Where's the water?

[Rainier]

Hey everyone,

Need your help. I just brought my Trailer our of storage to dewinterize. All is working great...last step is to add water and pressurize lines with pump to make sure all is good, not leaks, etc. I add water to the tank, turn of pump and first thing is notice is that pump sounds different. I can't explain it, but it sounds different and definitely louder. After a few minutes of waiting for the lines to pressurize with water, nothing. No water anywhere. I open the faucet and air is coming out, which eventually stops. I close the faucet for a minute and re-open and again air. I look at the pump expecting to see water or somthing around it, nothing - dry! No water anywhere. What am I missing? Any other tests I can do. Am I forgetting something silly? Ahh...the joys of Rv's 🙂

p.s. it doesn't get too cold where I am - Tacoma WA (area). I did blow out lines in October and added winterizer fluid down the drains, etc.

Matt

Matt

[Old-Biscuit]

Rainier wrote:
Folks. Thanks. I think I have figured it out. I noticed a cylinderical looking filter on the ground near my pump. It appears that my Shurflo has a pipe strainer and the metal strainer part came off. It's like the bottom part of the pipe strainer broke and the filter fell out. I don't know much about pumps, but I ordered a new one for 15 bucks from amazon. I can't find the bottom portion of the pipe strainer- it must have fallen down a hole.

Pump suction strainer busted when water still in strainer froze.

New stainer and pump should prime OK.....if pump suction side fittings/casing didn't crack from freezing water in pump

[Blazing_Zippers]

Similar problem here a few years ago---replaced defective pump and all was good. The seals apparently had shrunk and the pump couldn't get a prime.

[Rainier]

Folks. Thanks. I think I have figured it out. I noticed a cylinderical looking filter on the ground near my pump. It appears that my Shurflo has a pipe strainer and the metal strainer part came off. It's like the bottom part of the pipe strainer broke and the filter fell out. I don't know much about pumps, but I ordered a new one for 15 bucks from amazon. I can't find the bottom portion of the pipe strainer- it must have fallen down a hole.

[DrewE]

Particularly if you have a three-valve water heater bypass, having the valves in an inconsistent setting can lead to some strange behaviors. I once managed to open the cold water inlet valve but not the hot water outlet valve and not shut the bypass valve, which made the water heater act exactly like a six-gallon pressure tank. The pump would run for a long time, and then when shut off there would be water flowing for a good length of time afterwards.

It may be that the pump isn't self-priming for some reason. Hooking up the city water may help with that. Filling the water tank all the way up, if it's not already, may also help. Starting it from the winterize inlet also might help if that's the problem.

[wa8yxm]

Two suggestions
First: as the first reply suggested.. On SOME RV's there is a valve on the pump inlet that allows the pump to SUCK pink stuff out of a bottle to wintereize... (I use air) that valve may be set wrong... in addition there is the fresh tank drain and outlet valves.. If the wrong valve is open, you get air, nto water


Second suggestion is patientience.. Water heater takes 3 minutes to fill on my Rig, depending on your pump might take 2-5 minutes to fill.

[2oldman]

Is the pump running on battery? How are the batteries?

[midnightsadie]

it sounds that way because theres no water in the pump.

[Rainier]

Thanks everyone for the responses. The valve is not set to the winterize position so we are good there. I have not tried pressurizing the lines with city water outlet. I can try that. The pump sound really different. It sounds a little more rough and high pitch. Sorry I can't describe it.

[DutchmenSport]

Did you add enough water in your fresh water tank? The pump might have pumped it dry if you didn't put enough water in the tank to start with.

Also, keep water heater in by-pass until you know lines are pressurized and flushed from the winter "pink stuff" (if you used it), before opening the water heater. Otherwise, the water heater will need to fill first before you have pressure.

I do it this way with water heater in bypass.

1. Turn pump on.
2. Turn on one faucet (cold) only until it runs.
3. If it does not run, close faucet and turn off pump.
4. Turn pump on again, it will pressuize and turn off.
5. Turn on faucet (only cold), until air is pushed out. Turn off. Wait for pump to stop. Do hot next. Same procedure.
6. When you flip your water off by-pass, it will fill until the lines pressurize again. Wait for pump to stop. Then open hot faucets to allow the air to bleed out of the water heater.

[Old-Biscuit]

Open a faucet HOT side........this will fill water heater (takes a while)(bypass closed?)

Then when do cold side.

Faucet has to be open to bleed air out and allow pump to prime.

Let it run.....pump is a 'dry run capable' pump

[jplante4]

If you're getting air with the pump running, then the pump is trying to pressurize the system. Try filling the tank to increase the head on the pump, but frankly, these positive displacement type pumps don't need much head pressure. Open all the faucets and water outlets one at a time and let the pump do its thing, or pressurize the system with city water. Have you filled the water heater?

[rk911]

rtaylor0830 wrote:
Sounds like your valve is still set to the winteriz position which is not letting the pump siphon the water from the tank.

X2

[rtaylor0830]

Sounds like your valve is still set to the winteriz position which is not letting the pump siphon the water from the tank.