Water Pressure and Water pump question

[GinaJeremyK]

this last trip, we had a a few quirks. one of them is the light on our control panel went out for turning on the water pump. We tend to only have electric when we are at the state parks, so we use from the tank. this time we went for 3 nights, well our water pressure was very very low, and on the 3rd day the light actually came back on for some reason, but we had noticed the pressure was way low. So we looked to see if the screens were plugged and in the bathroon sink it was and so was the one in the kitchen. So that helped with pressure pump noise so it wasn't an issue like it was. However. the question i have is there other screens in the camper that we should check out. The toliet isn't giving a lot of water so we are thinking there is a screen somewhere? we just need to have more water when we flush.. Its almost to the point of no water. It seems to put more pressure on the tank. Any ideas and any other spots that would have screens for us to check and then we can test before buying a new pump..

[JohnD10]

Directly in front of the water pump on the inlet pipe there is a filter screen.

The bottom screws off and can be easily cleaned.

Looks like this (and packaged item at right in second shot):

[GinaJeremyK]

do we have to buy that new filter or can we just clean it? i guess it would just be we need to find out how bad it is too. We did find that the screens in the kitchen and bathroomn were horrible.. its the toliet one now. are there other screens besides that one? the one's in the kitchen and bathroom are now running normal..

[JohnD10]

I don't believe there is a screen on the toilet, but you can unscrew the inlet on the back if the toilet and check.

As for the screen in my pictures above, that clear piece just unscrews (no tools needed, but water will run out), although when I did mine I had it off as I installed that other thing (brass check valve) so I replaced the screen with a new one.

The old screen was full of plastic 'sawdust' from the factory, so I cleaned it out and saved it as a backup.

I'll bet that is where your problem is...

[SeaDog]

The suction screen on the pump can normally be cleaned. Have you checked to see if you have a whole house filter? If so replace the filter that may part of the pressure problem. Most of the toilets I have seen don't have screens but it doesn't hurt to check.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by GinaJeremyK

this last trip, we had a a few quirks. one of them is the light on our control panel went out for turning on the water pump. We tend to only have electric when we are at the state parks, so we use from the tank. this time we went for 3 nights, well our water pressure was very very low, and on the 3rd day the light actually came back on for some reason, but we had noticed the pressure was way low. So we looked to see if the screens were plugged and in the bathroon sink it was and so was the one in the kitchen. So that helped with pressure pump noise so it wasn't an issue like it was. However. the question i have is there other screens in the camper that we should check out. The toliet isn't giving a lot of water so we are thinking there is a screen somewhere? we just need to have more water when we flush.. Its almost to the point of no water. It seems to put more pressure on the tank. Any ideas and any other spots that would have screens for us to check and then we can test before buying a new pump..

One more time...
This is not a PRESSURE issue. It is a FLOW issue. If you were to put a pressure meter on one of the faucets and turn it on--no water flowing, just measuring static pressure--you would measure the same pressure (about 40 psi) that you would measure if all the filters and screens were clean.

I find that people who don't understand the difference between pressure and flow usually don't understand the difference between volts and amps, either. But they have been known to turn the main tap part way off, thinking that it would reduce the pressure.

Larry

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by GinaJeremyK

this last trip, we had a a few quirks. one of them is the light on our control panel went out for turning on the water pump. We tend to only have electric when we are at the state parks, so we use from the tank. this time we went for 3 nights, well our water pressure was very very low, and on the 3rd day the light actually came back on for some reason, but we had noticed the pressure was way low. So we looked to see if the screens were plugged and in the bathroon sink it was and so was the one in the kitchen. So that helped with pressure pump noise so it wasn't an issue like it was. However. the question i have is there other screens in the camper that we should check out. The toliet isn't giving a lot of water so we are thinking there is a screen somewhere? we just need to have more water when we flush.. Its almost to the point of no water. It seems to put more pressure on the tank. Any ideas and any other spots that would have screens for us to check and then we can test before buying a new pump..

Like Larry-NC says, we’re troubleshooting water flow. To verify good water flow, let’s start with checking the inline filter just in front of the pump (thanks JohnD) checking the system filter (usually found in the wet bay area).....maybe even remove it to test flow rate, remove the screen on the kitchen and bathroom tap, and finally.....if you have a Thetford toilet, there is a very small opening in the connector at the back of the toilet that can easily clog up. It may be necessary to remove the toilet from the floor mounting, and look inside the valve connection part of the toilet. It’s a relatively small part that can be unscrewed from the toilet in order to clean properly.

Quite often there can be crud working it’s way through the plumbing system from the water heater tank. It looks light beige to cream coloured and appears flaky in texture.

Do each one of these things and see if the flow rate is better after removing/cleaning filter screens.

[lmiken]

I have a dometic toilet (most likely you do to). On the flush valve, there is a screen filter. On mine, the toilet flow became very low over time. The filter clogged up. Took it off and a backwash cleared it.

[GinaJeremyK]

i want to be clear, that we have cleaned out the Kitchen and Bathroom Sink spouts and the filter/screens were filled with flaky gunk that is now gone. The water flow has returned correctly. now that we know where there is more filters/screens thank you each of you, we can go investigate that next and make sure that is all cleaned out for our next trip. we don't want to burn out the pump because we aren't asking the right questions or doing something that we didn't know. WE are learning and this is very helpful! Thank you to each of you for providing input so we can go investigate and know where to investigate.

the toliet, I don't know what kind it is, we haev a flagstaff (forest River) 5th wheel bunkhouse. its a bksomething. WE are fixing some things that were neglected from previous times so we are learning what to look for and where to go.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

Quite often there can be crud working it’s way through the plumbing system from the water heater tank. It looks light beige to cream coloured and appears flaky in texture.

Usually you wouldn't get water heater crud in the toilet line. The only way this could happen is if you were to drain the low point drains without first bypassing (and likely draining) the water heater.

And it certainly wouldn't happen with a new RV as the OP has.

Larry

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Usually you wouldn't get water heater crud in the toilet line. The only way this could happen is if you were to drain the low point drains without first bypassing (and likely draining) the water heater.

And it certainly wouldn't happen with a new RV as the OP has.

Larry

If you winterized using a bad sequence of the prosedures, or even sometimes, if you drain the fw tank between trips, you can draw gunk from the water heater in to the FW tank and lines and then back in to the system.

Not use where I went, or what I did wrong last season, but in May this year, just 8 or 9 month after the last good water flush, I pulled the anode rod and it had been completely devoured. Much more crap in that water heater than I had seen the prior year when I went 16 months between flushes.

If there is STUFF plugging your screens it is likely either calcium crap from the water heater or as said above by someone, PLASTIC SAWDUST from the guy who cut plumping and cut the hokes in to and out of the tanks.

Good luck and please report on WH condition when you pull the anode rod to look and let us hear about what it takes to clear the toilet inlet and main pump inlet filter screen.

Thanks. Tom

[Sandy B]

A new RV can have a plugged filter screen. I had to clean ours twice in the first 6 months. As someone else mentioned, the water system can be filled with "plastic" sawdust.

[GinaJeremyK]

My husband, went out and start flushing threw the pipes and such, we were able to get the screens in both sinks cleaned out and now the water comes out properly. the toilet was a bit more difficult when it came too cleaning it out but found that something got stuck and was clogging the sprouts. He was able to get it in there and now all the water is running normal again! So pleased to have everyone's ideas of where to check, what for sure it could and allowed us to be able to fix the issue with no cost to us at all! YEAH!