Water pump shuts off for several minutes then restarts??

[LaPlaya]

What is going on? I open my tap at the sink, or other locations and the water flows steady till it slows to a drizzle and then stops. I shut off the tap and go and sit down for a few minutes and then I hear the pump coming on and pressurizing the system. I can then get water at the taps again till the flow slows down to a trickle and stops again. This repeats till I can get enough water in the sink to wash the dishes. I sure can't take a shower under these conditions. Has this happened to you and do you know the fix? I am ready to buy a new pump and hope it works properly.
2001 Fleetwood Flair 31A

[full-timer]

You should have a small filter on the pump on the incoming side. check to see if it needs cleaning or replaced.

Joe

[Doug_and_Cassi_]

Check your city water hookup valve. If it's in the wrong position it will cause the pump to run. I'd troubleshoot. A Shur-Flo 5.7 runs around $200.00.

[bluebirdPT36]

If you have one of the Shruflo Extreme™ Smart Sensor™ 4.0 or 5.7 pumps, I seem to recall reading on this forum that they are prone to failure.

[LVJ58]

Another suggestion, check the brand of the pump you have and give the manufacturer a call. Most have technical services folks that can assist you in troubleshooting your problem.

Best of luck and safe travels...

[yankeerich]

Could be that pressure switch, OR-- sometimes motors, pumps have a thermal shutdown that turns it off when it gets too hot. That could be faulty or something hot touching it or insulating it so it can't cool properly etc.

[emiddleb]

The way you describe it, sounds like the pressure switch is working eventually but not reacting right away.

Probably the switch has gone bad and pump needs replacing, but I'm wondering if some sort of clog could cause this... something on the output side of the pump like a bad check valve that only slowly lets water pass into the system after you run your faucets so it takes some time to detect the pressure drop. Or maybe a valve on the output side that isn't fully open?

One thing you might try (as you'll have to do this anyways if you replace the pump) is to disconnect the pump from the plumbing on the output side and see what happens... if the pump is ok then it should detect the drop in pressure and immediately turn on and you know to look for something downstream. If it doesn't then you know what needs to be replaced. Caution: you will get wet doing this as I had to do the same once before.

Just a thought before you spring for a new pump.

[mtrumpet]

To my understanding, there is a pressure switch incorporated in the pump head. When it senses a pressure drop, it activates the pump. When it reaches the preset pressure, it shuts the pump down. It sounds as if it may malfunctioning. Depending upon what make/model of pump you have, it may be a replaceable component. On the other hand, depending upon how much you use the onboard pump, it may just be more prudent to change out the pump for a new one. There are a few really good higher flow models now on the market.

[msmith1199]

Nope haven't had it happen, but it does sound like a problem with the pump. The good news is they aren't hugely expensive. Probably cheaper to replace than to try and repair.