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Old 05-28-2017, 04:42 PM   #1
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2011 27' FB Flying Cloud
Delmar , New York
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Pipes or Pump?

First trip out for the season. When I turn the water pump on it runs continuously. No leaks inside the trailer and no water coming out the belly. When I turn on the tap it sputters a mix of air and water, pipes never fill. Ran the pump for a minute with the taps off and left it for the day to go hiking. When I got back I turned on the tap and it shot air and a mist of water for a few seconds, so it seems to be holding pressure.

Any thoughts on if this a pump problem ($150 diy problem) or a leak in the plumbing problem(4hr drive to NJ & $$$$). Should I replace the pump or is it just wishful thinking.
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Old 05-28-2017, 05:07 PM   #2
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Howdy!
Was your AS winterized? Was system cleared of water by air or draining at low points?

We only run the WP (water pump) when we have NO city water turned on.. try on the faucet closest to the CITY water connection turned on. That will give you the shortest line to fill...Ours takes a while...depends on water delivery rate.

If winterized, is there water in your Fresh water tank??? That is where the WP pulls from (inlet side of WP). No water, no pumpee..

Airstream recommends using ONE supply at a time.. FW and. WP or CITY.

When you left to hike did you turn off the city water ?

Ok.. your turn to reply
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Old 05-28-2017, 05:45 PM   #3
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Hook it up to city water. Get all the air out of the lines. Get water running to the faucets. The disconnect and try the pump. It should run water through a faucet and cycle on and off. If it does not seem to work correctly it could be a lack of prime or a air leak in the intake line from the tank That line runs under suction. You can look at that line and see if it is full of water or has air in it. If still not working it sounds like the pump. If the pump works fine when the lines are full from the city water but the system will not work when those lines are empty it could be the check valve in the pump but that is sorta irrelevant. Got to change the pump anyway. I have changed 4 pumps in my 2 trailers Easy to do. I changed over to PEX around the pump and re did the lines a little.
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Old 05-28-2017, 05:58 PM   #4
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Check the pipe connections at the pump for tightness. Also the check the strainer connections. It sound like the pump is getting a mix of air and water, instead of just water.

Also if the trailer has a winterizing kit that uses the water pump to siphon the antifreeze from the bottle into the pipes, make sure that valve is close completely.

If a few drops of water were left in either the pump head or the strainer over the winter, either may be cracked and letting air in. So, look & feel for cracks while you are checking for tightness.
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Old 05-28-2017, 07:21 PM   #5
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Howdy!
Was your AS winterized? Was system cleared of water by air or draining at low points?

We only run the WP (water pump) when we have NO city water turned on.. try on the faucet closest to the CITY water connection turned on. That will give you the shortest line to fill...Ours takes a while...depends on water delivery rate.

If winterized, is there water in your Fresh water tank??? That is where the WP pulls from (inlet side of WP). No water, no pumpee..

Airstream recommends using ONE supply at a time.. FW and. WP or CITY.

When you left to hike did you turn off the city water ?

Ok.. your turn to reply
It was winterized, just compressed air no anti--freeze.

Filled the fresh water tank when I arrived at our first campground. The site there had no hookups and the current campground doesn't even have a place to fill up, so no city water.
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Old 05-28-2017, 08:43 PM   #6
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Ok..
So, you have only fresh water on board. You did not verify function before leaving home. Got it..

It sounds like your pump may be working... just there is an air leak on the suction line. Snug the suction line to pump... Was it loose?

Place a tool under the pump or hose connections. Remove the pump screen, (usually just remove the hose connection) then unscrew the screen basket.. make sure it is clean. Reinstall.

Open nearest cold water ONLY. Turn on pump... watch the Pump screen basket.. do you see water? Is water coming out of the faucet? Is 'air' moving thru the faucet?

Pretty simple.. there must be water in the fresh water (FW) tank. The pump must be able to use suction line to pull up the water from the FW tank. A restriction in the line from the FW to the pump could stop the flow. If your FW tank vent is clogged, it will make it hard to impossible for the pump to prime.

Try opening the FW drain petcock. Does water easily flow? If it does, great. If not.. then need to resolve that problem.

When I prime my pump, I remove the outlet hose, turn on the pump and catch the water in a shallow pan with a towel inside.. keeps things from sloshing.. You can also just 'crack' open the outlet piping.. turn on pump.. water should flow..

Now, there is also the possibility there is some kind of junk in your FW tank... that is clogging the pickup line.

You have some other info to verify.. good luck
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Old 05-28-2017, 10:52 PM   #7
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It was winterized, just compressed air no anti--freeze.

Filled the fresh water tank when I arrived at our first campground. The site there had no hookups and the current campground doesn't even have a place to fill up, so no city water.
You say "just compressed air". So you blew out the lines using the city water connection, right? And did you do anything to the pump or the strainer on the input to the pump? Sounds like you might have missed that step. And as some of the other responses said, it sounds like you might be sucking air. It has not happened to me, but I hear the plastic strainer unit is likely to get a crack if water is left in it.
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Old 05-29-2017, 05:00 PM   #8
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You say "just compressed air". So you blew out the lines using the city water connection, right? And did you do anything to the pump or the strainer on the input to the pump? Sounds like you might have missed that step. And as some of the other responses said, it sounds like you might be sucking air. It has not happened to me, but I hear the plastic strainer unit is likely to get a crack if water is left in it.
I did also get the water out of the pump and the strainer. After several hours of mucking around in the tiny little space where the pump is mounted I discovered that there was no gasket on the connection to the pump inlet. Must have fallen off last fall during winterization. That's where it was sucking in air. New 10 cent o-ring and everything works fine. Thanks to all for the help.
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Old 05-29-2017, 05:22 PM   #9
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I turned on the tap and it shot air and a mist of water for a few seconds, so it seems to be holding pressure.
Get the air out of the pipes.
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Old 05-30-2017, 12:54 PM   #10
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Ran the pump for a minute with the taps off and left it for the day to go hiking.
It takes several minutes for the pump to fill the water heater with water, after it has been drained for the winter. Try it again, leave the hot water tap in the lavatory open this time, and wait until you get water rather than air before you close it.
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Old 05-30-2017, 03:33 PM   #11
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. . .
New 10 cent o-ring and everything works fine. Thanks to all for the help.
Thanks for the update, glad everything is OK.
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