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Old 05-08-2019, 09:03 AM   #1
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Water pump runs, no water

HI All, Needing your input on Shurflo water pump. I recently dewinterized while in Florida and was hooked up to City Water while parked. No Problems. Needed to be able to use water pump for the trip home and put water in tank, turned on pump, and pump ran, but no water. Now at home and trying to diagnose problem. Pump was working last fall when I winterized. I blow out all lines. FW tank is full and no apparent leaks. Pump switch on and pump runs continuously with no cycling, but nothing comes thru faucets. Not even the sound of air when I put my ear on the faucet. Checked the sediment bowl on the pump and it had a bit of water in it but no debris. I do have an expansion tank on the pump and the anti vibrate hoses on both sides of the pump. Could it be that the diaphragm is shot. Could it be the water line has disconnect from the tank, or something else. I ordered a new pump from Amazon just to have it on hand in case I need to replace it. Thanks in advance for your great help.
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Old 05-08-2019, 09:09 AM   #2
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If you have a connection to suck in antifreeze, typically there is a valve to turn to select for the pump to suck from that antifreeze port OR the fresh water tank.

Are you sure that valve is in the correct position?
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Old 05-08-2019, 09:10 AM   #3
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did you change the pump input valve back from winterizing position to fresh water tank position?
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Old 05-08-2019, 09:57 AM   #4
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If not this valve being mentined at pump, id say its a issue of pump priming. Mine frequently takes a while to prime especially after winter storage.

I bleed off air by opening/closing faucets and the hot water tank relief valve and it finallly catches on. Sounds like this winterizing valve may be your issue.

Do search... i saw a pic of this a couple weeks back.
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Old 05-08-2019, 10:14 AM   #5
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Both of my valves were off winterize but I will double check or flip the valve a couple of times. It ran for a good 10 minutes at least but nothing. Thanks for the answers. Sometimes the obvious gets overlooked.
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Old 05-08-2019, 10:21 AM   #6
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Ill also fill the system from the city water connection; open faucets until air purges and water is flowing freely. Purge air from hot water heater via relief valve. I have found this to help me.

Also once I had left cap on low point drain loose and think this effected pump priming?
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Old 05-08-2019, 11:22 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by gbaldwin View Post
Ill also fill the system from the city water connection; open faucets until air purges and water is flowing freely. Purge air from hot water heater via relief valve. I have found this to help me.

Also once I had left cap on low point drain loose and think this effected pump priming?
There's water in the system because we were running on CW when I tried the pump so the lines are full. I'm beginning to believe it's the pump. Because with water in the lines, if the pump was priming there should be no wait for water or air in the lines.

Thanks.
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Old 05-08-2019, 11:42 AM   #8
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You have tapped out my experience and troubleshooting ideas. I do have occasional priming problems and it has taken 30 minutes or so running to get prime. thatss with me opening and closing faucets just as trial and error.
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Old 05-08-2019, 11:55 AM   #9
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Do you have the system where there is a single hose connection and a valve that switches between city water and water fill? If so then the prime process works better in one of the two positions. I don’t remember which position it was needed on my previous TT but you can try both.
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Old 05-08-2019, 12:04 PM   #10
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Both of my valves were off winterize but I will double check or flip the valve a couple of times. It ran for a good 10 minutes at least but nothing. Thanks for the answers. Sometimes the obvious gets overlooked.
When you mention "both" of your valves, this leads me to believe you are speaking of your by-pass valves at the water heater.

In my post (and others) we are referring to the winterization valve (sometimes called bypass) that selects between the antifreeze ingestion port/hose and the fresh tank. It is on the intake side of the plumbing for the pump.

I've also seen the clear plastic suction strainer bowl be loose at the pump or have a hairline crack and suck air.

If all else fails, pull the inlet/intake line off at the pump and use a short hose to 'pour' a little water in the suction side while the pump is running. Once primed, put the line back on to the fresh tank and it should pump.
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Old 05-08-2019, 12:34 PM   #11
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Pumps and priming

I've never had a problem with the priming on my unit, but I have found that commonly people take shortcuts by turning everything over at once. On my current Puma I have to always follow my personalized winterize list in reverse, as for some reason at the hot water turnoff the second valve is on the back of the junction and easy to miss....

I note that the pump is often not necessary when hooked up to CW, and so may seem to be working.
In your case, I would try priming the pump through the anti-freeze draw. Ensure there are no kinks, fill the hose if possible and stretch for best vertical alignment. Turn on pump, and slowly switch the feed valve from freshwater tank to anti-freeze fill, so as the pump draws water can eventually make its way to the chamber.

It sounds silly and obvious, but I would also ensure there is still water in the freshwater tank as well, as it is easy to open that valve pre-winter and forget to close it all the way, and to make sure the air vent at the filler point is clear. My next step would be to remove the line from the freshwater tank at the valve and make sure it's clear and some debris hasn't been blown into anything if compressed air was used to clear the lines last fall.

If this isn't an original to you unit I would also look for mods such as undocumented line valves put in to be 'convenient'. I've seen that before, under a jacknife sofa with an extra handy valve that happened to be covered with a board (and also was directly over a 'handy' power junction, lol).

Keep with it, you'll figure it out.
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Old 05-08-2019, 12:34 PM   #12
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Quote:
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When you mention "both" of your valves, this leads me to believe you are speaking of your by-pass valves at the water heater.

In my post (and others) we are referring to the winterization valve (sometimes called bypass) that selects between the antifreeze ingestion port/hose and the fresh tank. It is on the intake side of the plumbing for the pump.

I've also seen the clear plastic suction strainer bowl be loose at the pump or have a hairline crack and suck air.

If all else fails, pull the inlet/intake line off at the pump and use a short hose to 'pour' a little water in the suction side while the pump is running. Once primed, put the line back on to the fresh tank and it should pump.
Yes, 2 valves. One is winterization and the other is for the water heater by pass. I do not have one water connection that I can switch between the FW tank and CW. I have a CW connection and a port/opening to put a fill hose in for the FW tank. I will double check the strainer bowl again and also disconnect the inlet side and try priming that way. Will keep you all posted. Thanks again for the input.
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Old 05-08-2019, 12:42 PM   #13
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I have two valves that need to be turned to go from "normal" to "winterize". One draws from the fresh water tank and the other opens the suction line for antifreeze. In this case both need to be switched at the same time so one is open and then other is closed. They are in the same bay as the water pump on the starboard side. There is a small filter there that you might also check.
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Old 05-08-2019, 12:50 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by dougschne View Post
Yes, 2 valves. One is winterization and the other is for the water heater by pass. I do not have one water connection that I can switch between the FW tank and CW. I have a CW connection and a port/opening to put a fill hose in for the FW tank. I will double check the strainer bowl again and also disconnect the inlet side and try priming that way. Will keep you all posted. Thanks again for the input.

Do you have a port or a hose near the pump where you would draw antifreeze into the system?

That is the valve we are discussing... it has nothing to do with the city water connection or your fresh tank fill.

See this video... is yours this way?
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Old 05-08-2019, 09:37 PM   #15
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I had that issue. The water pump inlet strainer was cracked and letting air in. I suspect a loose strainer would do the same.
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Old 05-09-2019, 07:21 AM   #16
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x2 on the cracked inlet strainer. If the strainer wasn't emptied in the winterization process the leftover water could cause the plastic to crack. Locate the strainer and inspect it.
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Old 05-09-2019, 07:27 AM   #17
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[QUOTE=5picker;2091190]Do you have a port or a hose near the pump where you would draw antifreeze into the system?

That is the valve we are discussing... it has nothing to do with the city water connection or your fresh tank fill.

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OK. Here's photos of my bay, valves, and connections. There have been great suggestions. I was unable to work on it last nite due to other chores needing to be done. The pump arrives today and I will try all other suggestions before installing it. I know I will get it figured out. Just one of those things. I worked before now why isn't! Thanks Guys.
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Old 05-09-2019, 07:55 AM   #18
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I see you are in MI. You said you blew out the lines to winterize. This method can leave water in the pump housing and the strainer just before the pump. A good freeze will crack one or both. I would check the small clear strainer just prior to the pump and the pump housing itself.
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Old 05-09-2019, 01:56 PM   #19
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Pump Problem

I've had this problem and it has always been a priming issue. Usually caused by an air blockage in the outdoor shower. Be sure to bleed your outdoor shower. Good luck...
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Old 05-09-2019, 08:46 PM   #20
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Had a similar problem two years ago. Had not used the pump for a couple years since we usually have full hookups. I filled the fresh water tank, made sure the connections, etc. were right and turned on the pump. There was a sound like a piece of plastic on an impeller unstuck/broke (sort of a click sound) and then the motor ran full without pumping anything. My guess is the impeller got stuck from lack of use and detached from the motor shaft when I turned it on. It did have a different sound - like the motor was running but, there was no load on it. Since the repair kit for the pump head was pretty expensive relative to a new one (plus the time to fix it), I opted for a new pump. I replaced the pump (a pain because of its location), but, when I turned it on, everything worked just fine. It was the pump! I still have it and some day will take it apart to see exactly what did happen - and repair it for a spare, but, for now, I will use it at least a time or two a year just to keep it lubricated and working. Point is: listen to the motor and if it doesn't sound right, it may well be the pump as you think. Good Luck.
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