My RV Water Pump Stopped Working
My RV water pump stopped working. While checking my RV for good condition for a recent trip I found that the water pump(a 2088 model) had stopped working properly. What that means is that it was still pumping, but with very little volume. The water would dribble out of the faucet when I opened it.
FLOJET Quad Ii Water Pump – Amazon.com
I have had previous water pump failures on other RVs but not on this RV. What I had last time was the same sort of thing. Very little volume. What this told me was that the pump motor was still running. So right off I thought I could repair this with zero dollars spent. I could tell that the motor was working but something was preventing the pump from working properly.
Normal Pump Operation
I know from the previous pump that the pump operation is pretty simple. It does not spin a rotor it just moves a set of diaphragms thru a cam action. There are three cavities in this pump. Each of the three cavities has a simple valve which is a “rubber” type round disk pressing against the plastic body. When each of the chambers compresses the water pushes past the valve. When the pressure differential changes so that the chamber has less pressure than the water on the other side of the valve the water pressure closes the valve. That’s it one moving part. Check valves hold the moving water from the compressed diaphragm side to the pressurized side.
SHURFLO 9423804 Fresh Water Pump Drive Assembly – Amazon.com
Inspection and Discovery
So I took the pump out and knew I had to check the diaphragm for holes and the check valves for debris. When I opened it up the first thing I see is small pieces of plastic from a hole being drilled out probably in the tank. I paid close attention to the condition of the diaphragm for holes and found none. The check valves were another story. They, two of the three check valves, had debris between the valve and the valve seat(the area where the valve rests on the plastic to create a seal). I cleaned out the debris and gently lifted the check valve and checked that there was no buildup of crud on the check valves and that the valve seat areas were smooth and not notched, chipped or heavily scratched.
Results
With these two parts checked the pump should work properly. I put everything together and installed the pump. It failed when I opened the faucet. Same problem only worse. What the hey! I went back in and checked the pressure switch area and found that the small diaphragm was stuck(more debris) and took the unit apart. I cleaned it thoroughly and could tell instantly that the small check valve was working properly. It moved freely, not like before where it was almost stuck closed and wouldn’t move.
SHURFLO Diaphragm Pump with Lower Housing Kit Assembly – Amazon.com
What I learned
So I put everything back together and installed the pump again. This time, it worked flawlessly. So what did I learn?
- Check the diaphragm for holes.
- Check the check valves and seats for debris and clean thoroughly.
- Take the pressure switch side apart as well and check it’s operation.
- I could have saved myself some problems if the pump had had a pre-screen filter before the pump to trap the debris that started this whole mess. The screen filter is on order.
- My hunch was right I accomplished the “repair” with zero dollars spent.
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