Water pump cycling

[rmharding]

need help with a water pump issue.
The pump wouldn't prime when I first dewinterized this spring. I solved this by opening the filter screen and adding some water to the input line through it. That got a little better suction and eventually the pump was able to lift enough water from the tank to fill the input line and get primed.

After this, the pump would flick on for a brief moment every couple of minutes, so we stopped leaving it on except when we wanted to turn on a faucet, fearing there was a leak somewhere. We accidentally left it on for an afternoon though when we were out hiking. On return to the trailer, we then thouroughly followed every plumping line in the trailer and found no trace of water, so concluded that any leak was in the pump, either the check valve to keep city water from flowing into the tank, or the by-pass valve bleeding excess pressure back to the input side of the pump. [This has never worked to stop pulsing on low water flow, as the manual claims, so maybe it hasn't ever been set right]

My guess is that when I opened the filter screen, some debris got into the pump and is keeping a valve from fully closing. The filter screen appears to have been upside down, with the removable screen on top, rather than on the bottom where gravity would hold any grit. When I opened it, any grit could easily have fallen into the input line to the pump.

Can anybody
1. confirm that the removable portion of the filter screen must be below the line, not above, and that I should flip it around.
2. Suggest how I could flush or backflush the pump to clear a leaking valve?

Also wondering if a leaking valve could be what prevented the pump from priming itself.

Thanks for any help you can give

 

[Omi]

Your post causes me to think back on all the issues we have had with the water pump in our 2019 17B. At our first rally at Osoyoos I have a photo of 3 very helpful experienced Escapers having a tinker with that pump. It was good for a while. Then we had your problem. My husband and I have spent some time trying to get the adjustments just right. The humorous part of this narration is that since the beginning . . . that pump has had a mysterious mind of its own. The whole of last month the thing worked PERFECTLY !!!

 

[MrLynn]

Our water pump filter bowl had a crack; reinstalled with the bowl up, as folks who blow out lines for winterizing say that helps prevent water remaining in it and freezing. See here:
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9/yet-another-pump-problem-26250.html

But mine had been installed bowl up, and still cracked; go figure.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

My water pump has been running for a short spurt about once an hour. Last time I hooked up to pressurized city water, it backfilled the fresh water tank, so I *know* the check valve was defective. changed out the 10 year old pump yesterday, voila no more random spurts.

 

[rmharding]

Your post causes me to think back on all the issues we have had with the water pump in our 2019 17B. At our first rally at Osoyoos I have a photo of 3 very helpful experienced Escapers having a tinker with that pump. It was good for a while. Then we had your problem. My husband and I have spent some time trying to get the adjustments just right. The humorous part of this narration is that since the beginning . . . that pump has had a mysterious mind of its own. The whole of last month the thing worked PERFECTLY !!!

I am hoping for the same result i.e. it will cure itself as apart from the very slow leak of pressure triggering a momentary burst every couple of minutes, the pump works perfectly. Also thinking from my mechanicing days, always look to the last thing I touched, i.e. the filter screen.

 

[Ron in BC]

Check the screws on the top of the pump. Even one loose one can create a problem without an obvious leak.

Ron

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

I should add, my local RV mobile repair guy said its usually not worth the effort to service the valve diaphrams in these pumps, that the ones he's done almost all come back in another year or so, so nowdays he just recommends swapping the pump for new. I got the pump for $72 on Amazon complete with the strainer (a lot of vendors seem to sell the strainer separately)

 

[Viajante]

Rmharding, I hope your new pump solves the problem.

In your original post you said the problem started after dewinterizing. I don’t know what method you use, but if you have a “winterizing valve” that you connect antifreeze to, be sure to close that valve so that it isn’t pulling air into the system and affecting the prime.

 

[rmharding]

My water pump has been running for a short spurt about once an hour. Last time I hooked up to pressurized city water, it backfilled the fresh water tank, so I *know* the check valve was defective. changed out the 10 year old pump yesterday, voila no more random spurts.

next time I can hook up to city water [a couple of weeks from now] I will test to see if any water is trickling down the input hose to the pump. Thanks for giving me a way to test to see if it is the check valve.

 

[rmharding]

Rmharding, I hope your new pump solves the problem.

In your original post you said the problem started after dewinterizing. I don’t know what method you use, but if you have a “winterizing valve” that you connect antifreeze to, be sure to close that valve so that it isn’t pulling air into the system and affecting the prime.

I blow it out, with antifreeze in the traps, and don't have a 'winterizing valve' for adding antifreeze, but thanks for responding.

 

[rmharding]

Our water pump filter bowl had a crack; reinstalled with the bowl up, as folks who blow out lines for winterizing say that helps prevent water remaining in it and freezing. See here:
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9/yet-another-pump-problem-26250.html

But mine had been installed bowl up, and still cracked; go figure.

Aha! Thanks for giving me a reason for why the bowl would be up. Makes sense, but should have moved it underneath before opening it so any sediment would not migrate into the pump.

 

[rmharding]

Check the screws on the top of the pump. Even one loose one can create a problem without an obvious leak.

Ron

Will do, thanks.

 

[rmharding]

I should add, my local RV mobile repair guy said its usually not worth the effort to service the valve diaphrams in these pumps, that the ones he's done almost all come back in another year or so, so nowdays he just recommends swapping the pump for new. I got the pump for $72 on Amazon complete with the strainer (a lot of vendors seem to sell the strainer separately)

Good warning, thanks. I hate spending money on something I think I should be able to fix, but I can see it could be a waste of my time.

 

[CharlesinGA]

In my other brand, I don't winterize and prefer to have the bowl down so any sediment can settle into it. The line from the pump back to the tank is where the screen sits and you are not blowing it out. Remove the bowl after then tank has been drained and the remaining water will drain back into the tank. Leave the bowl off or loose, but be sure and leave yourself a sticky note.

Charles

 

[rmharding]

In my other brand, I don't winterize and prefer to have the bowl down so any sediment can settle into it. The line from the pump back to the tank is where the screen sits and you are not blowing it out. Remove the bowl after then tank has been drained and the remaining water will drain back into the tank. Leave the bowl off or loose, but be sure and leave yourself a sticky note.

Charles

Thanks Charles, I hadn't thought through that the filter would not be blown out, as the check valve would stop that. I haven't been attending to emptying the screen each year, as filter always looked pristine.
Seems like the best routine would be 1.blow out the lines, 2. empty the screen from bowl down position, letting water run back down the input line to the tank, then 3. run the pump to ensure no water in the pump, then 4. return the empty screen.

I don't think you would need to leave it loose, as no water in the input line, the screen or the pump, only traces in the output line between the pump's check valve and where the city water joins the output line, with lots of dry line downstream for those traces to expand into when it freezes. That's my thinking now. Thanks for your input.

 

[SeaRay-ESC]

I had the same proglem. after several months of shutting off the pump when not in use I decided to REALLY check for leaks. Finally found it. the connection to the toilet had a very slow leak drop by drop which went throough the hole in the floor so no water was ever visable. a new valve assembly fixed the problem.

 

[rmharding]

I had the same proglem. after several months of shutting off the pump when not in use I decided to REALLY check for leaks. Finally found it. the connection to the toilet had a very slow leak drop by drop which went throough the hole in the floor so no water was ever visable. a new valve assembly fixed the problem.

Thanks, the connection of water to toilet is the one place I realize I did not check. SO... I will do so when I pick up the trailer of a trip planned this Sunday.. Thanks again for the suggestion, a good one!

 

[occer]

When looking for leaks I use a flashlight and a paper towel. Then paper towel will show water when you can't even feel the dampness.

 

[Centex]

When looking for leaks I use a flashlight and a paper towel. Then paper towel will show water when you can't even feel the dampness.

IME toilet paper is an even more 'sensitive' detector / tell-tale.

 

[HarleyD]

IME toilet paper is an even more 'sensitive' detector / tell-tale.

Enjoy the go!