New trailer home, can't figure out water pump issue...

[txairdream]

Alright,

Just got my beautiful new 2013 Flying Cloud FB home. I've had her for about 24 hours and have been learning/working all the systems. Everything is great so far except my water pump. It runs and in the lavatory the hot side will run a low, steady steam of water, but the cold side will sputter. In the galley both sides sputter. The last few times I ran it it clicks for a few minutes after I turn it off.

Another note about this: I called the dealer tech who had told me when we were walking through that I needed to take a couple screws out from under the lavatory sink and lift up on the board that makes the bottom shelf. He said under that is a valve that they had activated to keep water from running through the trailer while in storage. I had forgotten he told me that so I happily unscrewed four screws from that shelf today, thinking I was about to solve my problem.

Well, the shelf will NOT budge! It even looks like in the gap that there are wooden dowels holding it in place. It doesn't seem like it was made to easily access anything, and I don't want to break this shelf. The tech told me to bring the AS in but I really don't want to do that right now, as I'm all settled. I found the actual pump right next to the lavatory seat behind some galley drawers, but don't see the problem.

Any ideas besides hauling this thing to the dealer?

[kswelsh]

Dumb question - is there enough water coming up from the fresh water tank or outside hookup to support the use of the water pump?

[Alumaholic]

Did you read your owners manual? Airstream has great manuals. It is well worth the time it takes.

[txairdream]

I have a full fresh water tank, and I did read the owners manual. Perplexed.

[Sbb]

I am of no help...but just letting you know I feel bad for you, it is these small thing that can just drive us nuts, more because we r learning something new. Keep a little running comentary in a notebook everytime something comes up...good to reference. I hope it works out easily for you and you enjoy your Airstream forever.

[Tater]

I would call A/S customer service. They are very helpful and can probably help you figure it out quickly. I'd call them on the cell so you can look at whatever they describe as the correction in real time.

[Alumaholic]

You need an Airstream buddy.
Suggest you start a new thread with your city in the title asking for help understanding the workings of your Airstream. I would not drag it back to the dealer he has already done you a disservice.
There are a good many WBCCI members in Amarillo. Someone will help.
I would if you were in Albuquerque.

[Castaway]

Where is your pump located? It sounds like air in the lines, if your water heater is closer to the pump than the kitchen sink it would fill with water first. Also does water run through everything when hooked to the city supply?

Gary

[SkooterPop]

I don't know anything about a shelf, as my Argosy is ancient and they probably didn't use shut off valves at that time, but sputtering in water spigots sound like air in the lines to me. I would check for leaks under cupboards or anywhere else fresh water lines run and if you don't see or feel any water where it shouldn't be, try to power up the pump and let it run a while with the taps open to see if the sputtering turns into steady streams. Another thing I would try is to do the same checks with fresh water from an outside supply hose hooked up.

[txairdream]

Great suggestions, y'all. Will call customer service tomorrow. Haven't tried city water yet, I need to get to a local rv park to try the connections. I will let you know what I find out!

[daveswenson]

You don't need to go to an rv park to test the city water connection. If you have a faucet you can attach a hose. It really sounds like you just have air in the lines. If you open up your faucets and let it run, you should clear out the air.

[txairdream]

Well let's just put it this way - I wanna go to an RV park because I'm excited to get this thing out there, lol! And yes an rv park excites me at this point

[aftermath]

Could it be that you have a bypass at your water pump that allows you to winterize the trailer directly from a jug of antifreeze? I had one of these on my earlier SOB and if the valve was left open it would suck in air instead of water from the tank.

I can't imagine any other valve as you described. Please let us know how this all works out in the end.

[txairdream]

Ok, so I finally had time to take it to the dealer and they fixed the problem! Here was the deal: first of all, the access to the pump was NOT under the sink as they had told me but rather under the drawers in the galley. Then the tech found a filter screen that was not screwed on tightly. That fixed it - my water pump works like a dream now. They really should have caught that when they prepped the trailer!