pump mod for roadside stops

If dry camping, I turn the pump off if no water demand, when camping with hookups, I turn the water off at the spigot anytime we're leaving the trailer. Simple, inexpensive. But no, I do not have unwavering faith in RV plumbing.

I gave the idea to Dave Mann and he seemed hyped about it

Your idea is in the right hands IMO.

path1 wrote:

Tequila wrote:
BTW I told the manufacturer of my trailer about the push button mod, they thought it a great idea and have forwarded the suggestion to their design team.

Good mod and I hope Northwood incorporates your idea into all there products.

In wives Arctic Fox (Northwood also) we had a problem with a hose clamp coming loose and hose popped off and water made a mess. I don't know if your TT is different than ours but our water pump is just below the floor surface. Sort of tucked along side water tank just under floor surface. We would not any water get inside trailer (only underneath)if there was some type of shield or deflector over pump and connections. So after getting all wet insulation out I got a piece of vinyl (old vinyl car floor mat actually) and put over top of pump and hose connections. Also I now check tightness of hose clamps twice a year. There is still room for air circulation if those pumps need it? I think it a good idea but still not 100% sure because it so simple I wonder why Northwoods didn't slap something over pump when building it?

I have also put a small line with a felt tip marker on at faucets connections underneath. That way I can tell with a quick look with a flashlight if they are wiggling loose and hopefully before water show up.

Good thing you were not on city water when you sprung a leak?

Once again great mod.

My pump is at floor level under the kitchen sink. Nearly all my plumbing converges on that point over a hole int he floor, which is where I think my largest risk is. For that reason I have a sensor sitting in the insulation in that hole. I gave the idea to Dave Mann and he seemed hyped about it. Very simple & cheap at the manufacturing level and would save a lot of roadside disasters. I also pointed out that the faucets they are using, are an accident waiting to happen, they look stylish, but not good for an RV. I have also seen the tap in my outdoors kitchen vibrate to the on position. For that reason I never leave the plug in the sink. Since I lead RV tours down into Mexico, I drive about 8000 miles a year down there. Mexico has over a million Topes (Speed bumps) and I am the first to hit them obviously, sometimes pretty hard. My chances of having a tap open by itself is considerably higher than most. It has happened on several occasions, but in each case no pump was on. Oddly enough the time I did leave it on, I was in the US, so it can happen anywhere. Maybe not so odd because when I have a group, reminding them about their pump is a departure routine. On my own, I am sloppier.

On wet insulation, the RV tech who did my repairs told me that slicing open the underside and pulling it all out was a smart move. Nearly all the repair costs were related to replacing the underside panels. On mine they were cloth like, Easy to slice open, hard to replace. They used that corrugated board instead.

Tequila wrote:
BTW I told the manufacturer of my trailer about the push button mod, they thought it a great idea and have forwarded the suggestion to their design team.

Good mod and I hope Northwood incorporates your idea into all there products.

In wives Arctic Fox (Northwood also) we had a problem with a hose clamp coming loose and hose popped off and water made a mess. I don't know if your TT is different than ours but our water pump is just below the floor surface. Sort of tucked along side water tank just under floor surface. We would not any water get inside trailer (only underneath)if there was some type of shield or deflector over pump and connections. So after getting all wet insulation out I got a piece of vinyl (old vinyl car floor mat actually) and put over top of pump and hose connections. Also I now check tightness of hose clamps twice a year. There is still room for air circulation if those pumps need it? I think it a good idea but still not 100% sure because it so simple I wonder why Northwoods didn't slap something over pump when building it?

I have also put a small line with a felt tip marker on at faucets connections underneath. That way I can tell with a quick look with a flashlight if they are wiggling loose and hopefully before water show up.

Good thing you were not on city water when you sprung a leak?

Once again great mod.

Not a bad idea, I think the best thing I have done is install a light where it screams at you before you close the door. Mine is LED and is unlikely to burn out

One of the many mods I have planned but yet never finished is using an old solid-state timer from a car's rear defroster system. One push of the button would energize the positive feed for about 10 minutes after which it would automatically turn off. I have use these for many hobby projects over the last 10 years with good success. My plan is to wire it in parallel with the existing switch, so that if for some reason I needed the water to be available longer, I could still push the original switch.
Some of the GM cars from the 80s are best for this as the controler/timer is built into the back of the rocker switch, and they are rated for 30 Amps. The rocker switch would look right at home next to the original camper switch.
Very simple wiring: battery positive, ground, and the load to the pump.
I have one of these hooked up to the electric radiator fan of my muscle car so that I can activate the fan to run about 10 minutes if I choose upon exiting the car on a hot day. This helps tremendously with the vapor lock problem I was having.

It amazing how many people have had it happen. The worst is if you are hooked to city water, go away and have a break. That is why I always fill my tank & use the pump, At least there is a limit that way.

I had a pump mishap too. Friend tried using the kitchen sink during a roadside stop, but the pipes and frozen (former Jayco which was NOT a 4-season trailer). He just assumed we were out of water and it was off. When we got back to the flatlands, it thawed, then emptied the entire tank into the sink, which had the stoppers in, and of course flooded the trailer.

rickhise wrote:
If all else fail W World sells a water alarm $15.00. The sensor is so sensitive it's amazing.
Tip place the sensor on carpet or large beach towel, this wicks water toward the sensor.
Noise is much like a smoke detector.

Draw back but doable how to hear the alarm when on the road traveling. Modify the lead wire to extend the length of wire between alarm an sensor.

I have about 5 inside our houseboat. The 9 volt batt will last nearly a year, The sensor is under the sink, one near hot water heater, frig ice maker line, water lines for bath room. Best $ I spent!

The whole traveling aspect is why I went to the hard wired solution that shuts off the water source, the pump. Big hassle with that of course is getting wiring to the sensors. I have 10 and I will be adding one more. In my case I was able to get hidden wiring to all of them, which is unusual. Mind you you do not need heavy gauge wire so you can tuck thin speaker wire even under floor moldings. Only other other threat while traveling would be a burst hot water tank.
Of course the solution is to make sure you turn the pump off, but most of us get less vigilant as we get older.