Back in February, on our move from CO to TX, we noticed the water pump was no longer working (no pumping, no pump motor running).
I had Heartland send me a replacement pump a few months back and today, one day before we head out to the OK rally, I replaced the pump.
Generally speaking, RV water pumps are pretty straight forward and any DIYer and most novices can handle it. Today, I longed for my 14 year-old skinny self.
The water pump location in the 262RB is not only buried but is nearly inaccessible and certainly plumbed and wired before the base cabinet was set in place. I suspect that a good many travel trailers are similar with the water pump under the kitchen counter somewhere - likely buried good.
So my only access was through the lower cabinet face frame drawer openings, with drawers removed. Access was further facilitated by removing the horizontal stile between the bottom and middle drawers. Honestly, removing this stile is the biggest takeaway from this post to anyone else needing to do this.
In most cases, these stiles are put in place with #2 square drive screws into pocket holes. I was even able to fit an electric driver in the space to remove the screws and then the stile.
Now with my access hole as big as it was going to get, I got my tools, my head my shoulders and both arms in there. But it was VERY hard to reach anything and all the work back in the area of the pump was done one-handed and mostly by feel. 90 minutes later, and this 10 minute job was done!
While there is some space to relocate the pump just a little bit to make it more accessible, it would have required reworking some of the PEX piping and I just wasn't up for it today. Too many other things were on my to-do list before we roll in the morning.
I had Heartland send me a replacement pump a few months back and today, one day before we head out to the OK rally, I replaced the pump.
Generally speaking, RV water pumps are pretty straight forward and any DIYer and most novices can handle it. Today, I longed for my 14 year-old skinny self.
The water pump location in the 262RB is not only buried but is nearly inaccessible and certainly plumbed and wired before the base cabinet was set in place. I suspect that a good many travel trailers are similar with the water pump under the kitchen counter somewhere - likely buried good.
So my only access was through the lower cabinet face frame drawer openings, with drawers removed. Access was further facilitated by removing the horizontal stile between the bottom and middle drawers. Honestly, removing this stile is the biggest takeaway from this post to anyone else needing to do this.
In most cases, these stiles are put in place with #2 square drive screws into pocket holes. I was even able to fit an electric driver in the space to remove the screws and then the stile.
Now with my access hole as big as it was going to get, I got my tools, my head my shoulders and both arms in there. But it was VERY hard to reach anything and all the work back in the area of the pump was done one-handed and mostly by feel. 90 minutes later, and this 10 minute job was done!
While there is some space to relocate the pump just a little bit to make it more accessible, it would have required reworking some of the PEX piping and I just wasn't up for it today. Too many other things were on my to-do list before we roll in the morning.
