city water hookup filling fresh tank?

[joevdb]

In an 86 sovereign, should there be a switch to prevent the fresh tank from filling when using city water? Dealer couldn't locate leak and isn't sure if it's coming from fresh tank or line above it. Thanks in advance. Intermittent connectivity means my responses may be slow.

[Woosch]

Might be the check valve with your water pump. We had this happen and replaced the whole pump. Problem went away. Hope somebody has a less expensive solution for you.

[polarlyse]

Same thing happened to me. You can get a kit to re-condition the pump as long as the motor is good. I think they're about $8 or so. I currently have one and the kit to install but plan to try and just remove the pump head and flush it. Hoping it just has dome debris blocking the check valve. If not I have the kit to replace it.

[OTRA15]

There are a few recent threads on bad pump check valves:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Pump...com&gws_rd=ssl

Recently: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f445...ve-166395.html

One thing to try, with city water disconnected, is to turn the pump on and off a few times and run the water fully each time. Sometimes this clears debris out of the check valve.

Failing to use an inline water filter allows debris to enter the system, both from the tank AND city water supplies.

Good luck,

Petet

[OTRA15]

PS -- Here is another recent thread FYI:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f163...nk-167100.html

[Wingeezer]

Had the same problem on our last winter trip to Florida- I was pretty sure it was a problem with the pump itself, I think it has an internal check valve, but if not, the diaphragm valves in the pump should probably act as a check valve anyway and maybe one of them (I think there are four in my Shurflo pump) maybe be acting up

I tried running the pump for a while thinking that may correct the problem if teh water flow might clear something blocking check valve. It did for a week or so and then it happened again - water was dripping out of the water tank fill connection vent when we were connected to city water.

When we got home I just bought a new pump - not that expensive. I will install it in the trailer that is now in storage, bring the old pump home to dismantle and fix, then keep it as a spare - should be ver quick to swap pumps, any time.

Initially when it happened, I planned to just install an external check valve in the pump delivery line, and even bought a check valve to do that - but then I decided that was not really the right way to fix things!

[joevdb]

Thanks for the links. The pump is older and due for replacement so i think we'll start with a brew one and know what we have. The check valve at the city water full is leaking too, so winegeezers post points to a similar issue. .Thanks!

[rvb]

We had very high water pressure at a State Park Campground and even with a pressure regulator on the hose it blew past the check valve in the water pump (which was new), filled up the tank and ran out the fill.

I installed a commercial backflow preventer made of brass in the line immediately after the pump and have had no further problems. That cost about $15 on Ebay and you just splice it into the flex hose.

[StreamDog]

I got a good one for ya. We were just at Chatfield State park in Denver. Hooked up to city h2o and had h2o overflowing (slowly) from the fresh tank. BUT, we noticed the same thing happening with about half a dozen other RVs in the camp. Get to another campground, hook up to city and have NO OVERFLOWING!! Go figure...

[OTRA15]

The road action between campgrounds might have dislodged debris which was keeping the check valve open. Of all the other trailers with a similar problem, how many were using an inline water filter in their hose, in order to keep grit out of the water tank and plumbing via the city water intake?

[Barbcida]

Hi! Could really use some guidence...Where is the city water hook up located?
I tried to use the connect at the galley sink, flooded the world ha. My a/s is 1975
Land Yacht,31.

[dennis3751]

Our 76 is on the curbside right next to the bumper. It's a regular garden hose fitting.
Dennis

[joevdb]

OK, so the AS is back in our hands.
We filled the fresh tank with a hose, not connected to city water inlet. No leak.
We used the pump, no issues, except the pump is LOUD.
Hooked up city water. Pressure was fine, then water started flowing randomly underneath the AS on both curb and street side from fresh water housing, as if water were pouring on top of tank, and flowing off.

No water visible in the pump area...it was dry all around.

Conclusion: There a leak in a line below the floor and above the tank. The pump isn't the issue.

Question: Where should we start looking for a broken connection or split hose? Under the sink area?

[joevdb]

Update, not so clear cut:

Now unhooked city water, only using tank and pump, tried to use shower, water spilling again. Water ran out of the kitchen sink OK, but only a trickle from the shower while this leaking was underway.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the two recent updates.

Guessing here -- did the plumbing work correctly last fall, and did you (or someone else) winterize the trailer's plumbing for the winter? Were the lines blown our thoroughly with compressed air?

If the winterization was not done right, a freeze-up may have cracked one or more of these IMO:

-- city water inlet and/or pressure regulator and/or check valve (if any)
-- shower valve assembly and/or exterior shower valve (if any)
-- OEM valve to fill tank while connected to city water (see below)

Does your 1986 AS have an OEM built-in valve that lets you fill the water tank when hooked up to city water? I would check your owner's manual, but the dealer should have known about this as a possibility IMO? If you don't have an owner's manual, we can find one online, so please advise.

Good luck!

Peter

PS -- Could you post a photo of the city water connection, and any inside shots of it too? Is yours at the rear bumper street side?

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by joevdb

Update, not so clear cut:

Now unhooked city water, only using tank and pump, tried to use shower, water spilling again. Water ran out of the kitchen sink OK, but only a trickle from the shower while this leaking was underway.

Please hook up to city water again, and see if you also get the same leak at the shower. Something in your various descriptions seems inconsistent IMO.

In the earlier post you said everything worked OK using the pump:

Originally Posted by joevdb

. . .
We used the pump, no issues, except the pump is LOUD.
. . .

First impression is that we are moving too fast here -- and jumping to conclusions without doing a slow and deliberate gathering of the facts of what is happening step-by-step.

Maybe focus on using the city water hooked up, leaving it on, and describing if any leaks appear WITHOUT using anything else. One step at a time?

Thanks,

Peter

[joevdb]

Thanks Peter. We went through again. Using the pump whatsoever causes leaks. Using city water hookup leaks as well. Same symptom with an unidentifiable gusher above the fresh water tank pouring from the pan. We'll be contacting Jackson center. My patience for this project is at end. So frustrating. Balancing regrets and persistence at this point. My deepest thanks to all for your help. I will update when resolved so we can learn from each other.

[Foiled Again]

Oh crap! Another lesson. I stopped using an inline filter because I drink bottled water. Much water on Atlantic Ocean campgrounds is safe but brackish. Didn't think that the pump would choke on it too.

Sigh, off to walmart. Paula

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by joevdb

Thanks Peter. We went through again. Using the pump whatsoever causes leaks. Using city water hookup leaks as well. Same symptom with an unidentifiable gusher above the fresh water tank pouring from the pan. We'll be contacting Jackson center. My patience for this project is at end. So frustrating. Balancing regrets and persistence at this point. My deepest thanks to all for your help. I will update when resolved so we can learn from each other.

Thanks for the update. Sorry for the continuing troubles. Jackson Center is quite a ways away from you. Is there a closer RV service center that might be OK? You could start a new thread here asking for recommendations in your area. There are lots of good (non-dealer) AS mechanics, but many of them are found only through word-of-mouth. We found one nearby from a couple of threads here, and our first (and only) service with them was great.

Good luck!

Peter

[xrvr]

Sometimes on thirty year old trailers it's very, very difficult to solve a problem. Too many years and miles make things brittle and prone to fail. Good luck.