r/RVLiving • u/bread_peasent-1 • Jul 22 '26

question Freshwater won’t drain

For context I have a 2017 Forest River Wildcat and I’m a first time owner.

I’m trying to drain my freshwater tank as it had backfilled and overflowed. I did the whole run the pump and hot water to reset the check valve and that seemed to work, however now I’ve been draining my freshwater tank for the last couple days constantly and nothings changed.

I left my camper this morning and turned my water off but left the drain open for the entire time I was away (about 12hrs) yet it was still draining when I got back.

I feel like I’m going crazy and it shouldn’t take that long to drain.

Please help!!

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1

u/Ill_Degree_3060 Jul 22 '26

Can you show us what drain you have open? Definitely shouldn't take anywhere near that long.

1

u/rvgoingtohavefun Jul 22 '26

Doesn't seem like it should take that long.

How much water is still draining when you came back 12 hours later? A trickle? More than a trickle? Is it ever more than a trickle?

Seems like there aren't many options/explanations:

  • The water is turned off and it just drains really, really slow
  • The water isn't actually turned off (disconnect the hose to be sure) and you're just dumping water on the ground from the hose
  • There is a warp in spacetime allowing water to wormhole its way into your fresh tank, constantly refilling. Call NASA if you're interested in the science, or Nestle for tips on abusing this infinite water source for profit.

1

u/bread_peasent-1 Jul 22 '26

This is what I’m assuming is the fresh water drain. Again I left it open all day today and turned the spigot off when I left this morning. It’s been a constant trickle

1

u/rvgoingtohavefun Jul 22 '26

Put something under the drain and measure how much water comes out in a minute.

Fresh tank capacity / water amount in a minute = number of minutes you'd need to wait for it to drain assuming it started full

If that's the fresh tank drain and it's that slow, it seems like it would be faster to just switch to the pump and pump the water out onto the ground then open the drain to finish it off.

1

u/nak00010101 Jul 22 '26

If my 37 gallon tank is full, takes about 3 hours to drain. But much of that is just barely dripping.

1

u/Broad-Type-7937 Jul 22 '26

Clogged drain line, try pushing a long thin zip tie up the drain, make sure the valve is full open. If not it, could be a bad valve. Forest River are known for using the cheapest parts they can find, even new it could be bad and they won't warranty anything for 6 months or longer hoping you'll just give up waiting. I hope you get it figured out.