Water Pump

yukongrant · 07-20-2020, 03:39 AM

What are the signs the water pump is failing? I'm asking because my water pump was working a week ago. But now, all I'm getting is a bit of water and lots of air when using it.
The fresh tank is 2/3 full.
When I hook up to City water, everything works as expected.
I've cleaned the filter - nothing there.
I've tried priming it by pouring water into the antifreeze intake line.
I've tried running it with City water on - thinking that may help prime it.
The pump does bring the lines up to pressure and shuts off - but takes longer than before - maybe five seconds.
There is a bit of water but it's mostly air spitting and sputtering.

Elite Washington · 07-20-2020, 03:47 AM

Is there anything stuck in the filter? I have had that happen before and it acted similar to what you are explaining.

yukongrant · 07-20-2020, 03:56 AM

What filter are you referring to? I did check the filter on the pump and it was good - nothing in there.

Elite Washington · 07-20-2020, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukongrant

What filter are you referring to? I did check the filter on the pump and it was good - nothing in there.

Ha reading comprehension isn’t my strong suit totally missed you checked the filter. Mine I had a plug right before the filter. Did the fresh water vale from the tank to the pump somehow get turned a little.

yukongrant · 07-20-2020, 04:32 AM

The valve has been turned on and off several times. It's fully open now.
I will have to check to see if water's getting to the pump in the morning. Some water is because there is some flow. Just not very much and mixed with lots of air.
I've checked to make sure the line from the tank is not crimped. It's a short run and looks good to me. (But my eyes may not work as well as they used to.)
The pump manual talks about a vacuum leak. I don't think that's the problem - no leaks.
It also talks about debris in intake and outlet valves and swollen dry valves. That's getting beyond my pay scale - so may have to take it into the shop in the morning.
We do live in a very cold climate - and I had winterized it. But it has been working several times. So I don't think that's the problem.

Jimbo56 · 07-20-2020, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukongrant

The valve has been turned on and off several times. It's fully open now.
I will have to check to see if water's getting to the pump in the morning. Some water is because there is some flow. Just not very much and mixed with lots of air.
I've checked to make sure the line from the tank is not crimped. It's a short run and looks good to me. (But my eyes may not work as well as they used to.)
The pump manual talks about a vacuum leak. I don't think that's the problem - no leaks.
It also talks about debris in intake and outlet valves and swollen dry valves. That's getting beyond my pay scale - so may have to take it into the shop in the morning.
We do live in a very cold climate - and I had winterized it. But it has been working several times. So I don't think that's the problem.

You’re sucking air from somewhere. Between pump and tank. Maybe pump has a bad diaphragm? If you can’t find a really loose fitting I’d try a new pump.

mcr1010 · 07-20-2020, 11:26 AM

Check to make sure there are no left over plastic bits at your pump inlet. That seems to be a common problem with new units. Remove your inlet tubing and check the strainer.

yukongrant · 07-20-2020, 01:06 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give them a try and let you know.

javelin · 07-20-2020, 02:24 PM

Just to add to the previous posts, it is not unusual to have plastic bits inside the fresh water tank (especially on new coaches....not sure what year yours is?) and it can take a few years sometimes to get all the bits out of the fresh tank. If your water pump filter is clean (no bits) it is possible that it is leaking air around the seal, which will prevent normal pump flow (air leaks in the low pressure side as mentioned by a previous poster). You mentioned that you have winterized the coach before, so try shutting off the fresh water tank valve and use the Winter suction line to test the pump. Just use a sanitized pail (or jug) of fresh water, and pump that into the system. If that works well then your filter and pump are good and the problem is upstream from the fresh water tank valve.

Travelin' Texans · 07-20-2020, 03:30 PM

Just curious! If you're relying on the sensors telling you that there's 2/3 of a tank of fresh water means nearly nothing, they are notorious for giving false readings. Add more water & try it.

yukongrant · 07-20-2020, 04:13 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've added lots of water to the fresh tank. Still nothing. So far (the rig is only 2 years old) the monitoring sensors seem to be working fine.
I tried the water through the winterizing intake suggestion. It would not suck up any water - even if I held the bucket higher. I did use a little water can my wife has and poured water into the winterizing intake and it took it away just fine.
I just dropped the rig off to a repair shop this morning. They won't touch it for 24 hours because of covid. But will take a look tomorrow. Their initial diagnosis - a seal that's not tight and leaking air (unlikely because there are no leaks) or a broken part on the pump itself. If they can fix it quickly, they will. If not - in goes a new pump. Should have it home tomorrow and then a trip down through British Columbia to see friends.

lwmcguire · 07-20-2020, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukongrant

What filter are you referring to? I did check the filter on the pump and it was good - nothing in there.

Did you get the o ring back in place, sounds like you are sucking air

yukongrant · 07-21-2020, 09:20 PM

Update - The shop says it was just an air leak on the intake side of the pump. (Not exactly sure what that means). They tightened a couple of screws and we're good to go with a 1/2 hour labor bill. I'm happy. Sometimes taking the rig into the experts is well worth it.

javelin · 07-21-2020, 09:48 PM

Thanks for updating the forum. Glad it was an easy fix. If any air leaks into the low pressure side of the fresh water pump (bad seals or pipe connections etc in the water lines or pump filter) will result in the pump not working properly to draw water from the fresh tank and pressurize it out to the coach water fixtures. Sometimes a small hairline crack (hard to detect) in the plastic body of the pump water filter is all it takes for this problem. Happy camping.

taylorbob1 · 07-21-2020, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

You’re sucking air from somewhere. Between pump and tank. Maybe pump has a bad diaphragm? If you can’t find a really loose fitting I’d try a new pump.

I realized that the OP is now fixed, but for others that have a water pump issue in the future...

Water pump failure happened to me. And in my research I found that the rubber bladder inside tends to fail more than the motor.

You have two options (and I did both):
1) Order a new pump (wow...it makes a huge difference and you wonder why you put up a mediocre pump for so long). I ordered a matching Shurflo thru Amazon, shipped from RecPro. About $75
2) If you're mechanical, you can dis-assemble the old pump after it's been removed. If the motor checks out fine, then order a new bladder (about $25 thru Amazon), re-assemble, and now you have a spare water pump.
It's basically a bunch of stainless screws in a plastic housing. Very ez to figure out.

On edit: Oops, I paid too much. Now it's available for under $60

Amazon ShurFlo Water Pump - $58.90

carlgorski · 07-25-2020, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukongrant

The valve has been turned on and off several times. It's fully open now.
I will have to check to see if water's getting to the pump in the morning. Some water is because there is some flow. Just not very much and mixed with lots of air.
I've checked to make sure the line from the tank is not crimped. It's a short run and looks good to me. (But my eyes may not work as well as they used to.)
The pump manual talks about a vacuum leak. I don't think that's the problem - no leaks.
It also talks about debris in intake and outlet valves and swollen dry valves. That's getting beyond my pay scale - so may have to take it into the shop in the morning.
We do live in a very cold climate - and I had winterized it. But it has been working several times. So I don't think that's the problem.

If there is air it means something is loose somewhere or possibly a valve.

lwmcguire · 07-25-2020, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukongrant

What are the signs the water pump is failing? I'm asking because my water pump was working a week ago. But now, all I'm getting is a bit of water and lots of air when using it.
The fresh tank is 2/3 full.
When I hook up to City water, everything works as expected.
I've cleaned the filter - nothing there.
I've tried priming it by pouring water into the antifreeze intake line.
I've tried running it with City water on - thinking that may help prime it.
The pump does bring the lines up to pressure and shuts off - but takes longer than before - maybe five seconds.
There is a bit of water but it's mostly air spitting and sputtering.

Antifreeze intake have a cap on it to be sure your not sucking air in there?

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