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MathComp · 10-29-2018, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwk

I have a different coach, but I remember something similar happening to me. This happened last spring, so I may not remember all of the details. It is a Fleetwood product, so there may be some similarities.

IIRC, I filled the fresh water tank for the first time after I purchased my new-to-me coach. The water tank was empty when I took possession. I had to open a valve in the wet bay to get water to fill the tank. But, I did not close the valve after filling the tank. The water pump seemed to work similar to what yours is doing. Weak and intermittent spurts instead of a steady stream.

Somewhere along the line, I decided that maybe I should try closing the fill valve. The pump seemed to work fine after that. Now, I get a strong, steady stream of water.

Not sure why, but closing the fill valve seemed to do the trick.

It sounds like you're talking about what I have labeled as "bypass valve". That's the only valve I have to open when filling the fresh water tank. I believe that valve switches the "city" water intake between filling the fresh water tank or going directly to the fresh water plumbing. Alas, I did remember to close it again after filling, so that's not the issue. Thank you, though, for the suggestion!

MathComp

MathComp · 11-01-2018, 06:35 AM

FIXED! After disassembling some plumbing near the pump, I discovered the problem! There was a small "blob" of tangled up plastic shavings lodged in the valve that switches between antifreeze hose intake and fresh water tank intake. They were partially restricting the flow into the pump. As soon as I removed the blob and reassembled the plumbing, I got continuous excellent water pressure from the pump.

Now my only concern is where those shavings came from. At first I thought the valve itself was shredding inside (since I've seen that happen before), but upon further inspection, I think the valve is fine. I also found a couple of other small blobs of shavings in the compartment where the water was "leaking" from the fresh water tank while the plumbing was apart. So I'm concerned that there might be more shavings in the fresh water tank.

On the good side, the shavings don't make it past that valve, and it's easy enough to disassemble and clean out. Also, one would think that after I fill and drain the fresh water tank a few times, any remaining debris would get flushed out. That being said, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on why plastic shavings would be in my fresh water tank.

Rejoicing Over Repair,
MathComp

chaps2018 · 11-01-2018, 07:00 AM

Well done! Thanks for your patience and responses on behalf of folks in the future trying to diagnose their problem.

cwk · 11-01-2018, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MathComp

On the good side, the shavings don't make it past that valve, and it's easy enough to disassemble and clean out. Also, one would think that after I fill and drain the fresh water tank a few times, any remaining debris would get flushed out. That being said, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on why plastic shavings would be in my fresh water tank.

Congrats on finding the issue and resolving it.

Since the coach is "new" to you, I wonder what work has been performed on the fresh water tank plumbing before you got it. Maybe the plastic shavings are from someone cutting a hole in the tank body for a fitting, or shavings from one of the plastic plumbing lines. If the PO (Prior Owner) did not use the fresh water tank, maybe the shavings have been there since 2013?

Hopefully the issue does not re-occur. But, if it does you know where to look.

Very nice job on trouble-shooting!

MathComp · 11-01-2018, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwk

Congrats on finding the issue and resolving it.

Since the coach is "new" to you, I wonder what work has been performed on the fresh water tank plumbing before you got it. Maybe the plastic shavings are from someone cutting a hole in the tank body for a fitting, or shavings from one of the plastic plumbing lines. If the PO (Prior Owner) did not use the fresh water tank, maybe the shavings have been there since 2013?

Hopefully the issue does not re-occur. But, if it does you know where to look.

Very nice job on trouble-shooting!

Thank you very much! Since the PO didn't travel much, I think you're right that they didn't use the tank much. Anyway, I ran more water today, got good pressure and no more plastic junk in the valve. Yay!

Now I have to start working on the next problem--when trying to level today, I squirted about half the reservoir's worth of hydraulic fluid onto my driveway. It seems like the line blew off my left rear jack. At least, I hope it's that simple! Maybe I need to start another thread.

Thanks,
MathComp

sam-3 · 11-02-2018, 12:36 AM

Glad you got your problem solved. DH has a spray bottle with CLR cleaner. Calcium lime and rust. He sprayed the kitchen faucet and BR sink faucet. Then rinse good and this will get any junk cleaned out. Ready for reassembly.

MHandy · 07-08-2019, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MathComp

So, with an RV dealership only about 3 miles away and a customer appreciation sale going on, I decided to replace the pump with a new one. It seems like the new one is a little better, but it's still not great. My meter reads 13 volts at the pump when the pump is disconnected. Once the pump stops running, pressure is quite good when I open any spigot, but then it dies down. It seems like the pump can't keep up with the demand. The pump is a Sureflo 4008-101-E65. It claims a 3.0 GPM flow rate. I haven't tested that, but it's hard for me to believe it could come close to filling a gallon jug in 20 seconds. The screen is clean and there is currently no filter in the filter housing. Does anyone have any other thoughts on this?

Thanks,
MathComp

2018 bounder. I had the same issue. Changed the filter cartridge and the problem was solved. Try running it without the filter cartridge installed and see if that takes care of the problem

MathComp · 07-09-2019, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MHandy

2018 bounder. I had the same issue. Changed the filter cartridge and the problem was solved. Try running it without the filter cartridge installed and see if that takes care of the problem

See post #16 for what solved the problem for me.

Thanks,
MathComp

SavnTheWales · 07-17-2019, 09:54 PM

Had similar problem on my old Class C. I took inlet hose off of pump and blew air through it with air compressor. Solved the problem. My guess is something in the line. Too hard to get inside tank, but luckily it never happened again. Huge difference in flow rate after fix. Pump turned off almost immediately when faucet closed. Before it would run for 7 sec or so to build pressure before turning off.