Good News, Bad News
Originally posted 10/10/2012
Waking up in Wolcott, Indiana, was pleasant, though I wondered why the propane heater was only able to hold 66 degrees on its low setting. Seems that after a brief overnight rain, the wind has shifted to west-northwest at a stiff 15-25 MPH which, with the trailer positioned as it is, gets past the stove exhaust vent door. Yup, this thing has an exhaust fan over the range, and such amenities can become drawbacks under the right conditions. That cold 35 degree air leaking in is enough to dilute the heater’s output. I may eventually tear off the outside vent plate and take a look, but such things will never realistically seal very well. It’s just a flapping door.
More sinister is a slight weeping of water across the floor near the bed in the rear. I discovered that with my foot 
while dressing. I would have automatically blamed the dog, but I don’t have one anymore. Water leaks can rot and weaken plywood flooring, and I looked over the nearby fresh water tank but found nothing, thankfully. Just on the other side of a wall is the little 12V water pump inside a storage cubby, and an old paper towel beside it is wet. That means that either a fitting simply needs tightening (I hope) or the pump itself has a problem. If the parking area had not had a slight downward slope toward the driver’s side, I might not have noticed anything amiss for a long time. That would be worse than having the leak itself, in its own way.
During the camper rebuild, city water (a hose connected to a pressurized water source) was used most of the time, so such a leak was never found. Then again, it could have started from the recent freezing temps during the last days of the rebuild, or from transport vibration. There were a few whoop-dee-doos on the way down. Regardless, it will have to be diagnosed and repaired as soon as possible. The pump is mounted at floor level, which means that simple gravity water pressure from the tank will probably make it seep water whether the system is pressurized or not. I’m considering draining the fresh water tank as a precaution.
The good news? The leak is slight, and was discovered now in transit rather than while dry camping in the middle of nowhere. I’m on-route to civilization, with a few days to deal with it. Hopefully, the wind, which is rocking the camper as I sit here slurping coffee, will not make for too vigilant a drive. At least the wind direction is a little bit behind me today, which may not rob fuel mileage as badly as the southwest wind did yesterday. Onward!
Strolling Amok 