Water pump won't prime

[Timay]

I have a 2002 shurflo pump in my 2002 Holiday Rambler 30RKD and it is hard to prime the pump after wintering or after draining and trying to get it to suck the anti-freeze into the system for winterizing. Most of the time I have to get the liquid above the pump in order to get it to prime - a real pain! Does anyone know if this pump needs new seals or impeller or just a new pump or am I doing it wrong?

Any thoughts would be helpful!

Thanks!

Tim

[fletch460]

Tim, I dont think it is a lift pump. Gravity from you fresh tank feeds it. That is why the liqued has to be above.

[mikeh449]

geta repair kit the valves have gone bad will not seal tight enough to prime and they are a lift pump your water tank is below they will lift about 3 ft

[jesilvas]

Originally Posted by fletch460

Tim, I dont think it is a lift pump. Gravity from you fresh tank feeds it. That is why the liqued has to be above.

They will self prime. All fifth wheels and trailers (vast majority anyway) have a fresh tank below the pump, so it lifts.

OP, most of the time I can't get a pump to prime, it's because they are sucking air somewhere. I've never had a pump go bad to where the pump was the problem, but I'm sure it's possible. Something pre-pump is loose; hose clamp, strainer basket, or valve.

[fletch460]

Learn something everry week. Glad to know. Mine is on side of tank and gravity flow.

[Timay]

Originally Posted by jesilvas

OP, most of the time I can't get a pump to prime, it's because they are sucking air somewhere. I've never had a pump go bad to where the pump was the problem, but I'm sure it's possible. Something pre-pump is loose; hose clamp, strainer basket, or valve.

I discovered the air sucking problem on my first winterize - then this year I made sure everything was nice and tight, still no prime. Some one suggested I open all the faucets and that will make it prime...it did! Once. I think I will try some new valves in the pump next. After the vinyl splitting in the kitchen, the water pump is a bump on the road...

Tim

[oldbeek]

my original suction line down into the fresh water tank was sucking air. It was going to be a major job to find the problem. Drop the 100gal fresh tank and all of it's insulation, ect. I put a T fitting on the bottom drain and ran a new suction line. Problem solved. You might just fab a new suction line into a bucket below the pump and see if it primes.

[jamvir]

Originally Posted by oldbeek

You might just fab a new suction line into a bucket below the pump and see if it primes.

Great idea! That's perhaps the quickest way to troubleshoot this issue. I will have to remember this if I ever run into this problem

Jim

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by Timay

I discovered the air sucking problem on my first winterize - then this year I made sure everything was nice and tight, still no prime. Some one suggested I open all the faucets and that will make it prime...it did! Once. I think I will try some new valves in the pump next. After the vinyl splitting in the kitchen, the water pump is a bump on the road...

Tim

I'm sitting here with the same two problems that you had. I am trying to winterize and the pump won't prime and the vinyl flooring split in the cold last winter. Haven't replaced the vinyl flooring yet, but I've investigated some new stuff to put down.

Right now I need to get the pump to prime or replace it. It will run but no suction. All water is drained out of the tank and lines. I've checked and double and triple checked everything, valves set correctly, cleaned screen, tightened all fittings, read manual again, did search on here, checked Shurflo website, etc. Absolutely no suction.

Mine is a real pain to even get to it, let alone to replace it. Did you end up replacing yours?

[Timay]

I replaced the valve body - it ran fine all summer and then this fall I had another hard time getting it to prime with the pink stuff. I have a short length of hose that I run from the hose connection to the bottle on the ground. If I fill the hose and hold it above the pump it will prime and suck just great, but if I lose the prime (ran the bottle empty running around to open a faucet) then it is a pain to get it to prime again. I think it is an air leak somewhere...and I think it has to be where the hose attaches to the wet bay. I will figure it out this spring when I de-winterize it.

On a brighter note, here is a before and after of the kitchen floor:

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by Timay

I replaced the valve body - it ran fine all summer and then this fall I had another hard time getting it to prime with the pink stuff. I have a short length of hose that I run from the hose connection to the bottle on the ground. If I fill the hose and hold it above the pump it will prime and suck just great, but if I lose the prime (ran the bottle empty running around to open a faucet) then it is a pain to get it to prime again. I think it is an air leak somewhere...and I think it has to be where the hose attaches to the wet bay. I will figure it out this spring when I de-winterize it.

On a brighter note, here is a before and after of the kitchen floor:

Very nice flooring job! What is that product? From the sound of my pump it appears that the pump motor is operating but the pump part is not. When I have it turned on, it sounds too smooth and quiet. A couple of days ago it got down to 23*F.

I had the furnace on but set to 45*F. The outside air temp must have gotten too low while the inside air temp was still at or above 45*F. Just picked up a new Shurflo 4008-101-E65 3GPM that is a direct replacement for the discontinued Shurflo 2088-422-175. Got it from a local RV dealer. Now to install it and winterize the thing. Lucky we've got some warm weather now.

I'll probably have to wait until spring to replace the flooring. Thanks for the reply!

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by aauummm

Very nice flooring job! What is that product? From the sound of my pump it appears that the pump motor is operating but the pump part is not. When I have it turned on, it sounds too smooth and quiet. A couple of days ago it got down to 23*F.

I had the furnace on but set to 45*F. The outside air temp must have gotten too low while the inside air temp was still at or above 45*F. Just picked up a new Shurflo 4008-101-E65 3GPM that is a direct replacement for the discontinued Shurflo 2088-422-175. Got it from a local RV dealer. Now to install it and winterize the thing. Lucky we've got some warm weather now.

I'll probably have to wait until spring to replace the flooring. Thanks for the reply!

Update. I replaced the water pump and at the same time replaced the water line into and out of the pump. The existing water line was kinked on the pressure side of the pump. I also had to put the strainer in-line because the new pump is a bit larger than the old one.

First pic is before replacing and the second pic is with the new pump. It works great and has better flow than when the coach was new. The new pump is totally self-priming.