FIXED: Water pump hammering like crazy (bad water pump)

jbeletti

Well-known member
FINAL UPDATE

It works. I'd taken a break to have a short 'personal pity party' and allow Nancy to take a shower (bypassed system to feed shore water directly into coach water system) and thereafter, unbypassed my plant and all was well. Great pressure too. Just got done putting all my stuff back into the bay. And now, it's 'It's Miller Time'
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UPDATE 2


Okay - new pump installed - went in fine.
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But... it's pulling air and water into the pump and unsure why thus far. I ran 2 gallons of water from the output of the pump, into a jug to ensure the pump was purged after installation. I've checked the strainer bowl, inlet and outlet connectors. Still about a 50/50 mixture.

The way I have this plumbed is "through" the Anderson valve. I have a feeling that perhaps I've got an issue there. Maybe an o-ring has slipped and I'm bringing in air from another port. Time to test this theory and pull the fresh water tank suction / fill line off the Anderson valve and plumb it directly to the pump to confirm.

Getting too old and fat to be spending this much time "in the hole" and in and out of the bay :( Will report back later on this saga :)

UPDATE 1

So it was the pump. All 10 screws that connect the pump head to the motor had sheared off.
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Temporarily, I replaced the pump with the tiny one that came with the Landmark I'd been carrying it as a spare. Turns out the tiny OE pump was not up to the task.
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I'm on my way to a Camping World to pickup an Aquajet Variable Speed RV Water Pump, 5.3 GPM. I called and they have 2 in stock and as a member, they'll match their online price. Will update later.
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ISSUE


I usually post coach modifications, not problems on the forum. Not that I never have coach problems. I have my share. But I'm a bit beside myself this week :)

Anyway, tonight, my water pump starting hammering like crazy, like it can't get prime. There is a lot of water in the tank but nothing getting pumped.

I noticed before this trip that one of the screws had rattled out of or broken from the pump head. Due to how I've mounted my pump in a bit of an elaborate filtration and whole-coach RO system, I wasn't able to replace this screw or the pump before this trip.

Tonight while out shopping, we had a load of clothes in the washer, washing. When we arrived back home, we found water on the floor in the main bathroom. There was a leak at the plastic nut on the end of the PEX where it connects to the toilet. Honestly, that nut wasn't very loose. I was barely able to tighten it up much more. The drip did stop though.

Minutes later, the super-loud water pump hammering began for the first time (that we've been home to hear anyway). Shortly thereafter, we lost pressure at all faucets.

I'm not tearing into it tonight, but here's a couple of theories I'll test tomorrow:
1. Obstruction between tank and pump inlet (it does go through the Anderson valve)
2. Bad pump

Fortunately, I have a lot of experience with the water system in the coach and there's an RV parts store a few miles away for a new pump if needed. So I'm pretty sure I can get this taken care of in the morning.

So, I'm unsure what to make of the water leak at the commode and whether it has anything to do with the pump. Did the pump output suddenly go to 125 PSI output? Just coincidence?

Anyone have any thoughts?
 
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danemayer

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Jim,

I wish I had a more constructive thought, but my money's on the pump.
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Jim...you said you were doing laundry, then said the water pump was hammering.

Were you doing laundry via the water pump vs city water connection?

I had a water issues last Spring, and it turned out to be the filter baskets has somehow become loose and was pulling in air and causing the pump to fail to prime completely.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Jim,

We're pulling water from the tank as we make RO water for whole-coach use.

In the morning, once I expose the pump, I'll be doing a visual inspection of the pump body, inlet, outlet, strainer bowl, lines and Anderson valve. If all that looks good, I'll replace the pump and hope that's it :)
 

Lou_and_Bette

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Jim, I’m wondering if air got into your system someway? Not at the pump but in the feeder lines. When we would install plumbing in the “old” days, we put a short deadheaded section to act as a shock absorber to stop the pipes from banging.
 

Lynn1130

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

I had an air leak in a line near the pump that developed on this last trip. The pump was running quietly until that line leaked and from that point until I replaced the section of line the pump hammered until it could develop line water pressure again. The hole in the line finally got bad enough that I could hear the pump sucking air and realized what was going on. My money is on an air leak someplace in the system.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Jim,

If it's due to an air leak, the plastic strainer bowl on the pump is a prime candidate. I know you winterized earlier this winter, but I don't remember if you used antifreeze or air. In our climate, I'm not sure compressed air technique by itself is sufficient. And if using compressed air in conjunction with an Anderson Valve, I think it would be important to have the valve set on Winterize to drive compressed air through the pump.
 

Az_Ernie

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Jim...you said you were doing laundry, then said the water pump was hammering.

Were you doing laundry via the water pump vs city water connection?

I had a water issues last Spring, and it turned out to be the filter baskets has somehow become loose and was pulling in air and causing the pump to fail to prime completely.
We're having pump prime problems on our 3160EL as well. Are the filter baskets located on the pump? If so, is your pump still the OEM pump that came with your rig?
 

CoveredWagon

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

First things first. Simply remove the output from the pump and give it a quick shot. If water flows move on. Next thing I’d do would be to empty all the lines and start fresh. That’s the way it left the factory, emptyIf the lines are all completely full you have no air to absorb the shock.
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

We're having pump prime problems on our 3160EL as well. Are the filter baskets located on the pump? If so, is your pump still the OEM pump that came with your rig?

Ernie...Yes, they are connected directly to the pump, just as the water enters the pump. If the little hopper is cracked/broken, that can easily be replaced...no need to purchase a new pump.

If you have a few minutes, you can watch the video I did for the Lippert replacement pump. At the 2:32 mark, I start talking about the filter and you can see what it looks like.

https://youtu.be/FW9XGSdbsns
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

I've updated post 1 with the diagnosis. On my way to Camping World now to get a new pump and will do a final update later.
 

Az_Ernie

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Ernie...Yes, they are connected directly to the pump, just as the water enters the pump. If the little hopper is cracked/broken, that can easily be replaced...no need to purchase a new pump.

If you have a few minutes, you can watch the video I did for the Lippert replacement pump. At the 2:32 mark, I start talking about the filter and you can see what it looks like.

https://youtu.be/FW9XGSdbsns
Thanks Jim! Is the LCI pump in the video the same pump that originally came with your 3160EL? If not, does the original OEM pump have the same/similar filter at the inlet?
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Thanks Jim! Is the LCI pump in the video the same pump that originally came with your 3160EL? If not, does the original OEM pump have the same/similar filter at the inlet?

No...our rig came with a Shurflo water pump. I still have the Shurflo in our RV....the Lippert pump is my spare. Yes...the filter will be in the exact same location.

- - - Updated - - -

UPDATE

So it was the pump. All 10 screws that connect the pump head to the motor had sheared off.
View attachment 56322

Whoa....125 PSI in RV water lines??
 

Az_Ernie

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

No...our rig came with a Shurflo water pump. I still have the Shurflo in our RV....the Lippert pump is my spare. Yes...the filter will be in the exact same location.

- - - Updated - - -



Whoa....125 PSI in RV water lines??
Thanks again! Our rig is in storage and I don't have easy access. Next time we're at the trailer, I'll have to checkout the filter assembly. Hopefully, it will be something that easy! :)
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

Thanks again! Our rig is in storage and I don't have easy access. Next time we're at the trailer, I'll have to checkout the filter assembly. Hopefully, it will be something that easy! :)

Hardest part will removing that darn basement wall. Sooooo many screws. LOL :cool:

- - - Updated - - -

FIXED!

Final update in post #1.

Miller time my friends!

View attachment 56331

So you went from 125 PSI pump to 65 PSI pump. Did you know you had a 125 PSI pump?
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Re: Water pump hammering like crazy

So you went from 125 PSI pump to 65 PSI pump. Did you know you had a 125 PSI pump?

Hi Jim,

I believe both pumps were 65 PSI rated. The pump that went bad had Demand/Bypass control. I think this might mean that at 125 PSI inlet pressure, the pump would allow water to push through it by design.
 
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