water pump on or off when hooked to city water

[Sawtooth]

It seems that no matter where we camp the water pressure is not that great. does the water still go through the water pump when connected to city water? if so then should I have the pump on (like when I'm in the shower).

[Wiscampsin]

When on city water it doesn't flow thru the pump. Check the screen where your hose hooks up to the city water inlet on your camper, it might be dirty/clogged. Then check the airators/ screens at each faucet too.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Sawtooth

It seems that no matter where we camp the water pressure is not that great. does the water still go through the water pump when connected to city water? if so then should I have the pump on (like when I'm in the shower).

NO
Water pump is separate from city water and will not help with pressure.

[Sawtooth]

Thanks for the good advice. I'll check.

[NMWildcat]

If the park water pressure is actually low, we disconnect from the park supply and fill up our fresh tank. Then we turn on the pump and just use the fresh tank water supply.

[CHICKDOE]

agree with nmwildcat. there is probably a valve that routes the incoming city water either directly to plumbing system (in which case it will reflect the city water pressure) or to the fresh water tank. if you route the water to the fresh water tank you will need to turn on the pump to get it out of the tank and into the plumbing system (in which case it will reflect the pressure from the pump).

[markb5900]

Originally Posted by Sawtooth

It seems that no matter where we camp the water pressure is not that great. does the water still go through the water pump when connected to city water? if so then should I have the pump on (like when I'm in the shower).

Do you have an incoming pressure regulator on your hose?
If so, is it adjustable?

[Sawtooth]

I have a prreg. Not adjustable.

[dmax36]

Somewhere in the literature I recall the statement that the water pump can be damaged if used when connected to city water. Don't have a plumbing schematic but won't test the statement.

[markb5900]

Originally Posted by Sawtooth

I have a prreg. Not adjustable.

Since you say it has happened at multiple campgrounds, I would go buy another regulator first.
It may be bad or clogged up.
They are a cheap fix before you dig to far into your rig.

[CHICKDOE]

no, when city water is being used it does not go through the water pump. water pump is used to pump water out of fresh tank. so take the pressure regulator off and hook up without it and see if that affects the pressure. do you have a water filter? if so, is it dirty and introducing a pressure drop. hook up without the filter and see if that affects the pressure. go next door to another camper and see shat type of water pressure he has. remove the faucet screens and see if they are clogged with debris. this happens quite a bit.

[Sawtooth]

All these suggestions are easy to try. I'll get a new reg and in line filter. Fresh tank fill is on the opposite side - entry side.

[CHICKDOE]

before you go buy new take your existing ones out of the supply hose and try without anything. this will give you a baseline of unobstructed pressure out of the hose. then add either the filter or regulator (one of the other) and see what effect it has. then add the other. this was you should see what device (if any) is causing the pressure drop and then you can address it.

[Sawtooth]

Thanks chickdoe. Process of elimination.. logical.

[JMTrice]

I spent a bunch of time and money on low pressure, had the dealer check it too. Pressure was always low at campsites unless I removed the filter element, and even then it was not great. Shower always was just a dribble. It turned out to be that the water filter had been installed backwards at the factory. The dealer told me it was debris in the screen, and not a problem when it was there. It was hard to determine without removing the filter housing since it was so close to the top of the area it was mounted in. Once we flipped the housing around, no problem since then...

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Sawtooth

It seems that no matter where we camp the water pressure is not that great. does the water still go through the water pump when connected to city water? if so then should I have the pump on (like when I'm in the shower).

In a word..................No

[jimmoore13]

Sidebar:
First, the water pump draws from your fresh water holding tank. If functioning correctly, the pump will have a back-flow preventer to keep "city water" from filling your holding tank.
Since the pump draws water from the holding tank, and since virtually all pumps are lubricated and cooled by the water they pump, it would be a bad idea to "suck air" with the pump, and "running dry" for any length of time is likely to damage the pump. Furthermore, it would be a fluke for the pump to ever shut off. While your "house" is pressurized, if the sensor detecting pressure that activates and de-activates the pump is in the pump body, it won't be able to detect pressure if running dry. It would run continuously. If the pressure detector/switch is downstream of the pump (in the city-water-pressurized lines) the pump should not run under any circumstances so long as there is city water pressure. But as soon as you disconnect, if you don't remember to shut off the pump switch, it will run dry until you hear it and throw the switch.

As others have said, it's likely that you have an obstruction in the lines feeding your RV...perhaps the pressure regulator is defective. Perhaps the input screen is clogged. Extremely unlikely but possible would be internal damage to your supply hose. Or some combination of these.

If you examine the screen on the input and it doesn't appear to be significantly clogged, my next step would be to test the pressure regulator. To do so, first verify that the RV park water pressure is not insanely high. To do this, remove the pressure regulator and see how far a solid stream from the hose will project. It could go as far as 3 to 5 feet horizontally before dropping to the ground, and that would be about 50 or 60 pounds of pressure. (My garden hose at home will project a solid stream about 5 feet from my well pump at 60 PSI.) Your RV should tolerate that for a test. Add the pressure regulator to the hose. If the pressure drops substantially, and the water sort of piddles out, buy a new pressure regulator...or attempt to back-flush your current regulator to remove a possible obstruction.

If you're comfortable that the RV park isn't running super high water pressure, leave the pressure regulator out of the loop and test your pressure in the RV. (DO NOT LEAVE IT HOOKED UP THIS WAY INDEFINITELY, because RV park water pressure can fluctuate wildly as use ebbs and flows.) If you have good pressure without the regulator, that's another sign that the regulator is bad.

FYI, my outdoor sink strainer became blocked by what appeared to be black plastic bag material. I suspect this was a sliver of PEX that dislodged from the assembly process. Also, at home, my strainers get blocked by mineral sediments (sand/stones) pumped out of the well. It is entirely possible that your regulator is partially blocked by sediment or even a stone that flowed through RV park plumbing somewhere along the way. And...cleaning the screen on your input connection should be part of routine maintenance.

If your screen is removable, a handy tool is a dental pick. These tools are handy for lots of tasks, and they are cheap. https://smile.amazon.com/Dentist-Too...tal+pick&psc=1

[jrowe0521]

turn off water pump when hooked up to city water. you should also have a pressure regulator on water hose to limit pressure to 30 psi as some camp grounds have too much pressure for your plumbing. $10 at walmart. if city pressure is too low, you can turn off city water and use your water tank and water pump. good luck

[Dbeaud21]

I had the same problem at the kitchen faucet and read on an older post a few months back about someone saying to check the aerator on the faucet which I did. I found that there was nothing clogging it there but at the other end of the spray hose under the cabinet there was another screen aerator in the hose which was completely clogged. Cleaned it and had all kinds of pressure.

[dahagen]

At campgrounds with really low water pressure I have filled the fresh water tank, hooked back up to park water, and then run the pump (with park water also on) when I take a shower. Decent water pressure in the shower that way.