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doxieparents's avatar
doxieparents
Explorer
Oct 20, 2013

Pump won't prime

We are rv'ing one last time b4 putting our 33RL Silverback in winter storage...or maybe I should be calling it cold storage, as the temp is supposed to reach +22 degrees tomorrow night!! Anyway, we came out this afternoon and we can't get our pump primed. Any suggestions?? Thanks for your assistance. BTW...it worked fine the last time we had it out.
  • Had the same issue before. Take the shower head off of the supply line and pull a vacuum on the line (a formal way of saying "suck" ). This will pull water from the tank to the pump and will prime the pump. Works every time.
  • You may want to try opening a tap. It makes it a little easier on the pump. That has helped mine on occasion.
  • doxieparents wrote:
    Thanks for the suggestions. There is no ice in the line...the tank is 2/3 full...the switches are where they are supposed to be...he still does have to check the strainer. In the meantime, we are enjoying watching a few snowflakes... and the trees at the park are vivid shades of golds, oranges and reds. And, even though we are manually carrying water in from our tank, we are still able to flush the toilet, wash our hands and faces and dishes, as we have exhausted our supply of paper plates. We do not have to fight the summer crowds, and we had our choice of campsites, as there is only one other campsite occupied. We love fall camping in our home state of North Dakota. Life is good...even if the pump won't prime!!!!


    I agree, fall RVing in ND is awesome. We always like being at the Grahams Island State Park near Devils Lake especially when the crowds are nearly all gone. Where are you folks at?
  • Thanks for the suggestions. There is no ice in the line...the tank is 2/3 full...the switches are where they are supposed to be...he still does have to check the strainer. In the meantime, we are enjoying watching a few snowflakes... and the trees at the park are vivid shades of golds, oranges and reds. And, even though we are manually carrying water in from our tank, we are still able to flush the toilet, wash our hands and faces and dishes, as we have exhausted our supply of paper plates. We do not have to fight the summer crowds, and we had our choice of campsites, as there is only one other campsite occupied. We love fall camping in our home state of North Dakota. Life is good...even if the pump won't prime!!!!
  • Check suction side of pump.....pickup line, strainer, fittings. Loose clamps, cracked strainer, loose/cracked fittings.
    And low water level in tank......pickup line not going to bottom of tank

    And if you have a water panel (switches/valves) is it set up correctly....on 'normal' vs city water or fill?
  • Sounds to me like the line may have some ice in it or no water in your tank. Did you drain anything ?