We noticed water slowly seeping from under the passenger-side cabinets and refrigerator while camping at Yellowstone in 2022. After searching everywhere for the leak, we finally narrowed it down to the tank, which appeared to be coming from underneath. We ran our 2021 Freedom Deluxe with the tank empty for the rest of the trip because we didn’t want to remove the bench during our trip.
First Repair
The manufacturer agreed to pay for the repairs since it was still under warranty. Thank you, Casita Travel Trailers. Later we had the leak repaired at Camping World. The water was coming from the tank drain plumbing and was intermittent, so it was challenging to locate. The fix was to tighten the hose clamps and retape the tank fitting.
New Leak
In the spring of 2023, it was time to remove the antifreeze from the system. After flushing and sanitizing the lines, I left the tank full overnight. The following day I noticed a small puddle below the drain line, and water was dripping from the floor hole around the pipe. However, this time it was not puddling inside the trailer like before.
A short PEX line goes through the floor, with brass fittings crimped to each end. Unfortunately, the water was coming from the top crimp, and the PEX would have to be cut off and replaced.
The tank mounting allows it to move laterally. Unfortunately, the drain piping has no flexibility in the lateral direction. That is why the drain plumbing is failing, so the tank mounting needs rework.
Solution
We are camping more in freezing weather and leave the trailer winterized when we do. The more we use it dry, the less we value having the water tankage onboard. We are also planning to add some additional batteries for better boondocking performance, so the space used by the tank would be helpful. We removed the tank from the trailer and will add a quick disconnect to the pump input. That way, we can feed it from external tankage if needed.
