Water pump troubles while travelling, can anyone help?!

[AnJ]

We seem to be having one problem after another with our Escape this trip- we first discovered that the excess water in the bathroom was not from the water dripping off the walls after a shower, but that water pours in through the bathroom vent in the closed position when it pours outside. We store it with the drain open when not in use, so took us a while to realize this problem.

Next, we ran into some heavy rain and realized that water has been leaking in the emergency window and down the wall and that the dinette seat plywood has some water damage.

Today, our water pump won't shut off. We open all the taps, turn the pump switch on, it produces full water pressure so we shut all the taps, water pump motor keeps pulsing. We are able to turn it off at the switch in the trailer. Also, the lights are dimming/blinking with the pump on. We checked all the fuses at the breaker box, they are fine. We still have a few days before we are home; anyone have any suggestions of things we could check? Are we compromising anything else by turning on the water pump just when we need it and then turning it off at the switch when we are done running the taps? We did clean the strainer on the water pump. We suspect that when the window leaked, it maybe caused some damage to the bundle of wires that run under the dinette bench causing this problem. It sure would be nice if there was an easy solution, but we've read both manuals and can't seem to figure it out. If not, we have an appointment at Escape next week and hoping they can shed some light on what's going on.
Update- our wifi is spotty, but we will also check and see if we can adjust it with an Alan key as Reace suggests in his troubleshooting video.

[gbaglo]

We always turn on the pump for use and turn it off after.
If you leave it on and leave the trailer and something goes wrong, you might come back to a flood.

[Greg A]

You're showing a 74 Boler in your info and don't mention model or year Escape or type of windows,(Slider-Frameless).
You're probably on to the pump issue with the adjustment, or air leaking from strainer cap not sealing or cracked. If not those items, then replacement/rebuild is most likely solution.
Bath vent I'd pull when you get home and check it over thoroughly for damage and then reset it using butyl tape. Of course, all of this will be dependent on year of trailer and warranty status.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Greg A

You're showing a 74 Boler in your info and don't mention model or year Escape or type of windows,(Slider-Frameless).

I'm seeing this, but it really isn't complete. More information helps.

[steve dunham]

I am still trying to figure out how you can adjust wifi with an allen wrench

[Rossue]

It's under warranty and you live 15 minutes away from ETI. Make a punch list and an appointment!

[AnJ]

Thank you for the replies. Basically, the water pump is our issue- it should shut off when the tap is not running, and the motor continues to run continuously after the tap is shut off. The water pump can still be shut off at the switch- was wondering if it's still okay to use this way until we get home as the motor will be running slightly more than normal- I.e. do not want to fry the motor, etc.

Our profile says 2018 Escape, is it reading differently on the forum? It is a 21.

We live an hour from Escape, but we are currently on vacation, hence the questions. It wouldn't be a concern if we were at home, it should still be under warranty.

LOL, with travelling we do not always have wifi. We'll try adjusting the pressure with an Alan key and hope that works. Not sure why we are getting blinking lights when the water pump motor is running either, that wasn't happening before.

[AnJ]

Also, to answer question about windows, they are frameless. We ran water over the exterior of the window and they seem to not be sealed at the top, where the water is coming in. I guess keeping a trailer under cover has a down side- you discover all the leaks when you take it out to use it and it rains. A little unexpected for less than a year old!

[viator36]

Watch this ETI video from 3:04 to 4:10 and see if it solves your water pump not shutting off problem. I followed it and fixed my nonstop water pump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL_3kz7y2zM&t=199s

[AnJ]

Good to know it fixed it for you! Handy that they have made this video, reading the manuals did not supply us with many things to try. We came into town for the wifi and to do some research on it, heading back to the campsite shortly. Hoping this might work for us, too.

[John in Santa Cruz]

my water pump runs for a second or so every few hours if its left on, and thats enough to annoy me. I've replaced the return valve in it, that didn't seem to fix things for very long.

[AnJ]

After visiting Escape, this is what was found for anyone interested, with a few new notes and tools that we will now add to our own manual/toolbox:

-Our shower/bathroom vent was leaking because the seal on the vent had gone despite the trailer being less than a year old.
-They now put rain guards at the top on all of the windows (not sure if this is true with both styles of windows- we have the 'frameless' thermal), hopefully this will alleviate the water that was leaking in from the top of our dinette emergency window--> it rained last night and is so far dry inside.
-While away, we were able to 'fix' our water pump by priming it (as shown in the Youtube video) BUT with all of the taps closed, which in theory, shouldn't have done the trick, but it did. **It is worth noting that it does not say any where in the literature that comes with the trailer (either the Escape Manual OR the water pump manual) how to adjust the pressure on the tank- you need a 5/64 Allan key--> if you are without Wifi like we were, it may be worth noting how to do this in your manual and also carrying a 5/64 Allan key with you as we could not find one in the town nearest where we were staying. We were told at Escape that travelling at various altitudes can require the pressure on the pump to be adjusted in order for it to run properly; this makes sense as we were travelling in the Rockies. Also, in the manual, one trouble shooting solution is to check the fuse for the water pump, but it does not specify which fuse it is- it is the 12V fuse in the breaker box.
-Lastly, our touch thermostat was acting 'wonky.' If we touched the sides of the thermostat (not any of the buttons) or bumped it, it would randomly change- i.e., it would jump from being set at 20*C to to 32* C. Escape told us that the foam around the edges was compressed and that they fixed it so that it was no longer a problem.

They were able to get us in quickly and had it ready the next day, all was no charge as it was still covered under warranty.

[MyronL]

Don't use the faucets much but couldn't help noticing on a recent trip water from the faucets was very low-pressure, sputtering and cackling quite a lot. Clearly this needed looking into. I was reading this thread - watched Reace's instructional video.

I opened the trap door under the mattress - Figured the filters needed a cleaning, and one clearly did, plus, that kink in the plastic hose.

And, there's your problem, Sunshine! Who knew? (Thank you Viator, and Reace.)

[DavidGlen]

I looked at the video that was referenced earlier in this discussion thread, and decided that I want a printed procedure in my trailer.

Attached is the procedure that I developed.

These instructions are adapted from the Escape Trailer Industries Ltd YouTube video, "Water Pump Troubleshoot", of March 27, 2019. Escape Trailer Industries Ltd reserves all rights to the video and photographs.

I am not a pump technician - but I hope that this helps clarify the procedures... at least to the extent that I followed what Reace had said in the video.

Best regards,
David
Pittsburgh, PA

[cpaharley2008]

Thanks Dave, I'll add to the forum files section...

[John in Santa Cruz]

indeed, thanks for that, I'd FAR rather read a concise procedure with a few pictures to indicate specifics than sit through the typical 'howto' video.

[CADreamin]

And thank you for the information on the shower vent. Ours leaks too but not as badly as yours. Will have to take a look and see how the seal is holding up.