Hose on top of the water tank leaks when filling.

[BobWilson]

When I filled my reservoir for the first time I noticed a puddle of water on top of the water reservoir; it has a depression on top where water can accumulate. The problem is that it overflowed onto the floor and into the bathroom.
I took off the green and white inlet hose then re-installed the hose and hose clamp very tight. It still leaks when filling the reservoir. The problem is that the hose has a spiral rib to keep the hose from kinking. But the inside of the hose won't fit tightly around the fill neck.
Anybody have this problem or a fix for it? Those of you that use hook-ups only won't have this problem.

Bob W.

[mjlaupp]

Bob,

I just went through the same problem (actually it was on both the 2002 and 2003 TM). The dealer said to put some silicon caulking inside the hose and then put it back into place. I didn't do that because I was leary of excess caulking getting into the water pump. I replaced the hose with a piece of clear reinforced poly hose from Lowes. It is stiffer than the original but will work. The existing hose clamps may not work with the new bigger hose.

MJL

[Carol]

We had a similar problem when our unit was new. We took it back to the dealer and they fixed it. They replaced the clamps with heavy duty ones and whatever else they had to do to fix it. I would be leary of using caulk as I would not want it in my water supply.

I just looked at the connection and they actually added another clamp above the bottom one. Here is a picture.

Carol & Stan

[BobWilson]

Regarding the calking, silicone products are often used in bath and kitchen sinks. It is not a health threat. You could put a little silicone sealant on the riser outside diameter then slip the hose over it and there shouldn't be any chance of it getting in the tank unless you are really careless. Notice in the above picture that there is (beige color) sealant on the overflow tube fitting threads.

I wish there was a cleanout for the tank. But there isn't, so eventually some dirt will probably get into the bottom of the tank especially if you forget and leave the outside cap off like I did two times already. So it looks like if you wanted to clean out the tank you are going to have to take off the hose and suck out the water with a tube, connected to a pump or siphon, and effectively vacuum it out.

Hope this helps somebody,

Bob W.

You have a low point drain on the tank, just put some water in the tank and open the drain. Anything dust should just run right out. To find the drain look under the trailer where the tank is located.

I have four low point drains, I guess everyone does, makes it easy to winterize.

[BobWilson]

The low point for the drain on my TM tank, which is under the sink, is not on the bottom of the tank, but on the side near the bottom.
So not all of the debris can go out the drain.

What happens when you wash dishes in the sink and you pull the plug? You would think that all the food debris would go down the drain. But a lot of it with sit on the bottom sink and require rinsing or wiping to get it to go down. I have trouble rinsing out my own kitchen sink at home with a flat bottom. Even with a spray wand it is hard to rinse everything down the drain. And the sink has free open access above it. That's what I am concerned about. If you pick up some dirt or grass on the end of the hose, or a bug flies in, when filling the TM tank it can get into the reservoir. Then it is hard to get out. It just accumulates over time. Maybe it's not enough to worry about if you never drink the water.

[RockyMtnRay]

Then it is hard to get out. It just accumulates over time. Maybe it's not enough to worry about if you never drink the water.

Bob, I share your concern...the inability to fully and completely drain the fresh water tank is, IMHO, a design weakness of the TM. And since I almost exclusively do boondock camping...and almost by necessity have to use that tank for drinking water...it is something I think about. I do my best to always fill it with as pure a water as possible (and religiously keep the fill cap on when not filling it), but that water is coming from campground water supplies and I'm sure the occasional bit of dirt and grit do wind their way into the tank. Being that I almost always camp in the mountains, the water is much less likely to have mud and other nasties in it than if I were camping elsewhere...mountain well water is very pure. Another advantage of mountain camping...at least here in relatively arid Colorado...is there are really very few flying insects, hence insect contamination probability is very low.

The only way I've hit on to remove at least part of that accumulating sediment (hopefully most of it) is to always open the drain valve just as I'm leaving the campground and then count on the sloshing that occurs while enroute home to suspend the particles long enough to be carried out the drain. Does it remove all sediment? Probably not. Does it remove most of it? Probably, especially since my tank is seldomly left in a filled state for more than a 2 or 3 days so the sediment doesn't get to harden on the bottom.