Gas Leaking Out Of RV When Fueling Up

by Jan Otting
(Florida)

We have a 31` Class C Dutchman RV (2005) that we had just purchased. The first time I went to fill the the gasoline tank to my surprise as I was pumping gas in there was gas leaking out under the coach. Thankfully I had enough fuel to make it home but has anyone ever had this situation?

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ANSWER: Hi Jan the leaking gas you are describing could be caused by several different problems. The most common cause of leaking fuel when filling up is a crack or hole in the fuel hose leading from the fuel filler to the fuel tank. It could also be caused by a loose clamp or fitting or even an obstruction in the fuel filler hose leading to the fuel tank.

In very rare instances you could have a crack in the fuel tank itself. The only way to find out for sure is by crawling under your RV with a flashlight and a mirror and start inspecting the fuel line leading to the tank. Depending on the construction of your RV, the fuel lines may not be visible.

Also depending on the construction of your RV, you may end up having to drop your fuel tank to replace any bad hoses.

If any of the steps I mentioned above make you uncomfortable; you may want a Certified RV Technician to diagnose and repair the problem.

In the meantime, I would refrain from running any of the Propane appliances in your RV. Even if fuel is currently not leaking out of your RV there is still a pretty good chance that fuel vapors are and you do not want those vapors to reach any open flame in your RV.

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Sorry I could not tell you the exact problem.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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