Water Pressure in the Shower Very Low

[BPoland]

I know that I will probably new see really good water pressure in the Bay Star's shower, but I think it should be better. The water exiting the shower head travels about 2 inches out before it falls to the drain. Now I now rhat more water pressure means the tank will empty faster when dry camping, but I think it should be better.

At 6'4" I am vertically unchallenged. Meaning where the sprayer is mounted on the wall, hits me in the shoulder. If you add to that the low water pressure, it seems to take forever to take a shower.

So the question goes out to the people in the know. Is the problem rooted in a low volume pump, constrictive water lines, low flow faucets, or all of the above. If I have to replace the pump, maybe I can find a two speed pump. High volume, for when we are connected to city water, and low speed, for when we are dry camping (not that often).

Any thoughts or ideas?

[millerj]

Is the pressure low at all faucets in the coach? I still have the standard water pump on my 2012 Ventana and don't have these kind of low pressure issues. You may have something wrong with your pump. Since you have a new coach and possibly still under warrant I would get it replaced or at least checked out.

[GaryKD]

Hi BPoland,
Some questions for you to answer.
1. Is the water pressure the same on shore supplied water as when using coach tank water? When on shore supplied water the pump should be off.
2. There may be an on/off push button on the shower head. Is the button pressed all the way in to allow maximum water flow?
3. Is the water pressure low on all faucets or just the shower?
Please respond and we can go forward based on your answers.

[Luv2go]

Assuming you have good pressure and flow everywhere else, you may want to try the Oxygenics showerhead. We didn't like the flow from our Canyon Star showerhead, we replaced it with one and love it. I've read where some members hate them, however, so get one where you can return it. RV Upgrades and Camping World both carry them.

[BPoland]

Of course, after thinking about it The pressure to the faucets and the shower head are the samewhether on city water or water pump. And we only have the pump engaged, when we aren't hooked to city water. It seems that the water pressure is low by design. I can deal with it every place except the shower. That is where you really decent water pressure, for the shower head to do its job.

I have also put a pressure guage in the city water connection, and it showed about 50 lbs. I even removed the pressure regulator from the hose, thinking that, that may be the problem. Nada!

[CampDaven]

If your shower does not spray well and your water pressure is low over-all, get an Oxygenics shower head and it will work good down to under 25 PSI.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Oxygenics-B...168/204688606/

[GaryKD]

Hi BPoland,
Low water pressure for the entire coach is not normal. 50 PSI at the shore connection should be providing flow that make the pressure a non-event. It is also not by design. Newmar has used the same plumbing for years. Consider checking the following items.
1. There may be a whole coach water filter, in the utility bay. It may be full and need changing.
2. Any additional water filters may be full and need changing.
3. In the utility bay, the tank fill valve is notorious for not being in the correct position (completely open or closed).
4. The winterizing valves for the water heater, when not fully seated to the proper position, can be a problem with pressure.
5. There is a valve behind where the shore water connection is located. The valve is there to stop water from coming out of the coach when using tank water. The valve may not be opening completely when connected to shore water.
5. Lastly, check the crud catcher screens. One should be where the shore water line enters the coach and the other should be where the shore water line connects to the shore water supply.

The plumbing is PEX so I doubt there is a kink in the line. Any line diagnostics can be limited to the lines that feed the entire coach. These would be located behind the wall of the utility bay and around the water heater.

[wa8yxm]

Some observations over the years.

Many RVs' have a problem where you get good pressure and flow when you first turn on the faucet then it trickles off to a dribble..... Very common

Pressure regulators come in 4 basic flavors, on the last 2 we have a a/b option as well

Standard RV pressure regulator, 3/4 inch brass or plastic cylinder with male and female threads, may or may not be adjustable and WILL cause the above to happen 100% of the time On a scale of 10 I give these a 1

HIGH-FLOW or HIGH CAPACITY, add a bright plastic grip to the female end of the above or on the camco one ... wings on the body.

Slightly better, perhaps a 3

Sur Flo, this is built into many RV's and they sell an "inline" version too, regulators are the same for both built in and in-line (inlind they ditch the benzel and add a male hose adapter to the outlet, it screws on and off)

I give it about an 8 when new, tapering off as it ages.

Watts, Valterra, Zurin (NOTE: I have not personally reviewed a Valterra) Watts and Zurin are sold in plumbing stores, I recommend a 1/2 inch or larger, Mine are both 3/4 (Cheaper that way believe it or not). when new... Well let me tell you what the pressure gauge shows.

Static, no water flowing 50 PSI
Full shower flow 50 PSI
Needle acts like it's glued to 50 PSI (park pressure 80 or more)

Here it shows 45-45 PSI, but .. Well, that is with or without the regulator (Regulator is full open at less than 50 PSI) that's line pressure in the park.

Both the Watts and the Zurin when new gave equal performance

9 years later the watts drops to like 20 PSI when you shower. One of these days I'll get a rebuild kit, likely soon, just for the rebuild of it.

Oh, I give them a 10 when new.

[wa8yxm]

Second possible issue.

Filters, the smaller the "micron" rating the more restrictive they are to water flow.. I used to use two regulators one set to like 60-70 PSI in front of the filter one set to 50 coming out.. now I build my own high-flow filters.

[millerj]

Since the pressure is the same on city or on the pump I would take out the cartridge filter in the utility bay all together to make sure this isn't the problem. One time I hooked up to a water system that had a lot of dirt due to some repairs and the filter clogged up to the point where my water stopped. Removing the filter or replacing with a new one will quickly determine if this is the issue.

[1mainiac]

Or your in line flow is messed up I see it a lot because they often don't keep the plumbing clean when building them. So tiny pieces of plastic end up in the lines when you use the sink or shower they plug it up slightly this reduces the flow not the pressure but the result is less water and acts like low pressure because of it. remove the shower head and turn on the water point the hose in a safe direction and see how much water flows from it. You should have 2gpm at 45psi from your water pump. This will fill a quart jar in just about 7 seconds or a half gal jug in 15 seconds. If your close to this with just the hose put the shower head back on and retest if it is much slower replace the shower head or take it apart and clean it out.

[ChrisKW]

Sorry if already stated by others, but if flow is an issue in only one area of the rv and not other faucets, etc. maybe you had an issue like our new Itasca. We had low water flow in the rear bath, and no flow to the rear toilet. Turned out to be sawdust in the line, presumably from the assembly line. Once cleaned out, no longer having any issues.


Chris & Deb - North Venice, FL - 2014 Itasca Ellipse 42QD - Toad: 2014 Jeep Rubicon

[mikelm48]

BPoland,
I have similar issues. When using water from the tank and the water pump I get good pressure everywhere. When I am on city water the pressure is good in the bathroom and much lower in the shower and kitchen. I switched to an Oxygenics shower head which helped a lot. I also use them at home as a water saving device. Eventually I got rid of my basic pressure regulator and bought one that has a gauge on it. It is adjustable. It has helped with the pressure in the shower and kitchen.

[cc8375]

Ditto on the Water Cartridge...... replaced and had great water flow, I now carry a spare. Also before connecting water hose to coach I let it run for a few minutes.