Great water pump?

[okmunky]

I need a really good 12V DC water pump for the solar powered tiny house I’m building. It needs to be like an RV water pump with a pressure switch and 45-60 PSI. It also needs to handle the heat of southern Arizona summers. My water is stored above ground. I haven’t tried a submersible pump, but I’m open to the idea.

I've tried Seaflo and USA Adventure pumps - one quit and the other is struggling. What do the big Class A RVs use? The house is a 40’ shipping container conversion so the sizing is similar.

I figure one of you guys will have a great idea. Thanks!

[Unplanned Tourist]

We have a "Shurflo Revolution" in our MH. About $60.00 or so. 3 GPM, 12VDC, 55 PSI, 7.5 Amps.

They are like any electric motor, not happy to run on low voltage, so that might be the problem.

Check your voltage at the pump while the pump is running. It shouldn't drop much below 11.5 volts.

If it is dropping, use bigger wire for the power supply and ground.

Happy Glamping.

[okmunky]

The problem seems to be related to water hammering from the pump going on and off so frequently. It is connected to 2 swamp coolers that use a small amount of water frequently. I installed 2 arrestors and the pump is running with less thumping and also cooler. Hopefully it will survive until the weather cools.

I was really hoping to find a different type of 12V pump that would work in my tiny house. I'm going to take a look at the Revolution. Maybe it has some advantage.

Thanks!

[Unplanned Tourist]

Do you have an accumulator in the system?

It would really help lessen the hammering.

Happy Glamping.

[okmunky]

An accumulator will be the next step if the arrestors don’t keep it under control. One is homemade using leftover pex and a pex x 1/2" threaded fitting.

[danhannah]

Maybe look for an RV pump with a built-in bypass valve. They work great for small trickles. Mine is the Sureflow Revolution 4008 and it works great on low flow. Also give a decent shower.

An accumulator is also a cheap and a easy fix for your problem. It can be a little annoying as the pump runs for quite a while to recharge the accumulator, but it will run a lot less often.

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by danhannah

Maybe look for an RV pump with a built-in bypass valve. They work great for small trickles. Mine is the Sureflow Revolution 4008 and it works great on low flow. Also give a decent shower.

An accumulator is also a cheap and a easy fix for your problem. It can be a little annoying as the pump runs for quite a while to recharge the accumulator, but it will run a lot less often.

Amazingly this pump is cheaper than all the others I’ve bought. I ordered one since it’s probably a good idea to always keep a spare water pump. I also ordered a 2 gallon accumulator tank. Thanks for your help!

[Balou]

This pump should do the trick. I would definitely add an accumulator to the system for even water flow and no hammering.

https://www.usaadventuregear.com/pro...20403384320113

[Elwood58]

+1 on adding an accumulator. The bigger the better if constantly having a sipping load. We put the small tank on our RV. A small hand wash in the middle of the night would not cycle the pump.

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by Elwood58

+1 on adding an accumulator. The bigger the better if constantly having a sipping load. We put the small tank on our RV. A small hand wash in the middle of the night would not cycle the pump.

I would hesitate to add a tank larger than 2 gallons in size. Space in an RV becomes more precious with time. I’m accustomed to being stingy with water but I can’t teach the swamp cooler that lesson.

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by Balou

This pump should do the trick. I would definitely add an accumulator to the system for even water flow and no hammering.

https://www.usaadventuregear.com/pro...20403384320113

Wow! That's a pricey little pump. I'm using one of that company's smaller pumps now. It does ok if I let it rest occasionally, so I’ve ordered a DC timer that will shut off power to it 15 minutes at a time several times per night. Thanks!

[rarebear.nm]

Barb,

I use a Shuflo 4148-153-E75 with a two gallon accumulator or pressure tank. It takes about 25 secs to fill the tank. Then we can operate off that all night or all day while driving without the pump coming back on. At first I tried a lesser pump but it did not like to play well with the accumulator.

Good luck.

Fred & Denise

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

Barb,

I use a Shuflo 4148-153-E75 with a two gallon accumulator or pressure tank. It takes about 25 secs to fill the tank. Then we can operate off that all night or all day while driving without the pump coming back on. At first I tried a lesser pump but it did not like to play well with the accumulator.

Good luck.

Fred & Denise

Hi Fred!

Now you tell me! I just purchased a Shurflo Revolution pump and a tank. If it can’t keep up I'll return it to Amazon and try yours.

If you and Denise plan to boondock in the desert this winter I have plenty of extra space. And this place is the ultimate social distancing with neighbors 1/2 mile away. I’d love to hear about your Alaska trip!

[rarebear.nm]

Originally Posted by okmunky

Hi Fred!

Now you tell me! I just purchased a Shurflo Revolution pump and a tank. If it can’t keep up I'll return it to Amazon and try yours.

If you and Denise plan to boondock in the desert this winter I have plenty of extra space. And this place is the ultimate social distancing with neighbors 1/2 mile away. I’d love to hear about your Alaska trip!

Hey Barb I just turned into this thread- sorry. We'll keep the idea of sharing a small piece of the desert open as an option this winter. If I can post it here without seeming like a thread hijacker, I'll write up a short version of the trip and give a detail in person.

Oh, in case you did not know, set the tank pressure to 2 PSI lower than the cut-in pressure of your pump. Otherwise the pump won't see a low enough pressure to turn on. True on most all pressure like tanks.

Hope everyone there is doing well.

Fred