working the water pump

[karen123k]

Very new to trailer and learned a lot so far but do I have to turn my water pump on and off to get water from fresh tank? as it is now we have to turn the switch to the lit red position to get water. that's not so convienient when you need to use the restroom. can it stay in the on, lit red position all the time? I know not to use it when hooked to city water but how do u operate it with the tank water?

[TurnThePage]

I seem to recall that some of the newer variable speed pumps are not compatible with accumulators.

[bpounds]

We leave ours on all the time we are on a site. Day and night. Usually turn it off if we leave camp for a day trip. Always turn it off while driving. Always turn it off for storage.

[Veebyes]

Leave it on for months at a time. Being able to hear it is a good thing. Short cycling of the pump will be a tell tale of a leak in the system. On city water you won't know until you see the water on the ground & maybe, just maybe, notice it.

[bpounds]

Laredo67 wrote:
Billy W. I like you like having it quiet at night so I installed an accumulator inline but the accumulator I purchased was not the RV type I got mine at a local lumber super store. I was wondering if you had to install a check valve inline? The reason I ask is after installling the oversized accumulator, my pump does not shut down and I have checked every inch of the camper for a leak and find none. Checked the pressure in accumulator on the air side and it reads 40psi. Other than pump runing constantly I like the 15 seconds of full flow water. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciiated.

You might do some pressure testing. First, disconnect the accumulator. Then install a pressure gauge somewhere in the water system, close as possible to the pump. Record the pressure value where the pump turns on, and the value where the pump turns off.

Your accumulator pressure is going to need to be below both of those values, when filled with water (bladder fully compressed).

Most pumps have a pressure setpoint adjustment that you may be able to work with. My own pump for example, would begin not turning off quickly when the battery capacity was down 25%, when we were boondocking. Worked fine when voltage was high, or whenever we had electrical hookup. I was able to adjust the pressure setpoint down a little so that the pump could reach shutoff pressure even when the voltage was low. This did not perceptibly change the flow rate to fixtures. Just a little less pressure.

Your pump needs to fully fill the accumulator and spike the pressure before it will turn off. It cannot do that if the pressure in the air side of the accumulator is too high.

[Laredo67]

Billy W. I like you like having it quiet at night so I installed an accumulator inline but the accumulator I purchased was not the RV type I got mine at a local lumber super store. I was wondering if you had to install a check valve inline? The reason I ask is after installling the oversized accumulator, my pump does not shut down and I have checked every inch of the camper for a leak and find none. Checked the pressure in accumulator on the air side and it reads 40psi. Other than pump runing constantly I like the 15 seconds of full flow water. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciiated.

[jbrowning]

I have used mine both ways. Sometimes I go a whole weekend trip with the pump on. Sometimes I go the whole weekend trip with it only on when I flip it on to use it. When I'm done using the water I turn it off.

Jim

[Old-Biscuit]

RV water pumps are 'on demand' pumps.........with switch in ON position pump will only run when there is a demand (open faucet/shower/toilet or leak).
Something that causes line pressure in either cold or hot plumbing to decrease.
Pressure switch in pump head closes-pump runs And when opens----pump stops.

Use it like you want:
Switch ON all the time (caution: turn off when away from rig in case of a leak)
Switch ON/OFF as needed

Can even have pump switch ON when connected to city water..pump is not going to run unless pressure drops and doesn't consume any DC power when not running (very minor draw for LED ON).
Having it on with city water connected will not harm anything

[TurnThePage]

I turn mine on and leave it on all the time, no problem. However, we did add an accumulator which allows us to turn the pump off overnight, and still have water pressure to use the bathroom. It's a great way to avoid waking other sleepers.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

In order to conserve water, I turn on the pump, let it cycle, turn it off and then draw the water I need to use. (exceptions, using the shower and using the toilet).

When trundling down the road, I leave it off, as sometimes a tap may turn on from vibration.

[sue_t]

We rarely stay in campgrounds, most often camped without any hookups.

Once we're set up, I turn the pump on and leave it on until we go to bed or are leaving to hit the road again.

At night I prefer to turn it off because DH needs to get up and pee a few times and the sound of the pump when he flushes wakes me up. No need to flush our toilet with water for pee only as the toilet drains straight down into the black tank.

[coolmom42]

Turn it on and leave it on when not connected to city water. However, it's a good idea to turn it off when you leave for any length of time, in case a leak develops.

If you hear it running when you are not using any water, you have a leak somewhere.

[2112]

I turn mine on and leave it on unless I'm connected to city water.

Did you find your water leak?

[Veebyes]

Do as you say, but leave it on when city water is not being used. Leaving it on will give you an audible warning if you have not turned a faucet off properly or develop a leak. The pump will give a short burst cycle.

We use ours 100% of the time, never drawing from city water except to refill the tank. This is because we have a water softener canister, a large one, & with our tank capacity we only need to do a refill once every 5-6 days. Over 6 years & about 900 nights on the road the pump has moved thousands upon thousands of gallons of water without fault.

Once less thing to drag out & hook up at a CG too. The monetary bonus is that we don't use the more expensive & more in demand FHU sites so the $2-$3 a night rate difference stays in our pockets. Only wanting power makes traveling without reservations much less stressful too.

[Dakota98]

8ntw8tn wrote:
Just leave the switch on when you're using water out of the tank. The system has a pressure switch that will shut the pump off when there is no demand for water and allows the pump to operate when the faucet/stool is opened.

x 2

The most important thing to learn concerns your batteries. Check to see what Converter you have & determine it's ability to recharge the batteries while connected to shore power or generator. Post the model number here on the Forum, if you need help with that. NEVER under any conditions rely upon the on board monitor to tell you the condition of the batteries. :h

This is most important to know if you intend upon "boondocking"