Did I break my water pump?

[Fred and Christine]

Last week I hooked up to the parks water and then went to turn on the water heater and mistakenly turned on the water pump. After about an hour I realized what I had done and shut off the water pump. After disconnecting the water supply the water pump will not come on. Is there a reset button on the pump or maybe a fuse? Also any help on where the water pump is located will work.
I have a 2013 RS320

[eye95]

I am anxious to hear the answer to this one. I would have thought that this would not damage the pump since the pump is designed to add pressure to the plumbing system by drawing water from the tank and pushing it into the plumbing system when it detects that the pressure is too low. If the RV is hooked to the city water, the pressure should not go too low, and the pump should not kick on.

That is what I think. I don’t know. It is time to learn something.

[SeaDog]

First step with the pump on ensure that the pressure in the system is below cut in pressure by opening a faucet. Many water pumps have an inline fuse the power line near the pump.

[pgandw]

Back when I was relatively new to my 1st A-frame, I decided to drain the well water from the tank during the 7 hour drive home. Forgot to turn off the water pump, both during the drive, and when I arrived home (switch is not easy to access with camper folded down).

A few weeks later, went to prep for next trip, and found water pump on. Needless to say it didn't work. Motor turned, but no pumping action. Replaced pump, swore when I cross-threaded the input connection to that little strainer a couple of times and couldn't get new pump to suck water. Discovered my issue by attaching a piece of hose into a bucket of water on the intake, and the pump worked fine.

New A-frame, we left home on trip with a full water tank (now tow with full water), the pump had been turned on to fill water heater, then turned off. Heat of the day while towing got the pressure in the pipes up (not much piping in an A-frame), possiby created airlock at sink faucet, and pump would not come on with switch on upon arrival at camp. Thought I was out another pump, bought replacement. Opened low point drains to get water out before changing pump, and pump suddenly came to life.

Now whenever we are towing, I dump water pressure as part of my breaking camp or filling water heater and water tank at home. I turn pump off, then open up outside shower faucets (hot and cold) and let pressure drop to near zero. Close faucets and we are good to go. Because of low pressure even in the heat of the day, pump never fails to come on when I switch on upon arrival at camp (we hardly ever hook up city water). And I no longer have to worry about the fold down inside faucet leaking due to vibration while towing.

just my experiences
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[jimmoore13]

You asked where to find the pump.

Since it's not running, you'll need to use your intuition. With it running, follow the noise.

Starting with noise, have you ever heard it running? If so, that's a clue to where it is.

Possible locations:
~ Under a seat in the dinette.
~ In a cabinet where you see a water filter cartridge...probably below that cartridge.
~ Look at where your fresh tank fill is. If you have a gravity fill tank (just an open pipe in the side of the camper with a plastic cap on it), the pump will be near there. If you have a diverter valve that sends city water to your coach or to your fresh tank, that complicates things because pressurized water via PEX can go anywhere.
~ In cabinet(s) near the kitchen sink or bathroom - look for a concealing panel in the cabinet that is "hiding something".
~ In my high-wall popup, the pump was right behind the converter/breaker panel. Didn't make sense to me either, because water and electricity don't play well together, but there it was.

Is your pump toast? Probably. It's one thing to run one dry for a few minutes. It's another to run it dry for an hour. BUT, before you give up on it, find the pump, remove the strainer cap, and try to prime it with something like a turkey baster full of water to dribble water into the open screen housing. You might get lucky if it starts to pump that priming water, then it may have enough suction to draw from the fresh tank. Then again, if you can't hear the pump running at all, the motor may be dead.

One more concern, a pump that has been run dry may also have a damaged check valve. Even if you get the pump running, it may not hold pressure, and it may run every couple minutes to restore pressure lost thru the check valve. The good news is that pumps are cheap and easy to replace. This was my experience that led to locating the pump in my PUP (pop-up).

I urge you to add more detail about your rig's identity. I googled 2013 RS320, and got all manner of things, from a fiver to tractor equipment to end-of-life supplies to a Yamaha electric guitar. I assume you have a fiver, but there were several rigs with that model number. I suggest you edit your signature to include the brand ("Columbus"??), full model, type (fiver?), year, and any other clearly identifying details. That's why I don't know what type of fresh tank fill you have.

[dnicoll]

Originally Posted by Fred and Christine

Last ...........,, Is there a reset button on the pump or maybe a fuse? Also any help on where the water pump is located will work.
I have a 2013 RS320

As noted elsewhere, please identify the model / brand. I have a Columbus 320 RS 5th Wheel. IF this is your brand / model you need to climb into the storage area from drivers side. On the back wall of the storage is an access hatch, held in place by some screws. Open the hatch and you will have access to your hot water tank, converter, central vac, And water pump. There is an in-line fuse near the pump. Good luck!

[Reverse_snowbird]

Do you have water in your fresh water tank? Our pump shuts off automatically when the fresh water tank is low and will restart once we fill the tank.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Do you have water in your fresh water tank? Our pump shuts off automatically when the fresh water tank is low and will restart once we fill the tank.

This is the first I've heard of this.
Is there an inline sensor on the water tank for the pumps supply voltage?

[mnoland30]

My pump is a Shurflo, but I expect all of them are diaphram pumps. They should be able to run dry without damage. My guess is that they are not rated for continous duty, but I could be wrong. I've run mine for over an hour without issue, although the motor gets fairly hot.

[Comanchecreek]

I've made that mistake a time or two. Pressure switch in pump senses pressure so pump won't kick on. Just release pressure and the pump should run again.

[pmsherman]

Originally Posted by Fred and Christine

Last week I hooked up to the parks water and then went to turn on the water heater and mistakenly turned on the water pump. After about an hour I realized what I had done and shut off the water pump. After disconnecting the water supply the water pump will not come on. Is there a reset button on the pump or maybe a fuse? Also any help on where the water pump is located will work.
I have a 2013 RS320

If you have full pressure in the water system from the city hookup, the pump will not operate. Once you turn on a faucet, the pressure will drop and the pump should start working to maintain pressure in the system.

The pump has an internal pressure cutoff switch. If you turn on the pump while hooked up to city water, the pressure from the city connection should keep the pump from running.




Phil