Community Forums

nicbennett · 11-02-2012, 03:55 PM

Hello everyone. My wife and I are living in a stationary fifth wheel connected via a hose to a standard outdoor garden hose. We are drawing off of a well on someone else's property. Our problem is that water spurts(very badly!) when running.

Because of financial reasons, fixing whatever is wrong with the pipes and is letting air in them is out of the question, so what I was wondering is if there is any type of hose connection that would relieve that problem as the water enters the fifth wheel. I'm thinking something along the lines of those adapters they sell to lower water pressure, but that might have a valve to let air out or something.

Does this exist?

PS-I know I could just fill the fresh water tank and use that, but being that it's wintertime I'd prefer to live with the spurting than have to stand in the rain every day to fill it

Also, can anyone recommend a good filter that is inexpensive? We have a lot of sediment, and would like to not.

nicbennett · 11-02-2012, 04:02 PM

sorry, didn't mean to duplicate post

Walter5555 · 11-02-2012, 04:21 PM

First of all there is a regulater for your hose that will keep the water pressure down so you will not rupture your pipes.
You can buy one at Camping World or just about any R.V. repair shop. (look in the yellow pages).
As for the filter you can buy at Camping World or Wallmark or at any R.V. repair place.
Wish you luck.
Just a thought.

wa8yxm · 11-02-2012, 04:22 PM

Given the situtation you described YOU do not have a problem.. Your host does.

The only soulution is to use the on-board tank

OH, one possible issue... IF your on-board tank is empty.. (I suspect it is) make sure your water pump is turned OFF,, if it's turned on it may be pumping air into your system.

Martind4 · 11-02-2012, 04:38 PM

If the well pump is sucking air and there's a lot of sediment present, I would suspect the well is going dry. Not much you can do about it without going deeper.

The Culligan whole house filters work well and there are a lot of different filter elements available to solve almost any problem. When you buy the filter ask the clerk for the proper connections to allow use on a garden hose.

Good luck.

clyon51 · 11-02-2012, 05:39 PM

How long has this been going on? Normally after running all the faucets for a few mins, all air will be expelled out of the RV.

If you do not have water leaks between the water source and your inside faucets, you certainly aren't going to suck air anywhere at any connections.

What this sounds like is a bad well check valve and/or air leak. The well pump isn't running enough, or the leak is bad enough to allow air in between cycles. If this is the case, a water restrictor or pressure regulator will not correct this

Assuming your water tank is in a heated compartment, or exposed to the inside, I would not hesitate to use the tank.

awwall · 11-02-2012, 05:52 PM

X1 Clyon, sounds like maybe cavitation. If the user is drawing water and the pump kicks on and is cavetating, it will inject air in an water leaving the well. Well problem for sure.

IWillRVToo · 11-02-2012, 06:38 PM

Something like this might help;
HVAC Pumps & Circulators | Vents, Tanks & Separators | 1" Vortech Air Separator - Green | B335332 - GlobalIndustrial.com

BUT, if the velocity of the water is too high for the unit, some air will still get by to the faucets.

BFlinn181 · 11-02-2012, 08:58 PM

For the $90 air separator, I'd hook the hose up to the water tank with a shut off valve at the hose end. You should only have to fill every 3rd or 4th day at the most wasteful water usage rate. Rig a tarp from the 5th wheel's roof to shelter the area over the water fill to keep out of the rain.

TXiceman · 11-03-2012, 06:30 AM

Rather than use the air separator, which should also be used with a tank, I'd get a whole house sediment filter and fill my fresh water tank every 2 to 4 days. You do not want to be pumping the sediment into your tank.

Ken

Melmoses · 11-03-2012, 11:51 AM

We have a well at our home & use it for yard and horses. The surging is normal as the well pump kicks on and off. A lot depends on how big the tank is on the well. The larger the tank the less the surging. The tanks are pressurized so as long as it has water in it there is no surge. However tank bladders can and do go bad resulting in loss of pressure therefore surges begin often. Sounds like this is what has happened in your case. Without replacing the tank you are stuck with it unfortunately. Ours also has sediment even though it is a deep well in an underground river. I would suggest a 5 micron filter to protect your piping. You can buy filters at Lowes etc. They will need to be changed at least monthly but will save a lot of potential problems with water pumps, faucets etc. No water regulator will solve your water problem so save your money. The well has a pressure regulator on it and most are set at 60. Go to take a look at the well & you can see it.

BFlinn181 · 11-03-2012, 12:37 PM

Wow, the OP asked for an INEXPENSIVE solution to air in the hose supplying water to his RV. He also asked for filter suggestions. Folks have digressed into well pump and water tank theory! The well isn't his, he can't modify it.

nicbennett, You can get filters to put inline with the hose pretty cheaply. Just one idea:
Camco Water Filter with Hose - Walmart.com
You didn't say where you are. If you are in a climate that has freezing weather, a hose would need to be covered with foam pipe insulation and electric heat tape to keep water flowing. You mentioned winter rain so perhaps that's not an issue. I would think you'd be better served by filling the onboard water tank when needed to eliminate the surging from excessive air in the line. I'm sure the tank would hold enough that you can fill it in between rains.

wa8yxm · 11-03-2012, 01:41 PM

I don' know, I only addressed the air in the lines issue.

It is one of two things, EITHER his on-board pump is turned on and sucking air out of an empty on-board supply tank.. OR, the host has a problem and his pump is sucking air.

If it's the ON-board pump, turn it off
If it's the host side issue (Most likely by the way) Fill on-board tank and use the on-board pump.

That ($0.00) is about a "low cost" as it gets folks.

clyon51 · 11-03-2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

I don' know, I only addressed the air in the lines

That ($0.00) is about a "low cost" as it gets folks.

Ditto. The OP asked about air in the lines, which he got the correct answer to. It's the well, not his RV. Filters are never a bad idea, a restrictor or a pressure regulator will not get rid of air as well as a filter. An air separator would work, but not cheap. The only no cost fix is to have the host fix the well, or use the tank which will not freeze if the coach made for cold climates.