For some reason the onboard pump works to transport water inside the coach, but won't when trying to use the suction port to fill the water tank from a non pressurized system. Anything I could check to troubleshoot? I maybe doing it wrong...been known to happen:oScondly, If I use a portable pump attached to a drill will this fill the tank if set on tank fill on the service panel?Inquiring mind needs to know...thanks

I didn't realize some RV's had suction ports to draw in water.Don't you have a regular gravity fill where you use a hose to fill the FW tank? That would work with a drill powered pump.

Are you talking about a short open stub tee'd into the tubing between the tank and pump? If so that suction line is for pumping RV antifreeze through the system when winterizing. Take a cup of water and stick the suction line in it. Then have somebody turn on a faucet and see if the water gets sucked out of the cup.

You might need to go to the manual. While i dont have a rv, my TT dosent have a gravity fill. You need to set the knobs in a certian way on the pump to get the suction to work. On mine it's the same as when i wimterize it. Good luck.

Just fyi, i was thinking of getting a small battery drill pump or dc water pump to hook up to the city water hook up. Or even add a gravity fill to the tank. But then decided i dont do it often enough to warent that.

Yes it will suck water from a say 5 gal can to your tank. Have done it in the past when we had a tank issue and needed to get water back in the system but no city pressure line.

Add water to class A while boon docking | Good Sam Community

gbopp
Explorer
Jul 26, 2020
I didn't realize some RV's had suction ports to draw in water.
Don't you have a regular gravity fill where you use a hose to fill the FW tank? That would work with a drill powered pump.
opnspaces
Navigator II
Jul 26, 2020
Are you talking about a short open stub tee'd into the tubing between the tank and pump? If so that suction line is for pumping RV antifreeze through the system when winterizing.

Take a cup of water and stick the suction line in it. Then have somebody turn on a faucet and see if the water gets sucked out of the cup.
Sjm9911
Explorer
Jul 26, 2020
You might need to go to the manual. While i dont have a rv, my TT dosent have a gravity fill. You need to set the knobs in a certian way on the pump to get the suction to work. On mine it's the same as when i wimterize it. Good luck.
Sjm9911
Explorer
Jul 26, 2020
Just fyi, i was thinking of getting a small battery drill pump or dc water pump to hook up to the city water hook up. Or even add a gravity fill to the tank. But then decided i dont do it often enough to warent that.
MountainAir05
Explorer II
Jul 26, 2020
Yes it will suck water from a say 5 gal can to your tank. Have done it in the past when we had a tank issue and needed to get water back in the system but no city pressure line.
Tal_IL
Explorer
Jul 26, 2020
That suction tube is designed to pump anti-freeze into the camper water lines. I don't think it will fill the tank. You could probably pump from a container directly to the faucets.
Sjm9911
Explorer
Jul 26, 2020
Tal/IL wrote:
That suction tube is designed to pump anti-freeze into the camper water lines. I don't think it will fill the tank. You could probably pump from a container directly to the faucets.

On mine it was designed from the factory like that. For both the antifreeze and filling up the water tank when you didn't have a city water hook up. Theres could be simmiler. All it does is change the input and out put of the water pump. But as said 5 gallon cans , so slow. And i only have a TT.
STBRetired
Explorer
Jul 26, 2020
On my Newmar, if I set the selector in the wet bay to "fill tanks" and the valves in the pump bay to "winterize", it will suck water from the external non-pressurized source and fill the tank. Takes FOREVER to fill 50 gallons this way. Think the drill driven pump would probably be faster.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jul 26, 2020
The suction port (if you have owe) if for pink stuff in the winter.. Often there is no path from the on-board pump to the tank (easily fixed but can cause issues later)

Suggest a 2nd pump for the transfer. Several kinds out there or you can just use another RV pump not that expensive.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Jul 26, 2020
On our current and previous motorhomes, the way to suction fill the water tank is to set the valves just as you would for winterizing from a jug, except set the "City/Fill" valve to "Fill" instead of "City".