Shower - Serious Water Temp Issue

[itsbeertime]

Just picked up our BC 3250TS over the weekend and we have a serious problem with the shower. At first I thought it was just a crappy water faucet but after day two I don't know. You turn the water on and set the temp and without touching the handles the water temp changes from cold to hot to cold to hot and on and on. It will not stay one temperature. And it's a serious swing in temp, not a couple of degrees. It will go from really cold to almost scalding hot. It is virtually impossible to take a shower in this thing. Any suggestions before I call Heartland? I asked the dealer and of course they have never heard of this problem.

And while on the subject of the shower, the water flow SUCKS. I think I saw a thread about that awhile ago here. I need to go hunt it down.

 

[cookie]

A few things come to mind. In regards to the hot/cold swings, is your hw heater bypass valve entirely in the correct position? And the second thing is do you use a pressure regulator? Is it a good one or one of the cheap plastic things? And did the CG have good water pressure to begin with? Another thing to look for is a kinked water line behind the bulkhead near the UDC. And one last thing, have you cleaned the screens in the faucets. Sometimes they can clog with junk from the water supply. Hope one of these things will help.
Peace
Dave

 

[itsbeertime]

Thanks for the reply.

Re Hot Cold: The bypass switch looks to be in the correct position, but I'll check it again to be sure.

Re Pressure: We were using the tank and pump, not city water. I checked for junk and didn't see anything and I rinsed it out. I started a new topic for this as I can't find the one I'm thinking of now.

 

[ralphpam]

In our 3670 Bighorn, when we use the water pump we have the same problem with temperature swings. On city water, no problem.

 

[jmgratz]

1. Does the same problem exist when on city water? If it does not then the problem is in the water pump area.
2. Is you water heater working properly? Check for fluxuations in hot water pressures.

 

[itsbeertime]

I'll be at a real campground this weekend and I'll try city water and see if it's any different and mess with everything suggested so far. I'm used to our last one changing temp for a couple seconds when you use the shutoff on the shower, but this is too strange and really aggravating. Where is the water pump? I'm guessing it's behind that panel in the basement?

 

[mrcomer]

Yes, behind the panel.

 

[HRAI]

You alluded to the the situation happening when running off the pump and tank. You also mentioned you have poor pressure. Those 2 tidbits indicate that your problem is with the set-up of the pump itself. You will have to adjust your pump cut-in and cut-out so that you have the proper (higher)pressure at the shower. You will then notice that your pump no longer cycles as much and that your water temperature will be more stable. I had the same problem untill I fixed it the way I described above. You can also add a cushion tank to your water system as well. That realy helps cut down on short cycling as well. Try it, you will be amazed at the difference.

Guy

 

[itsbeertime]

Thanks for the pump location.

How does one adjust the pump cycle? I've never heard of that before.

 

[jbeletti]

I don't know anything about adjusting water pumps but there is a tiny troubleshooting section in the attached installation document for the ShurFlo Extreme water pump.

Jim

 

[HRAI]

There is a phillips screw on the end of the pump (oposite motor end) which you can turn to adjust the water pressure settings. In order to increase the pressure, you turn the screw clockwise. Make sure to count the number of turns you give it so that you can set it back the way it was in case you mess it up. I had to crank mine in about 3 turns before I had some good pressure at all my taps. Now the system works almost like the taps do in my house. One more thing, the tank I was mentioning above does cut down on some of the pump noise as well.

Good luck camper!

Guy

 

[itsbeertime]

Thanks for the PDF, Jim. I never knew the pump draws current even when it's not running. Learned me new thing for today.

 

[itsbeertime]

Thanks for the valuable info, Guy. I appreciate it. I hope whatever it is it's a simple fix and not something I have to live with, because I can't live without taking a shower.

 

[rvn4fun]

Mine too

One our new Big Country we have the same problem. Even when we are on campground water. Very fine line between freezing and scalding. Would not let a grandkid shower in there. Water pump seems to go a long time between cycles, but there doesn't seem to be much pressure change.