Greetings all,I've had two campers in my life and the first one I had was pretty rough and had lots of issues. One was that the water pump would randomly run for a second or so, which I didn't have the time or funds to look into, so I just turned off the pump at night so we could sleep.We upgraded to a "newer" (to us) Jay Feather and for the last couple of years, we had no issues with it, but for our last two trips, the water pump started randomly running for a few seconds, just like our old camper. It SHOULD only run when water is called (faucet is opened) and I don't think I have any leaks (that I can see) and I made sure that all of the faucets were closed, but it STILL runs randomly and it it so frustrating. Do I need a new pump (or whatever the sensor is that tells the pump to run when the pressure after the pump drops)?Thanks,TLB

Could be the check valve. I installed a better quality one from HD.

No you either have a leak or your check valve is leaking. Could be just a little trash in the check valve. They are inexpensive to change.

If you can find room, install a small bladder type pressure tank in the water line.

TheLostBoy wrote:Greetings all,I've had two campers in my life and the first one I had was pretty rough and had lots of issues. One was that the water pump would randomly run for a second or so, which I didn't have the time or funds to look into, so I just turned off the pump at night so we could sleep.We upgraded to a "newer" (to us) Jay Feather and for the last couple of years, we had no issues with it, but for our last two trips, the water pump started randomly running for a few seconds, just like our old camper. It SHOULD only run when water is called (faucet is opened) and I don't think I have any leaks (that I can see) and I made sure that all of the faucets were closed, but it STILL runs randomly and it it so frustrating. Do I need a new pump (or whatever the sensor is that tells the pump to run when the pressure after the pump drops)?Thanks,TLBGood morning lost boy. Start with replacing the check valve. If that doesn’t work you have a leak. The other thing I would do is check to see that the taps for your outside shower are turned off good. People forget to turn those off and just rely on the sprayer stop. Good luck with your search. John.

No the pump can run even if all the faucets are off. One cause could be a slight leak. I would check the pump first. Slight leaks can occur with older pumps. Temperature changes can also cause the pump to run. If you turn off the hot water, pressure will slowly drop and the pump will cycle periodically to maintain the pressure. Changes in temperature can also do this even if the HW tank has not been heated. Temps dropping during the night can be enough to trigger the pump.If the RV is not in use, it is easy to check for leaks. Pressurize the system and turn off the pump. If ambient temps are roughly constant, pressure should hold for at least a day or two and the pump will not run when turned back on.

Water pump randomly runs for short bursts | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

TheLostBoy
Explorer
Jul 04, 2023
CA Traveler wrote:
Could be the check valve. I installed a better quality one from HD.

Hmm, I'm not sure what that is as I just see the pump. Could the check valve be part of the pump?
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Jul 04, 2023
No the pump can run even if all the faucets are off. One cause could be a slight leak. I would check the pump first. Slight leaks can occur with older pumps. Temperature changes can also cause the pump to run. If you turn off the hot water, pressure will slowly drop and the pump will cycle periodically to maintain the pressure. Changes in temperature can also do this even if the HW tank has not been heated. Temps dropping during the night can be enough to trigger the pump.

If the RV is not in use, it is easy to check for leaks. Pressurize the system and turn off the pump. If ambient temps are roughly constant, pressure should hold for at least a day or two and the pump will not run when turned back on.
Reisender
Nomad
Jul 04, 2023
TheLostBoy wrote:
Greetings all,
I've had two campers in my life and the first one I had was pretty rough and had lots of issues. One was that the water pump would randomly run for a second or so, which I didn't have the time or funds to look into, so I just turned off the pump at night so we could sleep.
We upgraded to a "newer" (to us) Jay Feather and for the last couple of years, we had no issues with it, but for our last two trips, the water pump started randomly running for a few seconds, just like our old camper. It SHOULD only run when water is called (faucet is opened) and I don't think I have any leaks (that I can see) and I made sure that all of the faucets were closed, but it STILL runs randomly and it it so frustrating. Do I need a new pump (or whatever the sensor is that tells the pump to run when the pressure after the pump drops)?

Thanks,
TLB

Good morning lost boy.

Start with replacing the check valve. If that doesn’t work you have a leak.

The other thing I would do is check to see that the taps for your outside shower are turned off good. People forget to turn those off and just rely on the sprayer stop.

Good luck with your search.

John.
Dusty_R
Explorer
Jul 04, 2023
If you can find room, install a small bladder type pressure tank in the water line.
bgum
Explorer
Jul 04, 2023
No you either have a leak or your check valve is leaking. Could be just a little trash in the check valve. They are inexpensive to change.
CA_Traveler
Explorer III
Jul 04, 2023
Could be the check valve. I installed a better quality one from HD.

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Water pump randomly runs for short bursts

16 Replies

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