Water pump trouble
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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11227
Printed Date: 20 May 2025 at 1:26pm
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Topic: Water pump trouble
Posted By: SC for Huskers
Subject: Water pump trouble
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2018 at 11:55am
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Good suggestion to start new thread about my water pump by fellow Podder, OK, This is what Ive got going on. City water off, fresh water tank
1/3 full according to LEDs, turn pump on, light on pump comes on, NO
running pump. Ah Ha, get down with volt meter, (not a lot of room in a
Pod 172 for 245lbs of mass) have two red wires going in and out of end
of pump. Looks like it may be a switch. Pull them off, turn pump on,
check for voltage between red wires, ah ha, we have 12vdc. Jumper the
two red wires, ah ha, we have running pump, run for 60 seconds to get
rid of antifreeze, turn off. What is the switch, and can I take it off
to fix or replace?  Thanks in advance. ------------- Happy Traveling, Tom 2017 172pod 2011 F150 STX |
Replies:
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2018 at 12:22pm
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The switch you describe is a pressure switch. It senses the water pressure and shuts the pump off when it reaches its set point. It sounds like it is not closing at low pressure. The switch should be replaceable. Note the pump manufacturer and model, most likely Shurflo 4000 series, and search for same in the internet. You should find an assembly drawing and parts list. That said there is a small Allen head setscrew on the switch. I have seen it back off under travel vibration. If it backs off it lowers the cutoff pressure. If this set point gets too low the pump never come on. It's worth a try. Carefully increase the screw pressure (turn clockwise turning the screw in) and see if it make any difference but keep track of how many turns you apply so you can reverse if necessary. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2018 at 1:05pm
100% dead on, as always..  ------------- |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2018 at 6:58pm
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.....2011 177 (SOLD) 2017.5 Lance 2295
2017 F 250 SD..... Didn't realize KY had a state lottery, Mark. Congratulations.  ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2018 at 7:50pm
Jeez I wish we had won the lotto.. we had to do it the old fashioned way and cash out an investment.. The big Expy just wasn't all that happy with the Lance.. But we got high blue book for it, and a decent discount on one of the last '17 F250's in the area.. so it wasn't as painful as it could have been. We had saved up for the Lance, the truck wasn't planned.. But yeah, that's been a year now.. In fact, the couple that bought furpod, loved it so much, and their grandkids loved camping so much.... That they have now sold it and moved to a larger rig.. furpod now lives in Cleveland as I understand it.. I won't say what they bought.. but it isn't an FR product.. ------------- |
Posted By: SC for Huskers
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2018 at 10:12am
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Had to replace on crimp on lug, placed red wires back on pump, switched on, Ah Ha, ran but cycles on-off, and very low pressure. Started to rain, so wasn't able to adjust the Allen screw. I couldn't find my pump on the net but did find a aftermarket style that was very close. Don't understand why more pressure - less gpm. , more gpm less pressure? Even by adding a air tank, you dont get a better stream in the shower. Thanks for putting me on the adjustment. I'll try it next weekend when I get it back from Homeowners Lot. Tom ------------- Happy Traveling, Tom 2017 172pod 2011 F150 STX |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2018 at 10:58am
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You shouldn't have any issue with pressure, when operating correctly, the pump operates at 45-50psi. If you have low pressure, then it's a blockage or flow problem. Check the prefilter first. It's a small clear cup just before the pump. Next, check the line from the holding tank to the pump. After that, check for debris in the faucets themselves, the kitchen sink aerator is notorious for clogging. If, when you run the pump, it cycles on and off with no faucet open, you have a leak. Period. I have opened lines on campers that hadn't been used in months, and the lines were still fully pressurized. Any tech etc who tells you "oh they cycle now and then" is full of it. The pressure is going somewhere. Also, tank monitors are hokum. 1/3rd on the panel means nothing. For any function. ------------- |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2018 at 12:17pm
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Let me add a few points to Furpod's comments. Generally I agree and blockages can be a problem. You should have adequate pressure with the pump. If you have low pressure and/or flow from city water either the city water pressure/flow is limited or you have blockage from that city water supply. If all works well with the pump start looking at the city water supply. There is a filter screen at the city water inlet that can clog. If you're using an inline pressure regulator it may limit flow. I've found the cheap regulators from Camping World/Camco/Valterra can limit shower flow; even the so called "high flow rate" ones. Checkout the Fairview WR-RV55 from https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/Fixed.htm - https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/Fixed.htm I like to set the pump pressure high enough so the pump just cannot keep up when the shower is wide open. This prevents pump cycling when in the shower, which can cause some temperature fluctuations as the pump cycles and Furpod will have an unhappy camping wife. Turn on the pump and shower wide open and adjust the pump up until it just stays on. Check to make sure the pump stops when all faucets are closed. The third point is the pump may cycle infrequently if the HW tank is full, hot, and turned off. Water has some air mixed in and the HW heater has a small air cushion on the top. As the water cools the air pressure reduces and the pump may cycle to make up for it. However, that should happen very infrequently and only a few times. If it cycles throughout the night you need to find Furpod's leak. He's right about that. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |