Our plan today was to drive about an hour to Kinston, NC and visit with Bill. Bill and I worked together for a couple of years in Effingham, Illinois. Bill, Sondra & Kitty were all Master Gardeners. Sondra & Kitty worked together in the Effingham master gardener group. Bill's wife passed away last year, and this visit would give us a chance to pay our respects as well as catch up on how Bill's retirement is working out. The plan was to meet at Bill's house early afternoon, chat for a while, then go to dinner.
Earlier that morning, I was getting something out of the fifth wheel 'basement" storage area, when I noticed a problem. The "basement" is the main storage area in fifth wheels. It is a large compartment that is located under the bedroom/bathroom area and goes across the width of the fifth wheel. We have fourteen plastic totes full of 'stuff" in that basement. Stuff such as excess dog food, winter coats, seasonal decorations, extension cords, water hoses, outdoor chairs and tables, etc.
The basement floor was wet. I had noticed this a few weeks ago, when it was just a small damp area by the access door. I figured the door had leaked when it rained the previous night. However, it had not rained for several days and almost the entire basement carpeting was wet. Help! We have a leak!
I quickly took all of the totes out and put them under the camper. One of the items we carry in the basement is a small portable carpet cleaner. I used it to suck up the water, and started looking for the leak. I checked all the pipes I could reach or see and couldn't find a leak anywhere. I removed the paneled partitions to get access to more of the plumbing. I found a leak in a shock loop with (the shock loop keeps the pipes from banging when the water pump is used). One of the screw connections in the shock loop was loose and water was leaking out onto the basement floor. That was an easy fix, I just tightened the connection and continued to suck as much water out of the basement as possible. I left both access doors open, and went inside to get ready for our visit with Bill.
After getting cleaned up, we headed to Kinston to see Bill. We left the fifth wheel with both basement access doors open, a fan blowing on the carpet, and all our "stuff" stacked in totes under the fifth wheel. We needed to be sure the carpet was totally dry before putting the totes back inside. On the way out of the campground, we stopped at the office and told them we don't normally live with such clutter underneath the camper and access doors open, it's just temporary. We had a water leak, but I fixed it, or so I thought.
We were a little later than planned getting to Bill's house. But, we still had plenty of time to visit and tour Kinston. The moment we drove up to Bill's house, it was obvious he is a master gardener.
Here's picture of his front porch and the rest of his yard is equally as beautiful! Also, there were special touches of Sondra throughout the yard and house. She had a very special knack of decorating with plants and embellishments - that was very obvious in her Effingham home as well as the Kinston house.
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Here's a shot of the three of us on Bill porch.
Bill gave us a tour around his house explaining what each plant was. In spite of having taken botany in college, I know nothing about plants. But, when he mentioned he had killed two copper heads this year, he got my attention!! Man, I was carefully watching every step I was taking looking for any signs of a snake. Any little movement on the ground, and I am out of there! I always let Kitty go before me. She thinks I am such a gentleman. Don't tell her it's because I'm afraid of snakes!
Bill gave us a tour of Kinston, including the Children's Garden with a special memorial for Sondra. As dinner time approached, we headed to the Farmer and Chef for supper. What a great place to eat! If you are ever in Kinston, you must stop here and eat. It's fantastic.
After dinner, Kitty and I headed back to Washington. It was dark when we got home and the access doors were still open, our stuff was still under the fifth wheel, and the floor was wetter than when we left. Darn! Must be another leak! It's late now, so the leak search will resume in the morning.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
I woke up and went out to check on the leak. There was an ever growing puddle in the basement. It was starting to rain, so I went inside and had some coffee and breakfast. By then, the rain let up and I was in the basement checking all the pipes again. After a couple of hours of looking for the leak and sucking water out of the basement carpet, I noticed a slight drip where the fresh water hose connects to the camper. There is a drain inside this compartment that allows any water that collects in this compartment to drain to the outside. But, some of the caulking around the drain was missing allowing water to seep into the basement. I caulked the drain and we'll see if that fixes the problem.
The leak issue and the rain forced us to cancel our kayaking plans. Darn! But, hopefully, the leak is fixed. We'll know for sure in a couple of days.
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