Water pump won’t stay running

[Electrified]

I searched but couldn’t find my particular issue. When I turn the pump on I hear it pressure up but when I turn on a faucet it won’t kick on. If I open up the bathroom faucet and then turn the pump on it briefly turns on and then stops. If I turn on any combination of two or more water sources and then turn on the pump it will run until I turn it down to the bath faucet only where it has to cycle it shuts off. Leaving the pump on after pressuring up the system gets me nothing. Any thoughts? Water tank is full and outside valve is on dry camp.

[aether_one]

Are you saying the pump never comes on after you open a faucet and that the water stops coming out of the faucet?

Or that the pump does not come on as soon as you open a faucet (which is normal, the header pressure has to decrease to the pump's rest point for it to turn on)?

[Electrified]

Originally Posted by tfryman

Are you saying the pump never comes on after you open a faucet and that the water stops coming out of the faucet?

Or that the pump does not come on as soon as you open a faucet (which is normal, the header pressure has to decrease to the pump's rest point for it to turn on)?

. Pump does not come on at all when opening a faucet.

Both. Pump does not come on when an outlet is opened and that if I open the faucet first and then turn on the pump it kicks on and stops if it has to cycle.

[Electrified]

If it doesn’t have to cycle it will run continuously without fail. The bath faucet uses very little water and causes the pump to cycle which it then just stops.

[DAN L]

Originally Posted by Electrified

If it doesn’t have to cycle it will run continuously without fail. The bath faucet uses very little water and causes the pump to cycle which it then just stops.

Look at lazydaze article on adjusting water pump.

[Electrified]

Originally Posted by DAN L

Look at lazydaze article on adjusting water pump.

Do you have a link you could share?

[alank]

In your original post, it almost sounds like your bathroom faucet isn't connected to the water system that is pressured by the pump, or there is something plugging the water flow it that faucet.

Does the pump work normally with other faucets?

[Gary RVRoamer]

So, with the bath faucet open, water doesn't flow at all, or perhaps flows briefly and then stops?


I'm struggling to understand the problem, since the pump is supposed to shut off and stay off unless a faucet is open enough to draw the pressure down. Most people complain that the pump runs too much, not too little. The pump's internal pressure switch is supposed to keep the system pressure within a prescribed range, usually 40-45 psi (but that range is adjustable on some models).

[Ljwt330]

The OP is a bit confusing, but this is how I understand it.

Regardless of which faucet is opened, the pump will not come on once it has shut after reaching static pressure. If the pump is turned ON and all faucets are closed, it cycles briefly and stops. Then, opening any faucet produces no (or maybe a trickle) water flow and the pump does not come ON.

The only way to get the pump to continually operate is to turn on several faucets before turning on the pump, meaning, get the pump to run before it cycles OFF due to reaching cut-out pressure. Turning on several faucets creates a flow that exceeds the ability of the of the pump to build pressure in the lines and the pressure switch does not open so the pump does not cycle OFF.

In short, once the pump pressure switch is activated, the pump will not restart, even if pressure in the lines is reduced.

I can only guess that when the ON/OFF switch to the pump is turned off, the pressure switch defaults to the "closed" position. As soon as power is returned, the pump runs (because the switch has closed) until pressure in the closed lines causes the switch open and shut the pump off. Once the pressure switch is open, and power still is supplied to the pressure switch by the pump ON/OFF switch in the coach, the pressure switch will not re-close, even with a drop in line pressure.

If the above is correct, I don't know what would make the pressure switch, with power supplied to the pump, fail to close when there is no pressure at all in the lines, outside of a faulty switch.

[Arch Hoagland]

Electrified...are you connected to pedestal water?

[DAN L]

Lazydazearticles.blogspot.com
Adjust shurflow water pump.

[Gary RVRoamer]

If Ljwt330's explanation is right, then a faulty pressure switch seems to be the only possible answer, but the OP seems to say that the bathroom faucet acts or causes actions that other faucets do not. That's can't be a pressure switch problem.


I'd do further diagnosis, i.e.try to isolate between the pump itself and the distribution system. Maybe open & close a low point drain with the pump on and see if the pressure switch works properly.

[THenne1713]

If the rig equipped w/ ACCUMULATOR tank, pump will run much less frequently, and if higher-capacity, pump run time would be shorter?

[Winemaker2]

If it were me I think I would focus efforts on 1-2 faucets that work normally and forget the bathroom for the short term. Get the pump to work properly everywhere else then move on to faucet troubleshooting in the bathroom. If there is an accumulator involved setting both pump and accumulator tank press can be tricky best to get and follow accumulator tank install / troubleshooting guide.

If I understand correctly maybe the screen in that faucet is partially plugged? Refucing flow and causing confusion with pump troubleshooting?

It sounds like the Press switch on the pump is not working properly. Some can be replaced others not... depends on pump model.
At times I have bought a new pump and installed while troubleshooting the old. If I can get the old to work properly having a spare is a good thing.