Cracked Shurflo water pump strainer housing

[KennyKopter]


Howdy folks, we've got a 2018 Salem Cruise Lite. And spent some time yesterday de-winterizing it. Filled the fresh water tank with some chlorine. But when we got to the sani-dump, couldn't get the Shurflo pump to pump water. Had a look and discovered the strainer housing was cracked. And couldn't prime itself.
I’m mystified as to how the strainer got cracked. Because I used a compressor to blow out the water lines. And drained the water heater. And I put rv antifreeze in the flush toilet, shower, and sinks.
I also had a small space heater in the trailer all winter and monitored the temperature with a remote monitor. It never went below 40° F that I saw.
All I can guess is that I didn’t remove the strainer cover and some remaining water froze and cracked it. The pump is mounted on the floor under the kitchen counter behind a hinged door. Maybe the heat didn’t reach it and the cold did through the floor.
I'm also racking my old brain trying to remember if I put antifreeze in the fresh water tank and ran the pump to circulate it.
One thing is I'm starting a maintenance log so I can see what I've done.
Just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience and could maybe share any lessons learned?

[D W]

Easy to replace. Easy to find. Not too expensive. I carry a spare.

https://www.amazon.com/Shurflo-255-2...s%2C143&sr=8-3


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shurflo-2...0&from=/search

[NJKris]

Probably the cheapest RV part you can buy. I learned to dump it and I keep it off after winterizing from this forum. Glad I did a lot of studying up here before taking delivery.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Probably the cheapest RV part you can buy. I learned to dump it and I keep it off after winterizing from this forum. Glad I did a lot of studying up here before taking delivery.

The picture shows classic freeze damage.

Removing after winterizing and only replacing when getting ready for the first trip in spring is very wise. Along with keeping a spare.

[Mokurt]

It's recommended not to use antifreeze in the fresh water tank.
Just drain it.

There should be a bypass hose near the water pump to siphon the antifreeze into the water by bypassing the water tank.

I had to replace a toilet valve because of the samething.

[SailorSam20500]

This is why after blowing the water out of the system with my air pump, I run anti-freeze thru the whole system - excepting the FW tank. I use the port FR put on the side of my trailer to suck it in. Once I have let enough anti-freeze into all drains from the faucets. I open my drain lines and again use the air pump to push the anti-freeze back out of the system. I have a short hose that allows me to catch the anti-freeze back into the bottles it came in. I loose about a 1/2 gallon.

[MGD1961]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

This is why after blowing the water out of the system with my air pump, I run anti-freeze thru the whole system - excepting the FW tank. I use the port FR put on the side of my trailer to suck it in. Once I have let enough anti-freeze into all drains from the faucets. I open my drain lines and again use the air pump to push the anti-freeze back out of the system. I have a short hose that allows me to catch the anti-freeze back into the bottles it came in. I loose about a 1/2 gallon.

Many Rv antifreeze brands are only good to 0 degrees at full strength. I don’t care how well you blow it out the residual water in the system is going to dilute that to worthless in a hurry. I don’t know what quality antifreeze anyone is using but I suggest you read the label

In my opinion buy the best you can afford and you will never regret it. Recycling antifreeze could be an expensive way to save money.

[D W]

When I lived in Fairbanks I used Prestone, Prime Guard, SeaFit and Splash. None of these froze at -50°F. In Anchorage I use Walmart Super Tech, and I can attest that it hasn't frozen at -40°F.

[BDenn]

The first year winterising mine, blew lines out with air. Worked on remounting pump because of noise. After removing strainer and lines. I seen how much water was left. I used antifreeze no problems at all yet. Blow out black tank cleaning line with air. Cheap gairentee.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by MGD1961

Many Rv antifreeze brands are only good to 0 degrees at full strength. I don’t care how well you blow it out the residual water in the system is going to dilute that to worthless in a hurry. I don’t know what quality antifreeze anyone is using but I suggest you read the label

In my opinion buy the best you can afford and you will never regret it. Recycling antifreeze could be an expensive way to save money.

Not sure where you are buying anti-freeze. My local Menards only carries two versions, -50 and -75 degrees F... I'm sure Wally world anti-freeze is also good to well below 0.