What are the first signs your RV tank or plumbing system is failing?
Leaking water, low water pressure, or no water at all are the big three. You might also smell raw sewage near the black tank, see wet spots under the RV, hear the water pump running constantly without water flowing, or notice rust stains on the floor. We've diagnosed over 12,000 RV plumbing issues in 15 years, and most start as small drips.
Fresh water leaks from pinhole corrosion in Atwood or Shurflo lines are common in older trailers. Gray tank leaks show up as soap smell or wet basement panels. Black tank issues usually mean a cracked tank, broken vent line, or failing gate valve.
A customer with a 2015 Jayco Jay Flight called us because water was pooling under the bathroom cabinet every morning. We traced it to a slow pinhole leak in the fresh water distribution line - a $120 part, $380 total with labor.
Without diagnosis, he'd have kept pulling out cabinets guessing. That's why we pressure-test the entire system before you pay anything. We inject air into the fresh water side and watch for drops in PSI. Black tank diagnostics use the same method - we can spot a hairline crack in the tank itself versus a failed tank seal or vent line blockage.
Red flags to call us immediately:
- Water pooling under RV or dripping during storage
- Water pump cycling constantly with no faucet open
- Zero water pressure at one or all fixtures
- Smell of raw sewage or gray water odors
- Rust stains or discoloration on floor or exterior
- Cloudy or discolored water from taps
- Black tank not draining or overfull indicator stuck
How does A1 diagnose a water leak versus a tank failure?
We use pressure testing and visual inspection to pinpoint the exact problem before quoting repair. Fresh water leaks get a dry-run at 30 PSI - we pressurize the system and listen for
Pressure test fresh water system at 30 PSI static hold
Visual inspection of all visible lines and connections
What does a typical RV tank or plumbing repair actually involve?
The repair depends entirely on the diagnosis - could be a $120 line replacement, a $300 pump swap, or a $1,800 tank replacement. Fresh water leak repairs mean shutting off the water supply, locating the damaged section of l
Bad gas valve, pilot module, or thermocouple. Atwood and Suburban each have their own failure pattern.
Air leak somewhere on the suction side, or a failed diaphragm. We find it with pressure testing.
What parts are we actually installing and what do they cost?
We stock and install OEM and quality aftermarket components: Atwood water heaters, Dometic and Shurflo pumps, Dometic faucets and tank valves, and PEX or vinyl distribution tubing. An Atwood 6-gallon electric water heater runs $280-$380 installed. A Shurflo 12V fresh water pump is $150-$220 with labor.
Dometic gray tank drain valves are $60-$90. PEX tubing and couplings are $2-$4 per foot.
We never charge for trim-outs or fittings - they're part of the repair. We also carry common Lippert tank gates, Coachmen and Jayco OEM valves, and compatible parts for Forest River, Thor, and Tiffin chassis. Everything we install carries our 90-day warranty.
A customer with a Keystone Passport had a Dometic faucet that wouldn't shut off completely. The cartridge inside was shot - a $35 part.
We replaced it, tested hot and cold, and verified the shut-off wasn't leaking. Total: $185 with labor.
Later that same customer needed a full fresh water pump replacement because the old Shurflo unit was losing prime - we installed a new Dometic equivalent pump rated for 60 PSI, flushed the lines, and pressure-tested. That ran $420 total. He's still running both without issues five years later.
OEM and compatible parts we stock or source:
- Atwood and Dometic electric water heaters (6-20 gal)
- Shurflo, Dometic, and Flojet 12V water pumps
- Dometic, Lippert, and aftermarket tank drain valves
- Dometic and Moen faucet cartridges and bodies
- PEX tubing, vinyl hose, and stainless fittings
- Gray and black tank vent line and extensions
- Water filters and pressure regulators (Shurflo rated)
How long does a tank or plumbing repair take and when can you get here?
Most plumbing repairs take 2-4 hours. We respond in 2-4 hours in our core covered metros. A simple faucet cartridge swap is 45 minutes.
A pump replacement is 1.5-2 hours. Tank se
What warranty covers your tank and plumbing work and what isn't covered?
All A1 RV Repair plumbing and tank work carries a 90-day workmanship warranty. If the part we installed fails or the repair leaks within 90 days due to our installation, we fix it free - parts and labor. We do not warranty OEM defects on the parts themselves (that's the manufacturer's job - Atwood, Dometic, Shurflo handle their own failures).
We also don't cover damage from freeze-up, improper winterization, external impact, or continued use after a warning sign (like ignoring a slow leak for months). Our warranty is straightforward: we stand behind our work, not the parts we didn't make.
A customer had us replace a Shurflo pump in January. In March, the new pump developed a defect - it wouldn't deliver full pressure.
Shurflo replaced the pump under their manufacturer warranty at no cost to him. We reinstalled it free because it was covered by their warranty, not our installation fee.
That's how it works: we warrant the installation quality, manufacturers warrant the parts. If we install something wrong, you call us back immediately - no questions, we fix it.
90-day workmanship warranty covers:
- Leaks at connections or new line sections we installed
- Pump failure to start or low output from our installation
- Valve or faucet failure to seal after our replacement
- Improper water heater operation from our swap
- Drain or vent line blockage from our repair
- Any defect in our workmanship within 90 days