Water Pump question

[Eagle5]

So we’re fully hooked up at a camp site right now. The wet bay dial for the water is pointed to ‘city fill’. As you’d expect, the pressure from the camp site is usually fine. But I assumed if we wanted to increase the pressure somewhat, we could hit the water pump and it would help. But it doesn’t seem to work that way.

The water pump only works properly when there is fresh water in the fresh water tank and the water dial is pointed to ‘tank fill’. And then the water pump pressurizes that water.

So let’s go back to the camp site we’re at now. My fresh water tank is empty because I’m not using any water in that right now and I’d prefer it empty. The wet bay water dial is at ‘city fill’ which bipasses the fresh water tank and puts water straight to the coach from the outside spigot. Hose is hooked up from spigot. And the pressure in the coach is generated solely from the pressure that comes from it. No water pump on. The water works in the sinks, clothes washer, shower, etc. Pressure isn’t great but satisfactory. Wife is taking a shower and mid-shower asked if I could turn the water pump on to increase the pressure of the shower head. So I turned on the pump. But it only gave her increased pressure for a couple seconds and then made it actually worse than when the pump was off. The shower head started spitting and sputtering as if it was pumping an empty fresh water tank.

Does this sound like something is hooked up incorrectly from factory?

[Eagle5]

A previous camp site I was at a month ago, i had a similar problem with this RV as well.

I was fully hooked up and I had virtually no water pressure at any sink or shower. So I hit the water pump and it didn’t help but made it worse. Just spit and sputtered.

So at that point, I just filled the fresh water tank and turned the dial so the coach used the water from the fresh tank instead of direct from the spigot. When I did this and turned the water pump on, then it worked fine and made pressure. But this is the only way it worked.

[Igave]

The pump draws from the fresh water tank, not the city water supply, so if it’s empty the pump isn’t pushing a volume of water. In my experience at any rate, I think your system is operating as I’d expect. The pump would only be putting in air, and probably not much of that. If you have water enough in the freshwater tank then the pump would add as you’re trying to do.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by Eagle5

A previous camp site I was at a month ago, i had a similar problem with this RV as well.

I was fully hooked up and I had virtually no water pressure at any sink or shower. So I hit the water pump and it didn’t help but made it worse. Just spit and sputtered.

So at that point, I just filled the fresh water tank and turned the dial so the coach used the water from the fresh tank instead of direct from the spigot. When I did this and turned the water pump on, then it worked fine and made pressure. But this is the only way it worked.

This is how they work , city water separate from pump , use city water or pump but not at the same time . if you get better psi at this park with the pump then just fill your tank and run off of that or vise versa

[Eagle5]

Originally Posted by Igave

The pump draws from the fresh water tank, not the city water supply, so if it’s empty the pump isn’t pushing a volume of water. In my experience at any rate, I think your system is operating as I’d expect. The pump would only be putting in air, and probably not much of that. If you have water enough in the freshwater tank then the pump would add as you’re trying to do.

I knew that the pump of course pumped the fresh water tank because there’s of course no other way to get that water to run. But I assumed that the pump also ‘helped’ to add pressure if you’re running water off the spigot and it’s weak.

[Eagle5]

Kinda sucks that if I’m completely hooked up and my fresh water tank is empty, that I can’t just ‘improve’ the camp site’s water pressure with my pump. I literally have to completely fill up my fresh water tank and then use my water pump exclusively with that & disconnect from the spigot. And then continue to go outside and fill up the fresh water tank as I use the water from it. That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

[Eagle5]

I’m just a dumb noob. Historically, I only used the fresh water tank if I was gonna boondock or something. I never considered filling it up at a campsite and drawing off of it instead of the spigot directly.

[Mr. Dan]

Do you happen to use an “over-aggressive” pressure regular or a plugged filter? I’ve never been to a campground where their “city water” wasn’t sufficient.

[Eagle5]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Do you happen to use an “over-aggressive” pressure regular or a plugged filter? I’ve never been to a campground where their “city water” wasn’t sufficient.

I use a standard ‘gold finish’ regulator that’s 40-50psi. On the spigot end of the hose. Then just my house water filter. That’s it. Nothing else in line. And my house filter is clean.


Let me ask ........ when you guys go to a nice camp site with full hook ups and you’re staying for a little while, how do you hook up your water?
Do you hook up your hose to the spigot and turn your dial to ‘city fill’ or do you run it to your fresh tank and use water pump? Pros/cons ?

[Mr. Dan]

Many/most/some of us don’t have the kind of fill apparatus and labeling that you do. I have a gravity fill “hole” where I just stick a hose in the hole to fill my fresh water tank (which I never do - I just put 10 gallons in for washing hands/flushing while in the road). Then I have a threaded hose connection where I screw on my hose to the campground spigot. I think you have a valve in the wrong position OR a failed valve. Can you post a pic of this “city fill”, etc. setup?

[Eagle5]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Can you post a pic of this “city fill”, etc. setup?

So here’s a wide image of the wet Bay Area and then a close up of just the area that we’re talking about with your options for city fill, Normal, fill your fresh tank, etc

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by Eagle5

I knew that the pump of course pumped the fresh water tank because there’s of course no other way to get that water to run. But I assumed that the pump also ‘helped’ to add pressure if you’re running water off the spigot and it’s weak.

Ok if the water pressure is so low at the park that it's below the kick in pressure of the pump and you had a full tank of water it would help . but you may as well just use the pump and tank then . the pump is only for using water from the tank .

[Eagle5]

So if you look at the 2nd image, you can see the hose from the spigot going in. So then you choose whether to turn the dial to fill your fresh tank, or use ‘city fill’ which just puts the water from spigot directly to your sinks, shower, etc bypassing the fresh water tank.

The “normal” setting has always been strange to me. I’ve had a couple other class A DP and never seen that before. My choices were historically always ‘city fill’ for when you were hooked up at camp site, the water from spigot goes directly to your faucets in coach. Or Then you could choose ‘fill tank’ which would be your fresh water if you wanted to travel with water and use your water pump when boondocking and not hooked up. That’s it.

But this berk does it a little different. It actually is a really nice wet bay and I’m sure it’s more sophisticated than I’m used to but who knows. Just curious how everyone else does it.

[MR.M]

try it on normal and see if there are changes

[Eagle5]

Originally Posted by MR.M

try it on normal and see if there are changes

So with my experience with this coach, if you have water in your fresh water tank, you put the dial to ‘normal’ and it draws from the fresh water tank (w/water pump)

But if you’re at a camp site, this kinda sucks because you blow through your fresh tank water doing laundry & one shower and then you have to go outside and fill it up again ... which takes a good bit of time.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by Eagle5

. Wife is taking a shower and mid-shower asked if I could turn the water pump on to increase the pressure of the shower head.

You probably need a new showerhead. They make showerheads that add oxygen to the mix to make the shower 'feel' more powerful. This doesn't work if your wife is trying to rinse her hair however. It doesn't put out enough water to wash the shampoo out of hair. That's when you head for the bathhouse for a shower.

If you keep the FW tank empty, you might find that the water pump shuts off automatically and won't work at all. I agree that you want to use one or the other, city or FW tank.

If the campground has their own regulator on the water outlets or the campground naturally has low water pressure, you're not going to want to add a pressure regulator to the outlet.

[cavie]

The pump draws water FROM the tank. It does not Pressurize it. You can use city water or tank water but not both.

[emm-dee]

The position of the city water/tank fill handle is only relevant as to where you want the water to go...fresh tank or faucets. The water pump should never be turned on if there is water pressure at the wet bay hose connection.

Usually there’s sufficient pressure from the city connection to keep the “backflow” valve on the water pump closed. But, if you have the pump turned on and you have a pressure drop due to turning on a few faucets or shower simultaneously then the pump MAY activate. That’s not good because it causes stress on the backflow valve and it will (not might) fail.

There are many many reports in forum threads about that valve failure. When the valve fails then whenever you turn on city water you will encounter the problem of filling your fresh tank to the point of overfilling. It will definitely do that even though you have not selected “tank fill” in the wet bay.

[Oscarvan]

1: The water pump feeds from the tank.
2: The water pump cycles based on the back pressure.
3: IF you have water in the tank and if your set to "City" and city water pressure goes below the pumps set pressure and turn on the pump it will come on and feed out of the tank. (I do this).

[tomkatb]

Two issues.

A water filter reduces flow in the system. Your issue.

The cheap gold screw on pressure regulators reduce pressure and flow.

Remove the regulator and filter or cartridge and see if you like it better.

The more expensive $35-40 pressure regulators reduce flow less. Will help.

If that doesn’t help then likely the manufacturer used too small of plumbing lines. That also is not helpful.

In a house you want big lines on central runs!