Water Pump Issue

[Sunseekin]

Hey All,

We have a 2016 Sunseeker 3010ds and the water pump quit on us. I've been browsing through some of the threads but don't see my particular issue. When it was working, you could clearly hear the motor when you flip the switch to turn it on. Now, the indicator light turns on, but no noise from the pump and nothing happens. We've fiddled with it a little, replaced the fuse at the pump, emptied and refilled the tank, and got nothin.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

If I do need to replace it, anyone have a recommendation?

[Ballistic]

Perhaps the pump died?

[larry2c]

Can you get to the pump and check the power coming into the pump with a multimeter? If the pump is getting power with the switch on but the pump isn't running, I'd pull the pump out and see if the unit is jammed (sometimes a bit of debris can lodge in the impeller and stop it from turning).

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by larry2c

(sometimes a bit of debris can lodge in the impeller and stop it from turning).

Impeller??

[CentralMePistol]

Impeller is the part of the pump that spins causing suction and in turn making the water flow.

[larry2c]

Originally Posted by bubbles

Impeller??

I guess that's a term that applies to "real" pumps - the ShurFlo pumps use something a bit different so they prime easier and don't burn up if the water tank runs dry but the pump stays on (has happened to us several times).

Here's picture of a standard pump impeller

[5picker]

And here is what an "impeller" in a R/V water pump looks like.
It drives the diaphragm plate.

[5picker]

R/V water pump diaphragm plate.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by CentralMePistol

Impeller is the part of the pump that spins causing suction and in turn making the water flow.

I believe RV water pumps work via diaphragm action not impeller. The only thing that spins is the motor.

[larry2c]

Originally Posted by bubbles

I believe RV water pumps work via diaphragm action not impeller. The only thing that spins is the motor.

Agreed - and I'm not sure if anything can get caught to bind one up. Just something for the OP to check out...

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by larry2c

Agreed - and I'm not sure if anything can get caught to bind one up. Just something for the OP to check out...

Don't think so. They can even run dry for a very, very long time. There's power to the switch (switch light illuminates) but OP hasn't said if there is power at the pump. He changed the fuse (I have never changed a good fuse) and "fiddled" with it. He needs to get out the multimeter.

[stephensatt]

You probably need to replace the pump. The Shur-flo pumps now, are plastic and made in China. I got 6 years on the first one and 2 years on a second one. I consider them such a "problem waiting to happen" at $50, I actually carry a brand new spare. Takes all of 15 minutes to change out. I usually pull impeller chunks out of it when I take it out. They are just not good quality and I bet, because of the random failure it because they end up "running dry" to long.

My pool pump at the house, for our 12,000 gallon pool is a 1 HP Polaris pump, all plastic , made in China. They last ten years if you don't let them run dry. I let a newish one run dry one time, was 3 years old, burned up the impellor overnight and had to spend $400 on a new one, just like that because I let the water in the pool get 1 in too low under the skimmer. Thats what I think it really going on.

[NavyLCDR]

RV water pumps don't have impellers. They are diaphragm pumps not centrifugal pumps.

From 10:30 to 16:30 in this video will show you the inside of the water pump. No impeller, only diaphragm and valves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g3Qj1mA6z8

Originally Posted by stephensatt

You probably need to replace the pump. The Shur-flo pumps now, are plastic and made in China. I got 6 years on the first one and 2 years on a second one. I consider them such a "problem waiting to happen" at $50, I actually carry a brand new spare. Takes all of 15 minutes to change out. I usually pull impeller chunks out of it when I take it out. They are just not good quality and I bet, because of the random failure it because they end up "running dry" to long.

My pool pump at the house, for our 12,000 gallon pool is a 1 HP Polaris pump, all plastic , made in China. They last ten years if you don't let them run dry. I let a newish one run dry one time, was 3 years old, burned up the impellor overnight and had to spend $400 on a new one, just like that because I let the water in the pool get 1 in too low under the skimmer. Thats what I think it really going on.

The RV water pump and pool pump are two entirely different types of pumps that are not even remotely related to each other. Diaphragm pumps are self-priming and are not damaged by running dry. Centrifugal pumps, such as your pool pump, are not self-priming and can be damaged by running dry. And if you pulled pieces of impeller out of your RV pump - they did come from the pump itself because RV pumps don't have impellers. The pieces of impeller must have come from whatever pump was pressurizing the water you used a source to fill the freshwater tank - and then made it past the suction strainer of the RV pump. That's the only way you would get pieces of impeller in an RV water pump.

[stephensatt]

You are right. I have the Flow Max pump by Lippert and they claim online its a diaphragm pump and should be able to run dry. I just know however that this new one, I got 2 years out of it on my 2020 NOBO, I just replaced it. The filter was jam packed with a hard "clearish" plastic. About a full tablespoon of it, and it wasn't white, it was clear, kinda a milky clear color, off white, and hard, chunks. I figured it was the plastic impeller so I am unsure what that was, but I had been getting little chucks of that originally clogging up the shower head and that was pretty much from day 1 I bought the trailer, so I think something was done wrong it something was defective. Thats the same type of pump the Casita also had, but it was Shur-Flo brand but basically identical pump.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by stephensatt

The filter was jam packed with a hard "clearish" plastic. About a full tablespoon of it, and it wasn't white, it was clear, kinda a milky clear color, off white, and hard, chunks.

Sounds like construction debris from the freshwater tank left behind when they cut the holes for the inlets and outlets.

[Dana anderson]

I have a shurflo that hums when I turn the pump on but does NOT give water on demand when turning a faucet on. Any ideas? Also when I attempted to winterize I switched to water heater bypass and next switch to winterize and got no antifreeze to the faucets.

[Rbalsinger]

I ave experienced a used unit where some one installed a diverter valve that later failed on the Inlet to the pump. Just saying.