R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > R-pod Discussion Forums > I need HELP!!!
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Fresh water Holding tank ????
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedFresh water Holding tank ????

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234>
Author
Message
TearlessTom View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie


Joined: 25 Jan 2019
Location: Spanish Fort AL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 85
Direct Link To This Post Topic: Fresh water Holding tank ????
    Posted: 17 Feb 2019 at 9:03pm
Problems  Solved,  (I think)  

Thanks for all the help!!!

Again the ASS-U-ME BUG bit me in the butt.

I assumed that the tank was full ( because the fresh water hose was connected and on)  and in an earlier post that the 1/4 , 1/2,  3/4, full LEDs on the control panel were not working.   

I assumed that because I had filled the gray tank 3 times that the fresh was full running while running the shower and sink to flush the system and to flush the tanks.    ( because the fresh water hose was connected and on)

  As stated before the reason I wanted to use the bleach and flush the tanks was for my peace of mind as I bought my R-Pod as previously owned and wanted to ensure that everything was in working order and sanitary.

I timed how long it took to fill the gray tanks so I would have a rough idea on how much we would have to curb shower times etc.  It took 18 minutes to fill the gray with both the shower and sink running. This was using my city water pressure not the water pump.

But when not running the faucets the fresh water tanks fills EXTREMELY SLOW .  It will take several hours to fill the tank.   The only way I was able to completely fill the tank was to put the hose in the fill by hand inlet instead of the city water connection and it filled very rapidly.

So my problem to both the lights and the drain is simply the fact that the tank had way less water in it that I had ASSUMED.   Less than 1/4 of a tank.   

So what I don't understand now is:  Why does it have plenty of inlet flow when the faucets are open and next to none when they are closed.  Is there some kind of float valve inside that cuts off the city water supply.
Tearless Tom
2017 R-Pod 180
2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0
Back to Top
StephenH View Drop Down
podders Helping podders - pHp
podders Helping podders - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6283
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2019 at 9:13pm
Are you saying that the fresh water tank is filling when you have city water connected and faucets are open, but very slowly when faucets are turned off? If that is the case, you still have an issue. There is a check valve in the pump that is supposed to close when the pump is turned off and city water is connected. That is to keep the city water from filling the tank. The only way water should be in the fresh water tank is if you fill it by way of the fill inlet.

There is likely a small piece of material in the check valve preventing it from fully closing. The general advice is to add water to your fresh tank. Disconnect your city water. Then cycle the pump by turning faucets on and off, using the tank's water and pump. If all goes well, the piece of debris should then be flushed out of the check valve.

Test by turning the pump off and reconnecting the city water and turn it on. There should not be any water flowing into the fresh water tank. If there is, repeat the process. If that still does not work, get the pump checked out.
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
Back to Top
TearlessTom View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie


Joined: 25 Jan 2019
Location: Spanish Fort AL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 85
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2019 at 9:30pm
Originally posted by StephenH

Are you saying that the fresh water tank is filling when you have city water connected and faucets are open, but very slowly when faucets are turned off? If that is the case, you still have an issue. There is a check valve in the pump that is supposed to close when the pump is turned off and city water is connected. That is to keep the city water from filling the tank. The only way water should be in the fresh water tank is if you fill it by way of the fill inlet.

There is likely a small piece of material in the check valve preventing it from fully closing. The general advice is to add water to your fresh tank. Disconnect your city water. Then cycle the pump by turning faucets on and off, using the tank's water and pump. If all goes well, the piece of debris should then be flushed out of the check valve.

Test by turning the pump off and reconnecting the city water and turn it on. There should not be any water flowing into the fresh water tank. If there is, repeat the process. If that still does not work, get the pump checked out.

Ok, thanks I guess I misunderstood how the system worked. 

    I thought the city water inlet filled the water tank first and then the water was pumped through the system from the tank.  What you are saying is the water comes directly from the city source and bypasses the tank and pump when the pump is off.  If the pump is on it pumps from the tank.

So the only way to fill the fresh water tank is by the fill port by hand or by putting the hose in the port.?

Tearless Tom
2017 R-Pod 180
2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0
Back to Top
StephenH View Drop Down
podders Helping podders - pHp
podders Helping podders - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6283
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2019 at 10:57pm
Originally posted by TearlessTom

Ok, thanks I guess I misunderstood how the system worked. 

    I thought the city water inlet filled the water tank first and then the water was pumped through the system from the tank.  What you are saying is the water comes directly from the city source and bypasses the tank and pump when the pump is off.  If the pump is on it pumps from the tank.

So the only way to fill the fresh water tank is by the fill port by hand or by putting the hose in the port.?

Correct! That is the way it is supposed to work if there is water in the tank. If the tank is empty, the pump will draw only air. There is also the winterizing valve and hose stub used for getting RV antifreeze through the pump and lines. If the valve is set wrong, you will only get air also.

Regarding RV antifreeze, don't put RV antifreeze in your fresh water tank. Drain it first. Also, the water heater needs to be bypassed if you are using RV antifreeze. It can chew up the anode rod and waste RV antifreeze since the water heater takes 6 gallons to fill. Bypass the water heater (drain  it by removing the anode rod after making sure there is no pressure in the system) so the RV antifreeze goes directly through the water lines to get to the various water valves. There are other message topics with more details and also YouTube videos to watch if you have questions. Also  there are YouTube videos to show you how to sanitize and flush your fresh water tank.

It is  a rather steep learning curve at first. It gets easier as you gain more experience. Hang in there. Smile
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
Back to Top
TheBum View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Feb 2016
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1407
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Feb 2019 at 1:32pm
A quicker way to drain the fresh water tank is to remove the anode rod from the water heater and run the water pump. The water will drain through the water heater. The anode rod hole will pass water more quickly than the sink and shower combined, and you don't fill up the gray tank in the process.
Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats
Back to Top
lostagain View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2583
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Feb 2019 at 2:58pm
If you want to drain the fresh water tank, why would you pump the water out?  That puts a lot of use cycles on your fresh water pump and will likely shorten its life.  Why not just open the drain on the bottom of the water tank?  It is either a petcock valve or a simple plug.  Once you open the hole in the bottom of the tank, gravity does all the work for you.  

When we "sanitize" or fresh water tank each spring, I fill it with a hose and add the bleach solution, pump some into the plumbing lines, then leave it overnight to soak away the viruses and bacteria lurking in the system.  The next day, I take out the plug in the bottom of the tank and let'er flow unrestricted until the tank is empty.  Then I refill it for a rinse, run some rinse water through the lines,  and drain it from the bottom again. 

In so far as the black and gray water tanks are concerned, there's really no point in trying to "sanitize" them since they hold dirty water and will grow a whole new eco system of bugs in about 48 hours anyway.  Besides, many of the deodorant digester products contain live bacteria specifically chosen to eat the nasty stuff.  Why would you want to hurt these friends?  
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
Back to Top
TheBum View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Feb 2016
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1407
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Feb 2019 at 5:32pm
The problem with the factory fresh water tank drain is the orifice is so small that it takes hours to drain a full tank. If I knew how, I'd consider putting in a larger diameter drain.
Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats
Back to Top
lostagain View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2583
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Feb 2019 at 6:17pm
Is it the orifice on the petcock valve or the hole for the threaded fitting that holds the petcock valve in place?  I can see where the petcock valve orifice is small enough, based on the earlier posted foto, to allow adequate water flow, but the other hole seems to be about 3/4ths of an inch. If you pull the whole valve off are you still having flow issues?

I only have a plug for that hole and when I take it out, the water drains quite quickly, indeed, faster than the flow rate for the 12v pump.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
Back to Top
GlueGuy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2624
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Feb 2019 at 7:55pm
Originally posted by TheBum

The problem with the factory fresh water tank drain is the orifice is so small that it takes hours to drain a full tank. If I knew how, I'd consider putting in a larger diameter drain.
When we drain our fresh water tank, it doesn't seem to take that long. All I've done is open it up and walk away. I think I've come back within a half hour or so, and it's done draining. Certainly not hours.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
Back to Top
TheBum View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Feb 2016
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1407
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Feb 2019 at 11:16am
Maybe they put larger drains on the 2017s. Ours is a 2016.
Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz