Water Pump Sounds Weird

Tearstone · 01-29-2018, 06:27 PM

Good morning Thor folks!

Throughout the winter season, we often have to fill up our fresh tank, unhook our water hose and operate off of "normal" water supply.

We have only had our RV for (3) months and I do not have much of a basis for comparison. The water pump sometimes sounds consistent and then sometimes it sounds like it is struggling. I have assumed that this is because it only engages depending on the amount of pressure in the system and that is not exactly a precise science in itself.

Somedays the pump sounds consistent: It engages and shuts off as needed with a singular tone.

Sometimes it sounds like it's slightly struggling or a little on the sick side: The water doesn't come out of the faucet smooth or like it's pumping out lumpy gravy.

Up to this point, I've only identified two issues with the pump. (1) one of the wires came out of the yellow inline crimp connection. I replaced the crimped with one of those weather proof ones. (2) The clear cylinder with the metal filter in it was loose and slightly leaking a bit of water. I took it off, dumped it out and tightened it.

I've noticed that the pump seems a little odd since I removed the clear cylinder. This happened before I started heating my water bay and I fear that ice may have caused the clear cylinder to start leaking to begin with. Also, I've read that manufacturing material may have gotten into the pump from the fresh tank.

What is normal? What should I look for to determine if I need to replace this pump already?

Hooligan2 · 01-30-2018, 01:35 AM

The clear cylinder is the filter, any debris should show up there. Check that the clear water filter cover is on tight it may be sucking air. Lumpy water Sounds like air in lines. .Check that the water fill valve is completely closed. (not on fill)

The pump sound will vary with pump demand. If faucet is partially open the pump may surge.

Not related but over time plumbing fittings may loosen. If the water pump burps occasionally when not using the water- you have a small leak somewhere.

Tearstone · 01-30-2018, 03:36 AM

Sometimes, problem solving mode turns into a bit of an obsession. Ever since I posted this morning, I've been thinking and analyzing this all night.

It finally dawned on me. My daughter was brushing her teeth using the rear sink tonight and the pump was concise and consistent. I went to the bathroom, flushed the toilet and it was consistent. I checked our kitchen sink and the pump sounded strange again. At that moment, I realized that it has something to with the sink itself and not the pump!

This sink has been the source of 75% of the issues I've had with my coach up to date. It's always something it seems and just when I thought I've fixed the last issue something else comes up.

Our kitchen sink has a faucet that pulls out so you can flip a switch and turn it into a hand sprayer. For this to work, there is a weight that is screwed to the hose half way down under the sink which has the effect of pulling the faucet head back into the arch pipe. Upon closer inspection, this weight was causing a kink in the hose and creating the issues I mentioned above.

Attached below is what I am referring to, not my actual hose. The kink was at the apex of the turn. I corrected this by moving the weight to where the kink was to straighten out the hose.

gkurts · 01-30-2018, 11:25 PM

Ours will do what you're describing based on how much we open our faucets. Fully open = normal pump sound and sometimes off/on repeating. Half open = lower grumbling sound. I'm assuming that it just less demand for pressure so the pump just does what it needs to keep up. As long as ours works, I'm not going to bother with it much.

That clear filter... Not long after we got our coach I noticed it was leaking some, too. Some other connections near it were leaking just a bit as well. I tightened them up and dumped a huge amount of plastic shavings out of the filter. I guess from the build process. But I haven't seen any sense then so I'm assuming it's fine.

Finch1408 · 01-31-2018, 04:03 AM

After removing a whole lot of plastic shavings from my filter I noticed a small leak after I replaced the the clear plastic cover. I removed it and gave a real close examination and a tiny piece of plastic no bigger than a grain of sand was on the small rubber gasket. That very tiny piece of plastic was enough to keep it from ceiling completely. I would remove the clear plastic cover wash it off real good wiping your finger around the gasket to make sure nothing at all is there before replacing it. It worked for me

Tearstone · 01-31-2018, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gkurts

Ours will do what you're describing based on how much we open our faucets. Fully open = normal pump sound and sometimes off/on repeating. Half open = lower grumbling sound. I'm assuming that it just less demand for pressure so the pump just does what it needs to keep up. As long as ours works, I'm not going to bother with it much.

That clear filter... Not long after we got our coach I noticed it was leaking some, too. Some other connections near it were leaking just a bit as well. I tightened them up and dumped a huge amount of plastic shavings out of the filter. I guess from the build process. But I haven't seen any sense then so I'm assuming it's fine.

That sounds about right. That kink was creating that situation where it has caused the pressure switch on the pump to fluctuate. I was conerned that I may have an electrical issue or something happened to it when it froze over before we knew better.

Thank you all for the replies, it's great to be apart of such a supportive community.

steve76 · 02-01-2018, 05:40 AM

On my kitchen sink, hot and cold supply lines are reversed. Will fix myself rather than let C.W. do it.

Tearstone · 03-15-2018, 06:04 PM

I'm still having intermittent strangeness with the water pump.

I am beginning to believe that my pressure switch may just need to be adjusted. Has anyone else adjusted their pressure switch?

https://youtu.be/jtjssFGWA-I

Metalman · 03-19-2018, 12:21 AM

I have not seen a pressure adjustment on an RV water pump. I recommend carrying an extra water pump in case the current one fails.

Tearstone · 04-02-2018, 05:21 PM

I was able to adjust the sensitivity of the pressure switch on my pump and that completely resolved my pump issues. There is a sweet spot of course and I had my wife test all of the inside faucets to ensure they flowed seamlessly as they should.

If the pressure switch is too sensitive, it will cycle repeatedly while moving water.

If the pressure switch is not sensitive enough, the water pump will run continuously.

On our Miramar, the pressure switch is facing towards the inside. I had to use a mirror and a 5/64" allen wrench to perform the adjustments. Again, this is the guide I used to determine how to do that:

https://youtu.be/jtjssFGWA-I

Hooligan2 · 04-03-2018, 02:06 AM

Thanks for the follow up..

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