About a year ago I posted for help regarding my Surflo water pump. It would intermittently run for a second and then shut off. I had lots of helpful suggestions as to a cause, but did not want to actually disassemble the pump for repair either.
I thought I finally figured out the reason, that being the water heater anode rod drips a little (which is OK, because I remove it after ever trip and the water anyway). And for a while, the pump quit.
It seemed the intermittent pulsating occurred only when the water heater was on (building more pressure I suppose). But just in the last couple weeks, its now pulsating without the water heater on. So, I decided it was just time for a new pump and be done with it. I have no leaks anywhere, and my anode rod is not dripping.
So, today I went to my local RV dealership and picked up a new SurFlo 4008-101-A65 model (same as my old one.)
Replacement was no problem. But when I took the old one out, AH-HA! I finally discovered the problem.
Here's some photos.
First is the original pump in the original position. It was attached to the side of the compartment (not the floor):
After getting it completely out, I was finally able to see what the problem was. Here's what it looks like from the side I could not see when in the compartment:
Here's the side I could see. But! In the compartment, it's dark and I just missed "it".
Yup! You caught the problem in that photo, didn't you? The pumping section separated from the motor section. As shown here:
The problem was 2 missing screws. In this photo, the upper right corner and the bottom right corner --- missing.
I found one of the screws in the compartment, the second one is completely gone. I imagine it fell down the hole where the pipes come through the floor.
Anyway, I replaced the one missing screw, tightened all the others, and will keep this pump for a back up. I may be able to find a matching screw somewhere. But since I purchased the new one, I decided to just go ahead and keep it, and now I have an extra 12 volt DC water pump for ... well???.... anything now.
I also decided to fix another problem. When we purchased the camper, I installed the winterizing kit. The hose was always too short, so I got a longer hose and finally replaced it too. I then repositioned the pump to the floor instead of the side of the compartment wall. Surprisingly, this pump is much, much quieter than the original one, even though it's the same model. Maybe positioning it in a different location helps.
Here's the new one in place:
The white stuff under the pump is a couple of Kleenexes. I put them there to see if they get wet (If I have any drips). So far, none. It's dry!
So, the mystery is finally solved after wandering why that pump would just intermittently run for a second and shut off, especially with the water heater on.
It's now been a couple hours since I've installed the new one, and so far..... no intermittent running! Yea!
I know there are others who occasionally have this same problem with the pump intermittently running. If you do, well .... check that pump, make sure you've not lost any screws!
I thought I finally figured out the reason, that being the water heater anode rod drips a little (which is OK, because I remove it after ever trip and the water anyway). And for a while, the pump quit.
It seemed the intermittent pulsating occurred only when the water heater was on (building more pressure I suppose). But just in the last couple weeks, its now pulsating without the water heater on. So, I decided it was just time for a new pump and be done with it. I have no leaks anywhere, and my anode rod is not dripping.
So, today I went to my local RV dealership and picked up a new SurFlo 4008-101-A65 model (same as my old one.)
Replacement was no problem. But when I took the old one out, AH-HA! I finally discovered the problem.
Here's some photos.
First is the original pump in the original position. It was attached to the side of the compartment (not the floor):
After getting it completely out, I was finally able to see what the problem was. Here's what it looks like from the side I could not see when in the compartment:
Here's the side I could see. But! In the compartment, it's dark and I just missed "it".
Yup! You caught the problem in that photo, didn't you? The pumping section separated from the motor section. As shown here:
The problem was 2 missing screws. In this photo, the upper right corner and the bottom right corner --- missing.
I found one of the screws in the compartment, the second one is completely gone. I imagine it fell down the hole where the pipes come through the floor.
Anyway, I replaced the one missing screw, tightened all the others, and will keep this pump for a back up. I may be able to find a matching screw somewhere. But since I purchased the new one, I decided to just go ahead and keep it, and now I have an extra 12 volt DC water pump for ... well???.... anything now.
I also decided to fix another problem. When we purchased the camper, I installed the winterizing kit. The hose was always too short, so I got a longer hose and finally replaced it too. I then repositioned the pump to the floor instead of the side of the compartment wall. Surprisingly, this pump is much, much quieter than the original one, even though it's the same model. Maybe positioning it in a different location helps.
Here's the new one in place:
The white stuff under the pump is a couple of Kleenexes. I put them there to see if they get wet (If I have any drips). So far, none. It's dry!
So, the mystery is finally solved after wandering why that pump would just intermittently run for a second and shut off, especially with the water heater on.
It's now been a couple hours since I've installed the new one, and so far..... no intermittent running! Yea!
I know there are others who occasionally have this same problem with the pump intermittently running. If you do, well .... check that pump, make sure you've not lost any screws!
