Water Pump Not Pulling from Water Tank? -
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Topic: Water Pump Not Pulling from Water Tank? -
Posted By: babyboogerfamily
Subject: Water Pump Not Pulling from Water Tank? -
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 1:33pm
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Our new pod isn't running water from the water tank. Tank is full, pump was on, no water. City water works fine. I've heard that the winterization valve needs to be turned? Where in the world is it located in the 2018 176T model? This dealer in Ohio did not do their job very well. |
Replies:
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 1:35pm
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The winterization inlet hose, and the second most probable cause, the strainer basket, are both right near the pump itself. You WILL need to open a compartment or remove a panel to get to it. I am sorry I have never worked on a 176T's water system, they are pretty rare.But turn the pump on and follow the rattle.. LOL ------------- |
Posted By: babyboogerfamily
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 3:11pm
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We got to what we think is the winterization valve and it worked briefly but then stopped and all we feel is air coming out of faucets? |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 3:30pm
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The valve handle should be pointed at the hose coming from the holding tank, not the anti freeze pick up hose. Can you post a picture of the valve and it's position? Also, check the strainer basket for leaks/cracks/looseness, if you have not already.
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Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 3:33pm
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I can tell you self priming pump is not a rapid self priming pump. It has taken me several minutes to get water thru the water pump after dewinterization. I was surprised at the amount of time it took to prime. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: babyboogerfamily
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 5:38pm
| Tried for several minutes and was worried it was going to burn something out. |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 5:48pm
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Nope, it will run dry. Try again. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2018 at 6:01pm
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Are you sure you closed the winterization valve? It may be under the sink and it's at the top of about a two foot hose that goes nowhere. (When you winterize you put the end of the hose in a jug of antifreeze and it sucks the antifreeze through the plumbing.) It shouldn't be confused with the bypass valves for the water heater. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: babyboogerfamily
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 9:28am
We're pretty sure it was the right valve, we found the line that would insert into the winter solution and when the bypass value is open to the winter line it pulls in air, when it's open to the line to the tank it doesn't pull in any air. We checked the silver filter and it's clean. Left it running for 30 minutes and not a single drop?  Is there a bypass valve between the city water and fresh water tank? I don't imagine there would be. |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 10:15am
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Is this the first time you've ever tried the water from the onboard tank? Just a WAG, there could be some sort of blockage in the line. I've never tried this so I have no idea what's involved, but you might need to crawl under the Pod to check the line coming from the tank. I'd do that long before I took it back to Ohio for the dealer to fix. There aren't a lot of possibilities... the whole system from tank to faucet is maybe five feet long. Furpod suggested the strainer basket and you said silver filter. Not sure wha that is, but I think Furpod was referring to the strainer that is actually attached to the inlet side of the water pump. Is that what you checked? It's an easy job except for the contortions you probably have to go to to get at it. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 11:06am
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The strainer itself is a little silver basket/tube/screen thing, sounds like they found it, and the proper valve/hose. next best guess is that the line FROM the FW holding tank to the pump, is clogged or kinked. That's going to be just a matter of following it backwards to find an issue. To check for a clog.. a person could, disconnect from the pump end, and shoot compressed air back into the line to the holding tank.. if you have the bits.. like a compressor, to do it. ------------- |
Posted By: BKay
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 12:48pm
| We have traced the line and no kinks. The only thing I can think of since we can hear air coming out of the faucet is a air leak somewhere. When we checked the silver filter it had no water in it at all. This is the first time we have tried to use it and it is brand new. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 1:05pm
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and you are sure the FW holding tank is full? You filled it until it overflowed? The water heater is already full? ------------- |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 1:31pm
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Like Furpod I'm circling back around. One of the things this really sounds like is the valve on antifeeze siphon hose is open. That valve switches the pump from sucking water from the FW tank to sucking up antifreeze -- if the end of the hose is stuck down in a jug of antifreeze. If there's no jug, the hose will suck air and pump it to the kitchen faucet. If there's any doubt in your mind whether you found the right hose/valve, let us know and we'll help figure that out. Otherwise, it sounds like a really odd problem. If air is being sucked in from somewhere other than the antifreeze hose you might be able to hear where. I'm a little surprised if the hose is broken or disconnected at some point between the FW tank and the pump that water isn't flowing out of the tank by gravity. I just thought of something maybe Furpod or someone else can help with. There is a check valve between the city water input and the FW tank. It prevents the FW tank from filling when you're hooked up to city water. Maybe that's stuck in a way that the pump is pumping air from the city water input on the outside of the trailer. Maybe the valve was installed backwards... Just guessing. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 1:49pm
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TT - That valve is in the water pump, not in the line. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 2:21pm
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Thanks Mike. I'm grasping at straws. If there was a clog at the outlet of the tank itself the pump wouldn't be pumping air -- it would be trying to create a vacuum between the tank and the pump -- no air being pushed out of the faucet. The OP says he's checked all the way back from the pump; I'd think any breaks would be apparent. I guess it could be a bad pump. The vanes of the pump could be loose on their axle; the motor would run but the vanes wouldn't turn, so it might sound like it's working but isn't. That doesn't account for air coming out of the faucet though. Furpod's idea to blow back from the inlet hose of the pump would probably my next step. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: babyboogerfamily
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 2:32pm
FW tank was full till the point of overflowing. The water heater, I'm not sure, it should get filled via the pump?
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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 2:38pm
Yes.. but it will take a couple minutes.. during which time you will get.. just air out of the faucets. Something to try.. you know where the valve and the anti freeze take up hose are. Fill a clean container with water, and put the AF hose into it, set the valve to take up from there, and turn on the pump. This will prove the pump itself is operating properly, and, prime the pump partly. . ------------- |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 5:14pm
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+++++1 - I am SOOOOOO Happy. I said this last year when I dewinterized. I used water on the AF line to prime the pump after running my pump for 10 minutes and getting nothing. (water tank and WH full). 'Cuse me while I do the "told you so" dance :) THANKS Furpod. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 5:28pm
Ahh, the wisdom of Furpod lives on. Thanks for staying on this forum Mark and for helping so many of us.
------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |