I've had a water pump that has been weak since last season, but it has been functioning. Since we never dry camp, we only ever use it to run the toilet while in transit, so the slower flow has not been a problem.Yesterday, while attempting to winterize, I could not as much as get the pump to pull fluid from the container (we have a winterizing inlet that runs through the pump). I went inside, disconnected the inlet and outlet tubes, removed the screen filter (which was clean) and reconnected everything. I tried again, and it worked beautifully for about 3 minutes, at which time it went back to not drawing fluid anymore.Any thoughts? Would a bad pump work for a short time like that and then fail again? Is there somewhere else there might be an obstruction causing problems? I'm just looking for things to consider.Thanks!

valve between tank and pump? Vent blocked with debris or wasp nest?

If there is an electrical fault, often a switch, that could be intermittent.

philh wrote:valve between tank and pump? Vent blocked with debris or wasp nest?Forgive my ignorance, but where is there a vent in the system? The only vent I can imagine is that there must be some sort of venting for the fresh water tank. Since I have the same problem with the winterizing system, however, that would not play a role. Is there another somewhere?The valve that selects the draw point (winterizing or fresh water) would impact both systems. Hard to understand why it would work and then not, but it's worth a look!

agesilaus wrote:If there is an electrical fault, often a switch, that could be intermittent.It's not intermittent, as it always works, it simply doesn't always seem to draw or push with full force. It is operating, it just doesn't seem to be pulling fluid in.

Water Pump Issues... | Good Sam Community

philh
Explorer II
Sep 17, 2019
valve between tank and pump? Vent blocked with debris or wasp nest?
2oldman
Explorer II
Sep 17, 2019
How about a new one?
agesilaus
Explorer III
Sep 17, 2019
If there is an electrical fault, often a switch, that could be intermittent.
Mickeyfan0805
Explorer
Sep 17, 2019
philh wrote:
valve between tank and pump? Vent blocked with debris or wasp nest?

Forgive my ignorance, but where is there a vent in the system? The only vent I can imagine is that there must be some sort of venting for the fresh water tank. Since I have the same problem with the winterizing system, however, that would not play a role. Is there another somewhere?

The valve that selects the draw point (winterizing or fresh water) would impact both systems. Hard to understand why it would work and then not, but it's worth a look!
Mickeyfan0805
Explorer
Sep 17, 2019
agesilaus wrote:
If there is an electrical fault, often a switch, that could be intermittent.

It's not intermittent, as it always works, it simply doesn't always seem to draw or push with full force. It is operating, it just doesn't seem to be pulling fluid in.
Edd505
Explorer
Sep 17, 2019
Open the pump and check for debris in the valves, they make repair kits for the pumps.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=rv+water+pump+repair+kit
bpounds
Nomad
Sep 17, 2019
Check battery voltage. Speed of that pump is directly related to how much juice it gets.
DFord
Explorer
Sep 18, 2019
Edd505 wrote:
Open the pump and check for debris in the valves, they make repair kits for the pumps.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=rv+water+pump+repair+kit
X2

Buy a strainer to put on the inlet to the pump after taking the pump head off and cleaning the 3 diaphragms inside. I'm betting you've sucked in some debris which is preventing the diaphragms from working.
YouTube Video showing replacing the diaphragms.
The diaphragm kits is almost 1/2 the cost of a new pump but they can be cleaned of the junk that's preventing them from working and reused.
Mickeyfan0805
Explorer
Sep 18, 2019
DFord wrote:
Edd505 wrote:
Open the pump and check for debris in the valves, they make repair kits for the pumps.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=rv+water+pump+repair+kit
X2

Buy a strainer to put on the inlet to the pump after taking the pump head off and cleaning the 3 diaphragms inside. I'm betting you've sucked in some debris which is preventing the diaphragms from working.
YouTube Video showing replacing the diaphragms.
The diaphragm kits is almost 1/2 the cost of a new pump but they can be cleaned of the junk that's preventing them from working and reused.

This sounds like a very viable possibility regarding the problem. I'll pull it out and take a look. Thanks!

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