Low water Pressure and No Hot Water - help!

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

It is posted in a "Truck camper" thread. That is the only hint.

Because I moved it there. The OP had posted it in the Tent Camper and Popup section.
See post #7 and 11.
Popups don't come with on-demand water heaters.

[Vetteman71]

Originally Posted by Johnnn

Hi everyone,

Kind of struggling at the moment!

1.
- very low water pressure (water coming out all faucets at maybe 1/4 of flow rate of what it should be)

I can't see any leaks.

Pump is kind of erratic and loud.

We are currently in Arizona so pipes not frozen.

Any help gratefully received!

I will use my hot water tank as an example to answer your question. I use a pressure regulator on the outside water source, normally at state parks I hook up to the their supply and pressures vary. Experience showed that if the pressure coming into our 5th wheel was not at a high enough level the water heater would not light. I adjusted the pressure upwards until the water heater would light off and the pressure was not too high as to worry about rupturing a line in the trailer.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Vetteman71

I will use my hot water tank as an example to answer your question. I use a pressure regulator on the outside water source, normally at state parks I hook up to the their supply and pressures vary. Experience showed that if the pressure coming into our 5th wheel was not at a high enough level the water heater would not light. I adjusted the pressure upwards until the water heater would light off and the pressure was not too high as to worry about rupturing a line in the trailer.

What make/model water heater is this?

[Johnnn]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Because I moved it there. The OP had posted it in the Tent Camper and Popup section.
See post #7 and 11.
Popups don't come with on-demand water heaters.

Oh maybe I see the confusion here. Ours is a pop-up truck camper - 'soft-side'. Not a pop-up trailer.


Okay, so I got an RV tech to come out in the end... but I'm grateful for all the comments.

He found some sand in the water pump debri screen.

And concluded that the in-line filter was clogged.

As soon as he put a normal pipe where the water filter sits the flow was back to normal.

I could have done this myself! Ha! I know some of you guys mentioned the water filter, so I should have switched it out myself and see if it made any difference.

As soon as the water pressure was back up to what it should be the on-demand hot water heater was ignited again. This model of heater at least, needs the water pressure in order to trigger the ignition.

The tech suggested an in-line filter before you let any water hit your system. Before the water hits the tank, to avoid debris getting into the system.

Lessons learnt..

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Johnnn

Oh maybe I see the confusion here. Ours is a pop-up truck camper - 'soft-side'. Not a pop-up trailer.


Okay, so I got an RV tech to come out in the end... but I'm grateful for all the comments.

He found some sand in the water pump debri screen.

And concluded that the in-line filter was clogged.

As soon as he put a normal pipe where the water filter sits the flow was back to normal.

I could have done this myself! Ha! I know some of you guys mentioned the water filter, so I should have switched it out myself and see if it made any difference.

As soon as the water pressure was back up to what it should be the on-demand hot water heater was ignited again. This model of heater at least, needs the water pressure in order to trigger the ignition.

The tech suggested an in-line filter before you let any water hit your system. Before the water hits the tank, to avoid debris getting into the system.

Lessons learnt..

Did the repairman mention the possibility of residual sand in the tank? The filter may clog again. You may want to carry a spare filter just in case.

Your tank is likely positioned just behind the cab. If the filter clogs again, it may have to be flushed. As I recall, ours had an access port on top of the tank. It may be possible to drain the tank and use a wet/dry vac to clean it.

[Danwilly]

Take out the aerator.

[emoney]

I’d start at the water pump. The erratic noise is a clue. When they’re pumping properly it should be a steady low sound. They fail. Not hard to change and not overly expensive. Try hooking up to city water and see what happens. If you have normal flow, there’s your issue.

Oops, didn’t see page 2, lol. Glad you got it fixed.

[JoeCampsNE]

Yep, Had same problem, crud in the pump housing/filter fitting. And it was just a small amount too. Thought I had to trash the pump and all it needed was a cleaning. Have it my calendar now to clean out at least once a year.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Danwilly

Take out the aerator.

SOLVED. See post #24.

[SNHIPP]

They seldom believe me, but really, unscrew your faucet screens and run the water and clean out the screens. You'll be amazed.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by SNHIPP

They seldom believe me, but really, unscrew your faucet screens and run the water and clean out the screens. You'll be amazed.

We believe you... but that's not the problem the OP had here. See post #29.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by Johnnn

Oh maybe I see the confusion here. Ours is a pop-up truck camper - 'soft-side'. Not a pop-up trailer.


Okay, so I got an RV tech to come out in the end... but I'm grateful for all the comments.

He found some sand in the water pump debri screen.

And concluded that the in-line filter was clogged.

As soon as he put a normal pipe where the water filter sits the flow was back to normal.

I could have done this myself! Ha! I know some of you guys mentioned the water filter, so I should have switched it out myself and see if it made any difference.

As soon as the water pressure was back up to what it should be the on-demand hot water heater was ignited again. This model of heater at least, needs the water pressure in order to trigger the ignition.

The tech suggested an in-line filter before you let any water hit your system. Before the water hits the tank, to avoid debris getting into the system.

Lessons learnt..

to be clear the water heater tankless needs the flow as they have flow switches not so much pressure . low flow it will not fire . high flow but low psi it should still fire within reason say 20-30 psi . Am sure there is a cross over where psi and flow are optimal . a clogged filter can still allow psi to be equal to the incoming supply but once a faucet is turned on it restricts flow which will reduce psi

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by Johnnn

Yes!

So I have been told that as my water heater is an on demand heater, it needs sufficient water pressure in order to activate the heating process of the water.

For the few months we had a tankless water heater, flow was a big issue for us. Even when you turned on the bathroom sink faucet, it wouldn't kick on. Found a bulletin in with the booklet for the tankless where you may have to take out the aerator. When I did that got more flow which then kicked in the tankless.

We ended up having the tankless replaced under warranty with a 12 ga suburban water tank heater. No problems since then.

Good luck and be safe .