Hurricane overflow tank never has liquid in it

[Joel Weiss]

Every couple of weeks I add a few ounces of liquid (~1 pint) to my Hurricane's overflow tank because there is none in it. This morning was typical, the main tank was full to the top when I removed the cap but the overflow had gone dry.  I don't see any cracks in the plastic tank itself and the hose connections appear tight; since there's no pressure going into the overflow tank I would think that a leak would have to be pretty obvious in order to have an effect.  I replaced the "radiator cap" on the main tank recently thinking that maybe fluid was "boiling off" but that didn't make a difference.

I've examined the hoses going throughout the coach where I can and haven't found any leaks, but, of course, not all hoses are visible.  I suspect there's a slow leak somewhere, but I thought maybe someone here might have an idea.  I'm headed to ITR later in the summer and will let them puzzle it out if I can't find the problem.

[Tom and Pam Brown]

Joel,

Have you noticed any air bubbles in the system when it is running?  You can watch the hoses in the bay and see.  Mine took awhile to purge the air out.

[Dick Simonis]

Joel, you might try this.

Fill you overflow to the correct level and attach a piece of white paper towel, or the like to the end of the overflow tube....not blocking it but so it would be in the stream if it overflows.  Run the Hurricane and check the paper to see if it shows any sign of antifreeze.

That will at lest tell you if if being "blown" out and guide you to the next step.

Good luck.

Dick

[Keith Moffett]

Just a thought, as far as I recall the main tank should be filled to the point where it is 1/2 inch below the cap.  If it is full but not returning the extra to the overflow bottle, could it be the radiator cap?  I cant remember if it is a 7 lb. or 13 lb. cap but if it isnt allowing extra to flow back it might be over pressure when hot and causing a small leak in the system then drawing the fluid from the bottle as it cools thus refilling the tank.
At any rate, it wont cost much to try.

Keith

[Joel Weiss]

Just a thought, as far as I recall the main tank should be filled to the point where it is 1/2 inch below the cap.  If it is full but not returning the extra to the overflow bottle, could it be the radiator cap?  I cant remember if it is a 7 lb. or 13 lb. cap but if it isnt allowing extra to flow back it might be over pressure when hot and causing a small leak in the system then drawing the fluid from the bottle as it cools thus refilling the tank.
At any rate, it wont cost much to try.

Keith

That's sort of what I was thinking and I did replace the cap (7 lbs) but nothing changed.  I assumed that any cap that would fit the opening was as good as another.  If there's something special about the cap let me know.

[Keith Moffett]

There is such a thing as a sniffer for antifreeze.  It will check for small samples of antifreeze in the air in small places, so if you have a leak under the refridgerator or elsewhere it should tell you.  That said, I have only ever seen one at a mechanics shop.  I dont know where else to look.
Whereever it is going I would sure want to know.
Perhaps Jim Rixon would have a better suggestion.
Keith

[Joel Weiss]

I found the problem this morning!  There is an "oozing" of Hurricane coolant under the Seaward tank that must be a leak from the heat exchanger inside the Seaward.  The Seaward is only ~4 yrs old according to receipts from the PO.  Are there any fittings that can be tightened if I take the tank out and try to remove its outer shell? Or do I simply order another one?  That's not a particularly long lifetime.

[Dick Simonis]

I found the problem this morning!  There is an "oozing" of Hurricane coolant under the Seaward tank that must be a leak from the heat exchanger inside the Seaward.  The Seaward is only ~4 yrs old according to receipts from the PO.  Are there any fittings that can be tightened if I take the tank out and try to remove its outer shell? Or do I simply order another one?  That's not a particularly long lifetime.

Joel there are no fittings inside the shell.  If your hose connections are not the source then there is a leak in the heat exchanger tube circuit.  As far as their life, I normally had to replace mine every 2-3 years on the boat (same unit) but always for a water leak never for a HE leak.

[Joel Weiss]

Joel there are no fittings inside the shell.  If your hose connections are not the source then there is a leak in the heat exchanger tube circuit.  As far as their life, I normally had to replace mine every 2-3 years on the boat (same unit) but always for a water leak never for a HE leak.

That's a pretty pathetic lifetime for a ~$250 tank.  

Does anyone know if I can safely run the Hurricane unpressurized until I get a chance to replace the Seaward?  I think the leak will be substantially less if there is no pressure on the system.  I can keep the pressure cap on to prevent "splash losses." I realize there will be evaporative losses but I think they will be less than the leak I have now.

[Dick Simonis]

Joel, the hurricane only goes to ~180F so I would think that if you loosen the pressue cap it will work just fine and you overflow bottle would catch most of the fluid.  It may or may not help much but is worth a try.

You're dead certain you leak is not from the hose connections.  A coolant leak from the heat exchanger tube is a bit odd as the weak point is where the tubes go into the tank and that is most ofter a freash water leak not coolant.

[JimCasazze]

Joel,
Same problem on our coach that I remedied about a week ago.  Coolant smell near hurricane that eventually turned into smell, liquid and crud dripping from seaward.  Tag on seaward showed it to be mfg in '99 which amazed me.

Ordered from defender for 249 and installed last fri,

Very easy job to do however here are a few ideas:
1 go to lowes and purchase several size rubber stoppers to plug the coolant hoses when removed sonyou don't loose all coolant
2 if your electric heater element is reasonably new (mine was less that one year) keep it as a spare (you'll need a 1 1/2 inch socket for this
3) use the preheat switch on the dash to circulate coolant when you refill the system to make the job pretty simple
Regards
Jim

[JimCasazze]

Almost forgot, there are no fittings inside to tighten or fix.  Also the new tank comes with a drain valve, coolant hose nipples and pressure relief preinstalled.  You will need to reuse or replace the fresh water fittings.  In my case the nipple on the hot water outlet did not come off with the sensor elbow and I couldn't get it loose.  Plan on getting a new one of these to avoid another trip to the store

J

[Joel Weiss]

[quote author=]Almost forgot, there are no fittings inside to tighten or fix.  Also the new tank comes with a drain valve, coolant hose nipples and pressure relief preinstalled. You will need to reuse or replace the fresh water fittings.  In my casa the nipple on the hot water outlet did nit come off with the sensor elbow and I couldn't get it loose.  Plan on getting a new one of these to avoid another trip to the store

J[/quote]

Thanks for the info.  Now I just have to find a place where we're going to be that I can have one shipped to and time to install it!  Or I can cop out and have ITR do it when I'm there in a couple of weeks getting the Hurricane serviced.  I know the Seaward isn't theirs but I assume they would assist a customer.

[LEAH DRAPER]

If you can wait, having ITR do it sounds like best option.

[JimCasazze]

Joel,
Since we have only been on the road 3 weeks into our 6 month trip, we had to find out fast how to get parts to us when our Seaward let go.  I'm guessing you know this already, but just in case... you can ship to a UPS customer service center as "hold for pickup".  They will hold a package fo 5 days.  It worked great for us, because we didn't know exactly when we'd be where, but did know we'd be driving through Branson within a week from ordering.  The only problem I've found is that the UPS customer centers located away from major cities do not have "regular business hours of 8-5" and typically open for 2 -3 hours a day at best.  Anyway, it still worked great for us.
Jim