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Old 11-07-2013, 03:06 PM   #1
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Stop Water Pump Hammering?

Hey guys. Im fairly new to RVing. One thing that just seems to really get on my nerves is when someone turns on a faucet halfway, the water pump will hammer (surely you guys know what I mean). Before anyone says something smart-ellic, yes the simple answer is to turn the faucet on all the way (and Id say the same thing if someone asked me)... but sometimes you don't need a full surge of water. Not to mention it helps conserve some fresh water.

Im not sure whats so annoying about water pumps to me... my previous camper was a 1981 Airstream. If you guys have used an older camper, you know what the "hum" is. Its the inverter and it hummed constantly as long as the camper was plugged in. It was way less annoying than a water pump IMO. Is their such thing as a silent water pump?

Sorry for my rambling!
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Old 11-07-2013, 03:12 PM   #2
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Is it the water pump cycling that annoys you or is it making a loud hammering? If the latter, it could be that the pump needs to be isolated better. I mounted one of ours on a plywood platform thru the rubber grommets on the pump and then mounted the plywood on grommets also and cut the noise down significantly.
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Old 11-07-2013, 03:13 PM   #3
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I have the same issue. Someone stated they installed one of these. I have not yet but I have heard they work.

SharkBite 22630LF 1/2-Inch Residential SharkBite Water Hammer Arrestor by Sharkbite http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A8HV176/..._cq.Esb019REC1
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Old 11-07-2013, 03:17 PM   #4
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As old coot said, make sure the pump is isolated from hard surfaces. Some mount thru an old computer mouse pad. Also, depending on camper age/design, the rigid piping may be the culprit. You can add two short pieces of flexible hose, between the pump and rigid piping.
How this helps.
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:17 PM   #5
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I got a good look at my water pump when I was winterizing it a few weeks ago. The pump itself has rubber feet and theyre screwed into the carpeted floor.

I took a look at that hammer arrestor. One review says he used it on his toilet in his camper with fabulous results. But at $30 a pop, Id need several to do the whole camper lol

I may try the plywood with rubber feet idea. I might even try putting some insulation over the top of the pump as that will absorb some noise too. But then It might also get too hot?
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:20 PM   #6
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Make sure that you do not have a bleed off of pressure when the pump is off. When you do turn the pump on it will build up new pressure as the pump is turning and any air in the lines may cause some hammering.
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:21 PM   #7
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Put a accumulator in the pressure side of your system. At least 2-5 gallon size. Youroo!!
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:23 PM   #8
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I got a good look at my water pump when I was winterizing it a few weeks ago. The pump itself has rubber feet and theyre screwed into the carpeted floor...I may try the plywood with rubber feet idea. I might even try putting some insulation over the top of the pump as that will absorb some noise too. But then It might also get too hot?
Just make sure you drill big enough holes that the screws don't touch the mounting board. Use flat washers and rubber grommets on the top of the board and under it. Same thing with the pump mount itself, make sure the screws are not touching the metal/plastic of the pump. Isolating the pump & mounts is the answer.
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:38 PM   #9
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Isolating it oughta fix the noise part of it but what about the chatter? I don't think my question was very clear lol. When I turn my sink faucet on about half, the water pump will kick off and on at a very fast pace. No other faucet will do it but the sink will. And of course once its either turned on full blast or off, the pump will either run smooth or shut off
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:48 PM   #10
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Isolating it oughta fix the noise part of it but what about the chatter? I don't think my question was very clear lol. When I turn my sink faucet on about half, the water pump will kick off and on at a very fast pace. No other faucet will do it but the sink will. And of course once its either turned on full blast or off, the pump will either run smooth or shut off
You might try mounting the filter upside down and use the filter canister as a small pressure tank to minimize the pump coming on as often. You can also buy a small tank.Amtrol Well-X-Trol WX-101 In-Line Well Pressure Tank 2 gal - FreshWaterSystems.com
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Old 11-07-2013, 04:54 PM   #11
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Your pump sounds as though it is functioning properly, even the stop and go (it's a demand pump). Typically, the pump is connected to the hard water lines and when it comes on the vibration is amplified throughout the camper. Installing a flexible water hose between the hard lines on and the pump (usually with a loop) will aleviate the issue to a certain degree. Should be quiet enough to tollerate. This action did take care of my hammering issue. Good luck
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Old 11-07-2013, 06:42 PM   #12
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If it happens on only one faucet the problem may be the faucet itself. Does it do it on city water? I know that older style faucets with loose washers can cause hammering. You may not have washers but something else may be loose in the faucet itself.
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Old 11-07-2013, 06:47 PM   #13
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My brother installed this one on his 5w and it works good.

Shurflo Accumulator Tank - Shurflo 182-200 - Fresh Water Pumps - Camping World
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Old 11-07-2013, 07:55 PM   #14
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It's a demand pump and the pump will run till back pressure increases then shuts off. When back pressure is relieved the pump will again run. setting the faucet to a low flow state will cause the pump to cycle at sometimes a rapid pulse. You say it runs continuous with high flow set at the faucet. Sounds ok to me. One point; turning your pump on with all faucets off is a good way to check for leaks in the system. Just saying. Oh yeah, pull you aerator and check for cloging.
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Old 11-07-2013, 08:23 PM   #15
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If it happens on only one faucet the problem may be the faucet itself. Does it do it on city water?
Good questions. Is it just one faucet or all of them? And, does it do it on city water? i.e., is it the pump, the water lines or faucet?
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Old 11-07-2013, 08:49 PM   #16
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I've had this same problem for a few years now trying the mouse pad base, pump silencers, padded the water lines from the filter/pump area etc,. and this is why we stayed since at water/electric sites because of the hammering below our bed. Camping World has a sale on a Flojet water pump which I purchased because of all the good reviews(Sensor VSD 4.5 gpm). We stayed away from electric only sites because of the noise but I'm installing this pump next spring. Kind of pricey but should be worth it. I'll give it a review in the future threads.
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Old 11-07-2013, 11:14 PM   #17
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I may try hooking to city water and see if the problem persists. I have a feeling its the pump doing what its supposed to do and Ill have to live with it...
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Old 11-08-2013, 09:01 AM   #18
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If it does it on one faucet only as you said, I don't see how it can be the pump.
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Old 11-08-2013, 03:47 PM   #19
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If it does it on one faucet only as you said, I don't see how it can be the pump.

the sink is close to the pump and gets the full force of no pressure or back flow pressure very quickly. Hence the rapid on and off. the other faucets are farther away and the pressure because of the distance changes the action of the pump and out flow from the faucet. the kit sink may have a different aerator that also comes into play.
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Old 11-08-2013, 04:12 PM   #20
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I had to isolate some of the water lines by putting pipe insulation on the pex lines where they were hammering on each other or going through the run in the walls. It did quiet them down.
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