. Upon filling to overflow, the tank gauge light on the monitor panel would be 2/3, never "Full". Knowing that these gauges can be inaccurate, we didn’t consider something else might be wrong until we ran out of water long before we expected to on a dry camping trip. At that point it made sense to check the actual capacity of the tank. I then filled the tank until it overflowed and measured the water as the tank drained. It came to be 37.5 gallons. Clearly, there was a problem. We took the trailer to the dealer and asked them to take a look. What we were told was very disturbing. It seems the design of both the tank and the fill system is such that it is impossible to fill the tank to its maximum. The service technician told us the inlet to the tank is not at the top, but some distance down the side of the tank. Additionally, the fill line is routed with a low point designed in the system such that water cannot rise any higher in the tank than the low point in the fill system.
What I see are two problems:
1. We do not have a 58 gallon tank, but a 37.5 gallon tank which is not what we paid for.
2. Because the tank cannot be filled to capacity, we cannot adequately sanitize the system since the chlorine bleach and water combination called for in your manual has no way to make contact with the side walls of the fresh water tank above the level limited by its design and the fill line low point.
I consider this situation to be a serious health hazard. Not being able to sterilize our fresh water system because of this apparent design failure has the potential of causing serious illness and prevents us from "Keeping the fresh water system clean and free of any potential contaminations [as a] top priority." [Quote from Crossroads Owners Manual, page 41].
On September 29, 2013 I sent a registered letter to Crossroads, with a copy to my dealer, explaining the problem in detail. The letter was received by Dawn Oliver on October 3rd. I never received a response. On September 16th this year I sent a follow-up letter to Crossroads with a copy to my dealer. On September 24th I received a telephone call from Terry (he wouldn't spell his last name for me) at Crossroads saying the trailer was out of warranty and there was nothing he could do, although he would call the dealer for more information. I stated this was not really a warranty issue, but a design issue that was a health hazard and that all owners of this model should be notified. He said he'd get back to me.
The response from Terry at Crossroads was that "unfortunately, they can't do anything for me." Again, he was reminded this was a design, not a malfunction issue, and that it presented a health hazard. It made no difference.
***Those who own a recent model Cruiser with a purported 58 gal freshwater tank should be aware that YOU CANNOT FULLY STERILIZE YOUR TANK TO DUE THE FAULTY DESIGN of the system. Further, Crossroads will make no effort to rectify the unsafe design.**
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