First time using our new trailer this weekend. Only a few kinks to work out. Biggest one is the water pump began constantly running and sucking air while the fresh water tank was still 1/3 full. The weekend was nearly over, so we just shut the pump off and drained the tank when we got home. Other than noticing there was probably 1/4 of a tank left when I drained it I haven't looked closer at anything. Any suggestions?
Also, is it normal that the water pump is so loud?
Are you sure you got all of the air out of the hot water heater & all of the water lines. Someone posted that when you first fill the hot water heater with fresh water hold open the pop off valve until water runs out thus letting the air out of the tank. Yes water pumps are noisy - a good safety feature you then know if it is cycling when no one is drawing water - you have a leak!
__________________ Everett & Joan after 60 years together. 2004 1/2 ton Chevy & 2011 Rockwood 1809S
Number of nights camped in 2012 65
Number of nights camped in 2013 82
Number of nights camped in 2014 105!
Number of nights camped in 2015 81
Another recent post was talking about how much water on average is left in the tank when it reads empty and stops pumping, several were stating they have measured the values of 5 or more gallons. This may be what's happening with yours.
Yes the pumps are fairly noisy, you can re-mount them on a strip of rubber or foam to dampen the vibration making it quiter. But like emptypockets states, to know when it is running is not always a bad thing.
Are you sure you got all of the air out of the hot water heater & all of the water lines. Someone posted that when you first fill the hot water heater with fresh water hold open the pop off valve until water runs out thus letting the air out of the tank. Yes water pumps are noisy - a good safety feature you then know if it is cycling when no one is drawing water - you have a leak!
I think so.... I held the hot water faucet open while filling the fresh water tank until water flowed.
The hot and cold water worked fine until the fresh water tank got low. Just thought they would be designed a little better to use all or most of the water before sucking air.
The noise isn't a big deal, just wanted to make sure something wasn't wrong with it.
My water pump suction hose happened to be on one end of the tank. After crawling under the trailer, and looking at the fresh water tank, I noticed it could bounce around when empty, and leaned the wrong way. I made some rubber strips, using a truck mudflap, put them between the plastic tank and the metal straps, and put a couple of extra on one end forcing the water to the suction end. Your mileage may vary.
How large is your fresh tank? I have measured 6 gallons left in my 48 gallon tank. A reply on my thread mentioned that the hot water tank volume is part of the advertised fresh water tank volume, first I heard of that. I would expect some water left in the tank. My tank has a side port from which the pump tanks suction. Not many options except maybe tilting the tank. If you don't have a sealed underside, you can take a look and probably figure out what the situation is. I may end up replumbing the pump suction to the tank drain to get the last little bit of water.
About the pump noise, it will be noisier if the mounting is not solid. If this is a new trailer, the mounting may just be flimsy. A used trailer may have a pump that lost some feet or screws. The pumps have rubber isolators on the feet. They shouldn't be too tight, but not loose either. I have installed a 3/4" piece of plywood (12"x12") to help my flimsy installation and add mass to the base so the isolators could do their job. The water pump manuals have some good advice.
Biggest one is the water pump began constantly running and sucking air while the fresh water tank was still 1/3 full.
As you have discovered, with the tank indicator system, the 1/3 light is a "not empty" light not an indicator of an amount. In fact, that amount may not even be usable depending on your feed hose location on the side of the tank. As you can see from these photos, you will start sucking air just about the time the 1/3 light goes out.
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Loudness is a relative thing.....
My trailer has plastic waterlines that run from the pump
across the top of my water tank on their way to the
hot water heater and then the rest of the trailer.
One of these lines was laying on top of my water tank.
When the pump ran, it jumped up and down and drummed
on the water tank.
THAT was noisy!
A little further down stream this same line was
touching the wall between the pass thru storage
area and my wife's side of the bed
Do some investigation and see if you can simply cushion
this or that water line to keep it away from walls, tanks,
bulkheads etc.
Small investment in time can make a big difference.
You can get foam pipe insulation at big box home
supply stores. One piece cut up will be all you need.
You can use a towel or a rag in a pinch to stop any
drumming. Hold them in place with zip ties or just string.
Welcome to the world of RV camping!
__________________ Peace! Dan & Rita D
2017 Nissan Titan 5.6L King cab 4wd
2016 Evergreen Everlite 242RBS
29' empty nest model. Blue Ox WD hitch
(1 queen bed, large main cabin and huge bathroom)
Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
As you have discovered, with the tank indicator system, the 1/3 light is a "not empty" light not an indicator of an amount. In fact, that amount may not even be usable depending on your feed hose location on the side of the tank. As you can see from these photos, you will start sucking air just about the time the 1/3 light goes out.
Thanks. I still haven't looked under there yet. The brochure says that the tank is 36 gallons, but that might include the water heater because the other two tanks are each listed at 30 gallons each.
Make sure the fitting on the intake side of the water pump hasn't loosened a bit from vibration. These are hand tighten fittings and they only have to loosen ever so slightly to start sucking air.
__________________
Bob and Joyce
2013 CC Silverback 29RL
2010 Ford F250 XL Crew Cab 6.4 liter diesel
ATU Local 788
Almost all brochures include the 6 gallons in the water
heater when they tell you fresh water capacity.
Deduct 3 to 5 for that fresh tank outlet that is not
exactly in the bottom of the tank and your
36 gallon fresh capacity suddenly becomes 25 gallons
usable water.
__________________ Peace! Dan & Rita D
2017 Nissan Titan 5.6L King cab 4wd
2016 Evergreen Everlite 242RBS
29' empty nest model. Blue Ox WD hitch
(1 queen bed, large main cabin and huge bathroom)
Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
After several successful trip in our new TT we had a water pump issue this weekend. With no water being used the water pump would run for a second or 2 every 5 minutes. I checked under sinks and the outdoor shower and behind the toilet and all around the water pump and see no signs of a leak. I was able to hand tighten the fittings in and out of the water pump and even tighten the small filter cap on the pump and it seemed to lenghten the time between running but it still does it. Could it be the one way valve to the city connection is faulty?
Could it be the one way valve to the city connection is faulty?
I doubt it as water would be running out of the connection.
It is possible the internal check valve in the pump is bad.
My money is on the check valve bleeding the pressure back into the fresh water tank. It is integral to the pump body and, in some less expensive pumps, is not normally replaceable.
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
I doubt it as water would be running out of the connection.
It is possible the internal check valve in the pump is bad.
My money is on the check valve bleeding the pressure back into the fresh water tank. It is integral to the pump body and, in some less expensive pumps, is not normally replaceable.
Sounds reasonable that the cheap OE pump could be the culprit. Even though I am sure we have a warranty the dealer is a $100 round trip in gas away. It might be the time to upgrade to a higher quality quieter pump and add the accumulator tank. I'm going to go over all the fittings again this week and see how it is the next trip and make a decision then..
I added a check valve right before the pump inlet. 1/2 an hour and the pump did not cycle. Maybe a bandaid for a crummy new pump but at least we can go camping now !!
We have a 1999 Spinnaker. No manuals came with it. We are trying to winterize it but cannot figure out where the water pump is. We keep turning the pump on and listening and think we know the general area that it is in but cannot find anything that looks like an access point. Any suggestions or who can we contact for more info.
You can use an old mouse pad under the pump and get some foam rubber insulation from a plumbing outfit to put on the water lines where they touch the TT.
I had a similar problem with sucking air thru pump with what should have been plenty of water in the tank. It starts with a poor design. Once the trailer is leveled the fresh water tank still tilted aft. Factory had installed the mounts lower at the rear than the front which would be fine except the pump intake is located at the front and on the side of the tank. Compounding the problem is the fact that when the trailer is connected to the tow vehicle it tilts aft, so unless you want to carry more than 1/2 tank of water (which weighs about 8 pounds per gallon) you will be hard pressed to take a shower or whatever while traveling without connecting.
My solution was to use a bulkhead fitting at the aft center of the tank. I then put a T on the original intake. Now I can access every last drop of water in my tank regardless of how the trailer is oriented.
Everett & Joan after 60 years together. 2004 1/2 ton Chevy & 2011 Rockwood 1809S
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