Community Forums

jimfryar · 01-12-2014, 02:45 PM

Does anyone ever run the water pump when conected to city water to get better water pressure?

jesilvas · 01-12-2014, 02:47 PM

I think some use it as a supplement. The pump would only come on when needed so it should be fine.

MSHappyCampers · 01-12-2014, 02:54 PM

The city water pressure would have to be awfully low for the pump to do any good. I don't know how the pump connects into the system so I'm not sure it would work that way at all.

BFlinn181 · 01-12-2014, 03:01 PM

Usually the city water pressure is greater than the pump. If yours isn't, I'd suggest checking filters and aerator screens on each faucet. Also, as Joe said, it might not work at all according to how the RV is plumbed.

Dr4Film · 01-12-2014, 03:06 PM

I do it all the time depending on where I am parked and what the water pressure is at the supply.

Where we are located now, see link in my signature, my water pump switch has been one since March 1st when we moved here. They have a pump house that supplies water pressure to the park BUT when they have pump problems the pressure could be low or ZERO.

When it is working correctly the water pressure is about 180 psi. Don't worry, I always use a Watts pressure regulator at the spigot set for 55-60 psi.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

336muffin · 01-12-2014, 03:06 PM

Yes this works, we do it when the cg pressure is below 40psi to boost the shower. I have a pressure gauge in my cg inlet all ways to let me know the pressure before I turn the water to the coach. We were in a cg in SC back in December with 70 plus psi!

BFlinn181 · 01-12-2014, 03:29 PM

Something to be aware of using a pump connected to the city water: Cleanliness of a city water system is dependent on there always being positive pressure in the lines. If your pump is 'sucking' when pressure is low, you could pull contaminants into the pipes through the always present tiny leaks in the plumbing. That's why they always have a 'Boil Advisory' when there's been a water main break or drop in pressure.

Dr4Film · 01-12-2014, 03:38 PM

If people would use common sense when hooking up their shore water connections by using a household filter there wouldn't be any worry about sediment or other undissolved water contaminants.

When the shore pressure gets lower than my on-board pump my pump will actually attempt to pressurize the water system going the other way.

I know exactly when the park is having pump issues 'cause I can hear my pump growl every 30 seconds or so.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

jesilvas · 01-12-2014, 07:13 PM

The water systems are plumbed so one side of the pump is on the city pressure side; so the city fill and pump are both in the same system; the cold side.
Either the pump feeds water from the fresh tank into the cold pressure line or the city fill does. When the pump sees low pressure, it sucks fresh water and presses it into the cold line.

gemini5362 · 01-12-2014, 10:06 PM

I believe there are isolation valves between the pump and the city water. If you turn on your pump it pulls water out of the tank not the city water. If you do use the pump to increase water pressure in your MH( I have a few times) then make sure that you continue to add water to your fresh water tank on a regular basis.

Think about this. If your pump could pressurize the city water system when the city water pressure is lower. If the fresh water hose that connects to city water is disconnected then it has a pressure of zero psi. In that case when you turn on your pump from your tank you would just pump water right out of the hose. Most of the units I have seen do not do that so I can not imagine that it would try to pressurize the campground system.

336muffin · 01-13-2014, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemini5362

I believe there are isolation valves between the pump and the city water. If you turn on your pump it pulls water out of the tank not the city water. If you do use the pump to increase water pressure in your MH( I have a few times) then make sure that you continue to add water to your fresh water tank on a regular basis.

Think about this. If your pump could pressurize the city water system when the city water pressure is lower. If the fresh water hose that connects to city water is disconnected then it has a pressure of zero psi. In that case when you turn on your pump from your tank you would just pump water right out of the hose. Most of the units I have seen do not do that so I can not imagine that it would try to pressurize the campground system.

This is the way ours works, we do this on occasion to use up the water in the tank as to keep it fresh. We always keep fresh water in the tank at least half full. We've had cg water fail several times in the past.

luvlabs · 01-13-2014, 06:45 AM

Leaving your pump on when connected to city water is also inviting a problem you really don't want - overfilling your fresh water tank. Depending on how your coach is plumbed, leaving the pump on when connected to the city water can defeat the check valve in the pump causing the tank to fill when you didn't intend to fill it.

My advice is city water or pump but not both.

1ciderdog · 01-13-2014, 12:42 PM

We lived on a boat for 12 years and learned to never leave outside water pressure on (no, we never had a problem but knew people that had sunk a boat that way). We fill with fresh or city water and only use the onboard water pump. Old habits are sometimes hard to break, no?

ladagobago · 01-13-2014, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1ciderdog

We lived on a boat for 12 years and learned to never leave outside water pressure on (no, we never had a problem but knew people that had sunk a boat that way). We fill with fresh or city water and only use the onboard water pump. Old habits are sometimes hard to break, no?

I agree X2
ex-boaters make good RV'rs.
we always bulk filled the boat and the same on the rv. fill to the top.
we have had two boats sink on our docks in the past three years. now all require a re-settable mechanical timer.

since we boondock a lot we always use our tankage.