Fresh water refill valve on 3850

[bb42]

I have a recurring problem with my refill valve letting water into my fresh water tank. I have replaced the water pump three times and that stops it temporarily but it keeps reoccurring. Any suggestions?

[5picker]

Install an inline check valve on the outlet side of the water pump.

[bb42]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Install an inline check valve on the outlet side of the water pump.

Thanks.

[djousma]

What year 3850 is this? My 2017, has water bay valves that either place the pump "in-line" for dry camping, or not if on city water, eliminating this problem when on city water. Of course it doesnt fix the problem of a leaking check-valve that causes the water pump to kick on regularly for no reason.

[bb42]

Originally Posted by djousma

What year 3850 is this? My 2017, has water bay valves that either place the pump "in-line" for dry camping, or not if on city water, eliminating this problem when on city water. Of course it doesnt fix the problem of a leaking check-valve that causes the water pump to kick on regularly for no reason.

2015. Mine has a lever. One way for city water, the other for sending water to the tank.

[xomkid]

Originally Posted by bb42

I have a recurring problem with my refill valve letting water into my fresh water tank. I have replaced the water pump three times and that stops it temporarily but it keeps reoccurring. Any suggestions?

Ok, i have a 2015 3850RL and had water filling my fresh water tank while on city water. My problem was the valve that switches from city water to fill freshwater. It was leaking thru the valve it's self.

[djousma]

Originally Posted by bb42

2015. Mine has a lever. One way for city water, the other for sending water to the tank.

Sounds like that lever, and the valve behind it is your problem then.

[bb42]

Originally Posted by bb42

Thanks.

Wouldn't that prevent filling the fresh water tank?

[Old_hippies]

We have the opposite problem, even though we have class c motorhome. As we were getting ready to go in early April, found the the fresh water tank would not fill but city water worked fine. When we switched the lever from city to tank fill it acted just like city water still on. Dealer says valve broken, must be repaced.

[bb42]

Originally Posted by Old_hippies

We have the opposite problem, even though we have class c motorhome. As we were getting ready to go in early April, found the the fresh water tank would not fill but city water worked fine. When we switched the lever from city to tank fill it acted just like city water still on. Dealer says valve broken, must be repaced.

That's probably what I'm going to have to do. Ran on pump all day yesterday but switched to city water when we went to bed and it overflowed again last night.

[djousma]

Originally Posted by bb42

Wouldn't that prevent filling the fresh water tank?

Yes, but if its not sealing correctly, then it stands to reason that it will send water to both the coach, and to the freshwater tank?

If you are going to open up the water panel to replace seals/valves I'd probably get enough parts to rebuild all the valves? Cant be that expensive, and given that you will probably have to remove the basement wall to get behind the panel, you might as well service all of them at once.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Install an inline check valve on the outlet side of the water pump.

Actually, you want to put the check valve before the water pump, not after the water pump!

Originally Posted by bb42

I have a recurring problem with my refill valve letting water into my fresh water tank. I have replaced the water pump three times and that stops it temporarily but it keeps reoccurring. Any suggestions?

I just went through this over the last weekend.

Most RV water pumps these days have the check valve built in, so when they go bad they want to sell you a new water pump ($80+).

Now, I'm in southwestern New Mexico, so finding an RV parts dealer was tough, but I finally found one after stopping at the local True Value Hardware Store and buying a plastic check valve for lawn sprinkler systems and a hodge podge of adapters to make it all fit together (roughly $40 - gonna return those tomorrow when I go in to town).

On my way back to the trailer I spotted an RV repair shop, so I stopped and low and behold, he also sold parts!

He had the RV brass check valve and the filter screen, so I bought both ($28).

Took me all of 20 minutes to do the swap out...no tools and was a piece of cake!

The existing screen was full of plastic shavings (obviously from the factory) and was still good, so I cleaned it out and stowed it away as a back-up.

If you can, try to find a Camping World or RV dealership that sells parts and get the actual RV brass check valve because when I pieced together all of those hardware store adapters, that thins was almost 10-inches long and there was no way I would have been able to connect the hard plumbing to it without tearing the basement apart and relocating the water pump.

Here are some photos:

[5picker]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

Actually, you want to put the check valve before the water pump, not after the water pump!

Feel free to put it wherever you feel compelled. I'll put mine on the outlet side of the pump to protect both the pump and the suction strainer from the possible high pressures of city water that creates these issues to begin with. [emoji6]