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Old 11-18-2018, 11:48 PM   #1
LJY
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water pump won't stop, then leak..

Hi all,

we haven't used our water pump for a few months.
today, it won't stop after turning off water. so, i turned it off.. and used the city water line.
it was a good thing I decided to open up the seat and take a look tonight (instead of waiting for the morning).. water was leaking from plastic nut leading to the city water inlet line. I found this nut to be loose just like the plastic nut to the hot water heater last year. I tightened it and the water leak stopped. However, the water pump still doesn't turn off when i turn off the faucet.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
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Old 11-19-2018, 08:23 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by LJY View Post
Hi all,

we haven't used our water pump for a few months.
today, it won't stop after turning off water. so, i turned it off.. and used the city water line.
it was a good thing I decided to open up the seat and take a look tonight (instead of waiting for the morning).. water was leaking from plastic nut leading to the city water inlet line. I found this nut to be loose just like the plastic nut to the hot water heater last year. I tightened it and the water leak stopped. However, the water pump still doesn't turn off when i turn off the faucet.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
If it were me based on what you described I would start with the idea that the water pump may be air bound. If you have a leak in the plumbing air can enter the pump. Unlike water, air compresses significantly in size(gets smaller) when the pressure increases on it and in a positive displacement pump(your car engine is a positive displacement pump) that means that virtually no fluid moves(yup air is really a fluid) the air just decreases and increases in size as the pump "pumps". Water does not change size much as pressure on it increases so it has no choice but to move along and/or show an increase in pressure as the pump "pumps". So with air in the pump the system pressure will take a very long time to reach the pump shut off setting where if there is water in the system the work of the pump will fairly quickly increase the system pressure to the shut off point. Try running the faucet for a while and see if you can run the air bubbles out and also check to see that you got the leak taken care of...it does not take much air in these pumps to defeat the pumping. This is a common problem in water system chemical feed pumps that I work with which are very similar to our RV pumps. Good luck!
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Old 11-19-2018, 09:54 AM   #3
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My guess is also air, especially if the pump had been running ok previously. Make sure you have adequate water in the fresh tank and try running the pump for an extended period (a few minutes?) with faucet open for a bit and then closed to see if it eventually shuts off. See attached for what Shurflo lists as possible causes.
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Old 11-19-2018, 11:06 AM   #4
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Geniuses!

I ran the pump for about a minute and used both faucets and toilet.
It's working now!!

Thank you
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Old 11-19-2018, 11:55 AM   #5
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Geniuses!

I ran the pump for about a minute and used both faucets and toilet.
It's working now!!

Thank you
Nice! Always start simple.
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Old 11-20-2018, 08:21 PM   #6
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I may have spoke too soon...

It's working for the most part.. however, still a bit erratic/lingering pump action after turning off faucet.. especially after using hot water.

Does it just need more use to return to normal operation?
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Old 11-21-2018, 06:22 AM   #7
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Intermitten on/off means you have a leak somewhere, as the pressure drops the pump comes on.
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Old 11-23-2018, 02:29 PM   #8
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Intermitten on/off means you have a leak somewhere, as the pressure drops the pump comes on.
If there's a leak, I don't see it any where.. it's only slow to stop pumping after using turning off faucet.. not sure how to find the air leak if nothing is leaking.. could a worned out faucet washer cause such a problem?
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Old 11-23-2018, 02:43 PM   #9
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After you turn off the faucet, how long before the pump stops?

Does it do this consistently?

Does it start running again on it's own?
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Old 11-23-2018, 02:56 PM   #10
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I may have spoke too soon...

It's working for the most part.. however, still a bit erratic/lingering pump action after turning off faucet.. especially after using hot water.

Does it just need more use to return to normal operation?
If the problem seems to be the hot water side, you might put the system in bypass mode to isolate the tank. Then see if problem persists. If the problem goes away it could point to the pressure relief valve.

A bad check valve in the pump could allow water to leak backward to the tank. You wouldnt see a leak but the pump will eventually lose its prime.
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Old 11-25-2018, 11:06 AM   #11
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After you turn off the faucet, how long before the pump stops?

Does it do this consistently?

Does it start running again on it's own?
After turning off, sometimes it pumps slowly a few times... sometimes it pumps more.. not always consistent

no, it doesn't start running again by itself
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Old 11-25-2018, 11:11 AM   #12
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If the problem seems to be the hot water side, you might put the system in bypass mode to isolate the tank. Then see if problem persists. If the problem goes away it could point to the pressure relief valve.

A bad check valve in the pump could allow water to leak backward to the tank. You wouldnt see a leak but the pump will eventually lose its prime.
Hi, are you referring to 2 separate possibilities ? first at pressure relief valve of hot water tank, and second being bad check valve in the water pump that leak back to the water tank? sorry if I'm not understanding correctly
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Old 11-25-2018, 12:28 PM   #13
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Hi, are you referring to 2 separate possibilities ? first at pressure relief valve of hot water tank, and second being bad check valve in the water pump that leak back to the water tank? sorry if I'm not understanding correctly
Yes I think they are. 1) I took apart my water pump and removed a piece of calcium hardness scale from one of the check valves and it worked much better. It was not too hard to do if you are mechanically inclined. Take the pump out of the camper, get an exploded diagram, have a clean workspace, remove a few screws and the pump head comes apart. Mine has a piece of stuff in one of the flapper valves. Watch to be gentle on the rubber parts and gaskets. My pump lost pressure and would run a couple of pumps at odd times when there was no use...like in the middle of the night....annoying at best!
2)It is possible that the pressure relief valve could also have a piece of stuff in it that keeps it from closing properly. This valve is on the water heater in the outside compartment...it keeps it from blowing up or causing leaks from the water expanding as it is heated.
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Old 11-25-2018, 02:24 PM   #14
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Hi, are you referring to 2 separate possibilities ? first at pressure relief valve of hot water tank, and second being bad check valve in the water pump that leak back to the water tank? sorry if I'm not understanding correctly
Yes, two separate possibilities. Ian and Sue post covers it better than I did.
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Old 11-25-2018, 06:27 PM   #15
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After turning off, sometimes it pumps slowly a few times... sometimes it pumps more.. not always consistent

no, it doesn't start running again by itself
Okay. Can someone else tell me, does yours shut off immediately when you close the faucet? I ask cause with my expansion tank it normally runs for a few seconds after the faucet stop, how long depends on how long I run the water. I'm not familiar with no expansion tank operation. In my instance, the OPs situation is normal.
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Old 11-25-2018, 06:40 PM   #16
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Without the expansion tank, there is a time lag before it comes on and it may run a couple of seconds after turn off to build up pressure again.
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Old 11-25-2018, 06:47 PM   #17
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Okay. Can someone else tell me, does yours shut off immediately when you close the faucet? I ask cause with my expansion tank it normally runs for a few seconds after the faucet stop, how long depends on how long I run the water. I'm not familiar with no expansion tank operation. In my instance, the OPs situation is normal.
Yes, the pump runs until it reaches the cut out pressure. On a stock Shurflo pump that is 55 PSI.
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Old 11-25-2018, 06:55 PM   #18
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To the OP, do you recall if the pump acted differently in the past?
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