Water Pump Issues

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   OK, on our new to us, 2011 RPod 177, we tried a "test" night locally before roving further out.  All working well but water pump issues...
I de-winterized it according to threads here....drain anti-freeze, flush with fresh etc, open valves to hot water etc.

I have water pressure, hot water, but also lots of air in the line....never seems to totally prime properly.

Also, the pump is VERY loud.

But, when only running a small amount water, the pump kicks back in, but much more "quietly"...and seems to go and go and never pressurize.

You can stope the pump from running by opening taps and running larger volumes, the pump will then get louder....then pressurize.

Not sure I explained all that correctly...but any ideas?

Was thinking of just running out and getting a replacement pump....are they typically all the same in the RPods?  Is there an Amazon item I could order?

Grant

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Grant177 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 15 Mar 2020 Location: Edmonton, AB Online Status: Offline Posts: 65	Topic: Water Pump Issues Posted: 31 May 2020 at 8:02pm
	OK, on our new to us, 2011 RPod 177, we tried a "test" night locally before roving further out. All working well but water pump issues... I de-winterized it according to threads here....drain anti-freeze, flush with fresh etc, open valves to hot water etc. I have water pressure, hot water, but also lots of air in the line....never seems to totally prime properly. Also, the pump is VERY loud. But, when only running a small amount water, the pump kicks back in, but much more "quietly"...and seems to go and go and never pressurize. You can stope the pump from running by opening taps and running larger volumes, the pump will then get louder....then pressurize. Not sure I explained all that correctly...but any ideas? Was thinking of just running out and getting a replacement pump....are they typically all the same in the RPods? Is there an Amazon item I could order? Grant
	Grant 2011 R-Pod 177

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288	Posted: 31 May 2020 at 8:31pm
	First, Welcome and Congratulations on your "new" RPod. I hope you have many fun adventures and make many great memories camping in it. Before running out for a new pump, there are a few things to check. First, is there a winterizing valve, and is it fully set to not draw from the winterizing stub line? If it is partially rotated, it may be pulling air through that. Second, check the bowl/screen that is on the intake side of the pump. Make sure that is not clogged with residue such as plastic shavings, etc. Third, did you actually fill the water heater tank? If not, then a lot of air is from the water heater tank. Open the outside access panel and open the pressure relief valve. If you hear air rushing from it, your tank started out empty. That air needs to be purged out. Leave the valve open until you have water coming out. Then shut the valve. Hopefully, you did not turn the water heater on yet. That is one thing to always make sure of, especially if you intend to use the electric side. If the tank is empty, it will only take a few seconds to burn out the element. It can be replaced if that happened. Better to avoid that though. Check to see if the pump has pressurized the system. I think it will be quieter once it fully purges the system of air.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446	Posted: 31 May 2020 at 10:00pm
	I can't follow your description of the symptoms. You have hot water pressure? Water comes out of the faucet when you turn it on at the kitchen sink? (If not, what Stephen suggested about the pressure relief valve is fine, but so is just opening the hao water faucet and running the pump until it stops spitting air.) My pump was making a lot of noise when I recently dewinterized but I wasn't getting water anywhere. Turned out the screen on the pump Stephen mentioned still had some water in it over the winter. It froze and popped the plastic dome off the screen. I replaced it and all was fine. $10 on Amazon. Let us know if any of this helps or if you figure out something else. I'm open to more clues because I think there's something missing. TT
	2010 176 FJ Cruiser

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288	Posted: 31 May 2020 at 10:46pm
	+1 on the possibility of a cracked/broken filter bowl. Mine was clouded (likely from the RV antifreeze), so I replaced it this spring so it would be clear again. If you are getting some water, then it is more likely cracked than completely broken which would allow some water to be drawn from the tank, but would still be pulling air through the crack also. You might take a look and see if there is water at the pump which would indicate leakage there.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Grant177 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 15 Mar 2020 Location: Edmonton, AB Online Status: Offline Posts: 65	Posted: 01 Jun 2020 at 9:36am
	Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas. I'll go pull out the pump ASAP and check it over. I'm pretty sure the anti-freeze intake pipe is completely shut off, but I'll double check that for sure. Yes, full hot water available...I was careful to ensure the hot water tank was purged/filling before turning on the heater(s).
	Grant 2011 R-Pod 177

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446	Posted: 01 Jun 2020 at 9:54am
	Pulling the whole pump out is the last thing you want to do! It can be a big job and it sounds like just about the least likely problem. If you have full pressure hot water your pump is fine. One other thing to check is the strainer at the end of the faucet on your kitchen sink. Unscrew it and make sure it's not clogged up. TT
	2010 176 FJ Cruiser

Grant177 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 15 Mar 2020 Location: Edmonton, AB Online Status: Offline Posts: 65	Posted: 01 Jun 2020 at 10:21am
	I'll try to recap/summarize best as possible.... 1) Pump is CRAZY loud when working....sounds like a jackhammer. I've been in other RV's and it's not even close to the sound theirs make. This is vibrating the entire slide/floor. 2) When running small amounts of water (like pulling 1 cup), the pump starts "vibrating" almost in a "slow" mode, and never seems to stop/pressurize until you pull a much larger volume of water (see 1). 3) Air in system. Always. Never purges. I do have hot water pressure, cold water pressure etc, but all of the above still ongoing. Hope that summarizes better.
	Grant 2011 R-Pod 177

mjlrpod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Sep 2016 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 1214	Posted: 01 Jun 2020 at 12:43pm
	The pump will be very loud when it's not getting enough water. If you empty your fresh tank, and turn on pump, it's loud. Also with the faucet constantly burping air, I would say you have a leak somewhere. When I say leak, I don't mean water is spewing out someplace, I mean air is getting into the system some where. The syphon tube being suspect number 1. But you say that's closed, so it might be a seal in the pump itself is not sealing.
	2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding

Pod_Geek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Dec 2019 Location: Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 259	Posted: 01 Jun 2020 at 2:28pm
	Just a quick sanity check...you're not using the water pump while hooked up to city water and with an empty fresh water tank, right?
	2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L

Grant177 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 15 Mar 2020 Location: Edmonton, AB Online Status: Offline Posts: 65	Posted: 01 Jun 2020 at 2:57pm
	Nope....purely a tank of water....no hose to be seen.
	Grant 2011 R-Pod 177