Pulsating Water Pump: 2009-BH 3055 RL

[SPY9]

Have owned RV for one year and are now wanting to dry camp. Factory installed SHURflo Classic Pump 2.5 GPM. The water pump pulsates (with either hot or cold on) in the kitchen and outside shower. Bathroom sink, toilet and shower seem to work fine.
So far I have done the following:
1) Cleaned out pump strainer (found white piece of plastic)
2) Made sure all connections were tight at pump
3) Filled fresh water tank (Already have fixed the filling issues)
4) Installed plugs on city water and waste water inlets
5) Turned on pump and it primes correctly and shuts off.

I have tried to run water through outside shower to get any air out. That doesn't work. It seems to pulsate harder with the outside shower on than it does with the kitchen sink on. Looking for any other suggestions to try. Have I overlooked something? Is pump to small? It is driving me crazy - HELP!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SPY9]

Nobody has really jumped to reply, so I have continued to pursue other avenues. For starters I read the "Installation and Operational Manual" for my SHURflo water pump. Low and behold SHURflo recommends at least one foot of fexible high-pressure tubing from both the inlet and outlet. Also, use as few elbows and valves as possible in the first two feet after the pump. My water pump is plumbed with a 90 degree elbow immediately after the inlet and outlet. After the 90 degree outlet there is a tee within 3 inches. Called SHURflo techincal support and was informed the current plumbing installation is the problem.

Stay tuned for the results of the changes I will be making to the plumbing system. Logic tells me the pulsating should be resolved. Won't be able to start working on it until we get back in about three weeks.

 

[CrazyScotsman]

OK I am staying tuned.
My pump does that pulsating thing once in a blue moon, but there again only time I turn pump on, is if we have to use the loo after we unhook from city connection right before we leave CG, or need to use loo while travelling.
So I thought it was normal.

 

[TXBobcat]

Spy9
I'm not sure but I think everyone's water pump will pulse when using it from one place. Someone showed me that we are normally not getting enough flow to keep it running continuously. If you go into the kitchen and turn on the water then turn the water on some place else it may continue to run.

The pump provides enough pressure but not enough water is moving out of the faucet to keep the pressure low so it shuts off, the pressure drops so it comes back on, and so on.

Try turning on more than one faucet and see if the pump keeps running..

Hope this helps
BC

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Low and behold SHURflo recommends at least one foot of fexible high-pressure tubing from both the inlet and outlet. Also, use as few elbows and valves as possible in the first two feet after the pump. My water pump is plumbed with a 90 degree elbow immediately after the inlet and outlet. After the 90 degree outlet there is a tee within 3 inches. Called SHURflo techincal support and was informed the current plumbing installation is the problem.

Spy9 that's quite an interesting discovery. I always assumed it was because of the low flow restrictions in our fixtures that might be causing the pump to pulse. It will be interesting to see if your fix works. In my previous 5ver I had an accumulator tank. Worked wonders. We use our pump very little now so it's a non issue, but if we did a lot of dry camping, I would put a tank in the Bighorn. Keep us posted.

 

[ChopperBill]

I found if I took the spay mechanism out of the kitchen faucet it quit pulsating there. Renee said no way, so it still pulsates. The pulsating is starting to drive me nuts. Turn the water low in the bathroom, it pulsates. Taking a shower and it pulsates. I wouldn't really care if the pump wasn't so noisy, and I have done about all I can to quite it. I am about to buy one of those fancy pants high dollar variable speed pumps. Figure it would be easier than installing an accumulator.

 

[SPY9]

Well here is the update. I haven't got all my parts yet so I can move the pump and eliminate the 90 degree elbows. The Flex-Tech tubing that Heartland uses behind the docking station doesn't seem to be available commerically. So I placed an order with Heartland Parts for 15 feet of the Flex-Tech tubing on Sept. 29th. Still haven't been contacted by Heartland that my order has been processed. I already have the Oetiker SS "Stepless" Clamps and Straight Jaw Pincer. This isn't major job once you have all the parts. Anyway we are leaving again and won't be able to do the work until the first of November.

Oh! As a side issue when I first looked at the pump location, I found that the factory screwed the pump down on top of the black/gray drain lever wires. Moved pump off wires. Amazinely, the black drain lever now opens all the way. No wonder I had problems get my black tank to fully drain.

See you in November.