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Old 09-27-2016, 11:10 AM   #1
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Fresh Water Storage Question

Long Story short. I went to unload (Some)fresh water from the tank last night using pump into the Grey water tanks. So, I turn City water off. Turn camper pump on to do a gray water flush using my fresh water. All worked well. I fill fresh water tanks up(1/3) and empty both. No Problem. I then turned pump off, and then turned City water back on. When I got up this morning to check my tanks I saw the Fresher water tank was full. I'm going well it should be about 1/2 empty. Guess what I went out side and there was water overflowing out of the drain tube. So how did I fill up my fresh water tank without hooking up to fresh water connection and turning water hose on? Another mystery.


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Old 09-27-2016, 11:30 AM   #2
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I'm sitting here trying to figure out how that can happen and I am dumbfounded. No city water hookup enters the fresh water tank unless you put the white hose into the fresh water fill. I know you are aware of that, I am just typing what's going through my head. It sounds like you put the hose in the tank fill and thought you hooked it to the city hookup? I'm guessing you would of realized that though. I'm curious to what possibly went wrong here.
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Old 09-27-2016, 11:38 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Tim Coltrain View Post
So how did I fill up my fresh water tank without hooking up to fresh water connection and turning water hose on? Another mystery.


tim coltrain
There should be a check valve on the inside-the-camper side of the water pump. Water could leak back past the water pump, into the tank, if the check valve is missing or defective.

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Old 09-27-2016, 12:01 PM   #4
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Dave do you think that if the check valve is left open whatever flows back into the tank would fill it up? The water going back in would only be what is in the water lines which can't be much more then a gallon no? I'm asking for knowledge not trying to be a wise guy.
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Old 09-27-2016, 12:10 PM   #5
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Follow Up

After emptying the Fresh Water tank I have been monitoring to see if it was filling back up. Answer No. That being said I must have created a back flow effect when I went from City water off to Pump on to pump off to City back on. That's the only thing I can come up with so far. I just checked the Fresh water tank after emptying and only a few drops came out.


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Old 09-27-2016, 12:18 PM   #6
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More then likely, the check valve on water pump stuck open. When you turned the city water back on, it went past the check valve, and into the fresh water tank.
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Old 09-27-2016, 12:26 PM   #7
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My best guess is back feeding through the water pump
I've read on other threads that this can happen if pump is in just the right (wrong) spot in its cycle when shut off.
Try turning pump on then off
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Old 09-27-2016, 12:33 PM   #8
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Dave do you think that if the check valve is left open whatever flows back into the tank would fill it up? The water going back in would only be what is in the water lines which can't be much more then a gallon no? I'm asking for knowledge not trying to be a wise guy.
I think the OP was hooked up to city water - so there was positive water pressure (and available flow) on the inside-the-rv side of the pump.

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Old 09-27-2016, 12:49 PM   #9
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So far no more problem.

thanks for help though. This is our third trip on this new camper. I'm still learning.



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Old 09-27-2016, 01:04 PM   #10
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This topic comes up a lot here and there have been many, many examples of the same thing happening. Your symptom/problem is not unique.

The on-board water pump has a check valve built into it (for this very reason) to keep the city water from back filling the fresh water tank when connected to city water.

Sometimes, when using the on-board pump, debris or dirt can lodge in the check valve holding it partially open. When the pump is shut off and water supply is reverted back to the city water, it will flow back through the stuck opened check valve and fill the tank.

This scenario can also happen if you happen to run the pump while on city water where the city water pressure is much greater than the water pump's output pressure. When you turn on the pump, it will force open the check valve but the city water's greater pressure and flow will force water back into the fresh tank, through the now-opened check valve once the pump is shut off.

Usually to cure, all you need to do is turn off the city water supply, crack open a faucet to relieve pressure, close the faucet, turn on the water pump, re-open/close a faucet a few times and allow the pump to cycle to rid the check valve of any debris. Turn off the pump, crack the faucet to relieve pressure again, close the faucet and turn city water supply back on.

Sometimes the valve can not clear itself on its own and disassembly of the pump (or replacement) is required.

Many folks have installed an in-line check valve near the pump outlet to cure the problem as well.

This complaint is one reason I never leave my rig for more than a few hours without shutting off the city water supply. And, if I am going to be hooked to city water for long periods of time, I will open my fresh water drain valve so if the check valve fails, it won't over fill the tank and bulge it or blow the drain line off.
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Old 09-27-2016, 01:15 PM   #11
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I think the OP was hooked up to city water - so there was positive water pressure (and available flow) on the inside-the-rv side of the pump.

Dave

Makes sense, I am now seeing and understanding how this can happen now
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Old 09-27-2016, 01:16 PM   #12
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I had this problem until I bought a water pressure regulator. Don't buy a cheap one. Camping world has one for about $50 that solved my problem. I paid $10 for one that didn't work. The last campground I stayed at warned you about the problem.
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Old 09-27-2016, 01:52 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by 5picker View Post
This topic comes up a lot here and there have been many, many examples of the same thing happening. Your symptom/problem is not unique.

The on-board water pump has a check valve built into it (for this very reason) to keep the city water from back filling the fresh water tank when connected to city water.

Sometimes, when using the on-board pump, debris or dirt can lodge in the check valve holding it partially open. When the pump is shut off and water supply is reverted back to the city water, it will flow back through the stuck opened check valve and fill the tank.

This scenario can also happen if you happen to run the pump while on city water where the city water pressure is much greater than the water pump's output pressure. When you turn on the pump, it will force open the check valve but the city water's greater pressure and flow will force water back into the fresh tank, through the now-opened check valve once the pump is shut off.

Usually to cure, all you need to do is turn off the city water supply, crack open a faucet to relieve pressure, close the faucet, turn on the water pump, re-open/close a faucet a few times and allow the pump to cycle to rid the check valve of any debris. Turn off the pump, crack the faucet to relieve pressure again, close the faucet and turn city water supply back on.

Sometimes the valve can not clear itself on its own and disassembly of the pump (or replacement) is required.

Many folks have installed an in-line check valve near the pump outlet to cure the problem as well.

This complaint is one reason I never leave my rig for more than a few hours without shutting off the city water supply. And, if I am going to be hooked to city water for long periods of time, I will open my fresh water drain valve so if the check valve fails, it won't over fill the tank and bulge it or blow the drain line off.


I agree with all the above but,......if the city water pressure is greater than the water pumps low pressure point (the point where the pump would turn itself on), the pump would have no need to and shouldn't run at all.

And, here's a new scenario I came across a few weeks ago. We initially set up and DW used some water from the fresh water tank before I hooked up hose to the CG's city water connection. I never turned off the water pump (forgot). A little later, I went to add chemicals to the black tank through the commode & when I flushed, I heard the water pump run. I ran another faucet and although a steady flow, the water pump didn't run. So, I guess this is a good feature for those times when the CG's water pressure is low. The only thing I don't know is.....did the water pump just "boost" the pressure of the CG's supply or did it supplement the CG's deficiency by also pulling water from my FW tank?

EDIT: This is why I always carry 1/3 tank FW all the time. Just in case the CG's system should go down.
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Old 09-27-2016, 04:33 PM   #14
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There should be a check valve on the inside-the-camper side of the water pump. Water could leak back past the water pump, into the tank, if the check valve is missing or defective.

Dave
Reaching out to another Solera owner...and just maybe an old friend from Tucson (formerly colleagues in medical administration). As to the Solera question, we have a 2016 24R now approaching one year. With the original purchase, we were granted a yearly mntce. Freedom RV in Tucson has done a great job with the little electrical fix its and all is working well. Our mileage is at about 6000 so we don't need an oil change. No leaks, a few squeaks, but no problems we know of. What should we ask for as a year end check?

Dave, do we know each other from the medical field? I'm Barb Smith, dermatology and later primary care.
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Old 09-27-2016, 04:58 PM   #15
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What you're describing seems to be a "normal" problem. As others have mentioned you can probably fix it using the following procedure (plagiarized from another thread and saved in iPhone notes app):

Water Pump Check Valve Reset

Turn off city water
Turn off water pump if on.
Turn on any faucet wait 1 min
Turn on water pump
let water run 1 min
Turn off faucet
turn off water pump
Wait for water pump to quit running
Turn on city water
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Old 09-27-2016, 07:49 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by rracer5 View Post
I agree with all the above but,......if the city water pressure is greater than the water pumps low pressure point (the point where the pump would turn itself on), the pump would have no need to and shouldn't run at all.

And, here's a new scenario I came across a few weeks ago. We initially set up and DW used some water from the fresh water tank before I hooked up hose to the CG's city water connection. I never turned off the water pump (forgot). A little later, I went to add chemicals to the black tank through the commode & when I flushed, I heard the water pump run. I ran another faucet and although a steady flow, the water pump didn't run. So, I guess this is a good feature for those times when the CG's water pressure is low. The only thing I don't know is.....did the water pump just "boost" the pressure of the CG's supply or did it supplement the CG's deficiency by also pulling water from my FW tank?

EDIT: This is why I always carry 1/3 tank FW all the time. Just in case the CG's system should go down.
The pumps pressure switch is on the pump side of the check valve. If the check valve was working correctly, the city water pressure would have no effect on the pressure switch and by turning on the pump, it could run momentarily causing the check valve to open and then the higher city water pressure causes back pressure which can hold open the check valve and fill the tank. I've seen it happen. Granted, conditions have to be right but it happens.
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Old 09-27-2016, 07:58 PM   #17
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Also, rracer5, in your new scenario, the pump supplemented your water supply from your fresh water tank.
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Old 09-27-2016, 08:24 PM   #18
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Do this. Don't recommend you have water pump on when connected to city water.


Quote:
Originally Posted by emm-dee View Post
What you're describing seems to be a "normal" problem. As others have mentioned you can probably fix it using the following procedure (plagiarized from another thread and saved in iPhone notes app):

Water Pump Check Valve Reset

Turn off city water
Turn off water pump if on.
Turn on any faucet wait 1 min
Turn on water pump
let water run 1 min
Turn off faucet
turn off water pump
Wait for water pump to quit running
Turn on city water
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Old 09-27-2016, 08:48 PM   #19
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Make sure your hot and cold knobs on the outside shower [if you have one] are turned off. If one is left on, it can flow back into your freshwater tank.
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Old 09-28-2016, 06:13 AM   #20
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Make sure your hot and cold knobs on the outside shower [if you have one] are turned off. If one is left on, it can flow back into your freshwater tank.
How is that possible?
That could cause cold water to mix with hot water (resulting in warm water at another tap instead of hot and only if both were on and the shower head closed) but I don't see how it could fill the fresh water tank? Wouldn't the outside shower simply leak if one of the knobs were left on?
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