2015 Flying Cloud 25FB water pump questions

[easler7267]

My wife and I own a 25 foot flying cloud, 2015. I think I may have damaged the water pump. Does anyone know how to determine what replacement part I need and where to order it from?

Also an operation question: can I operate the water pump off of the freshwater tank while Boondocking without shore power and without city water?

Thanks for the assistance!


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[lsbrodsky]

Yes, of course you can run the pump off of your batteries on the water tank. Why do you think you damaged the pump? These are pretty durable even capable of running dry for a while. If it is broken, it is probably easier to just replace the pump than take it apart and find parts. The pump is behind the heating vent door under your hanging locker.
Larry

[easler7267]

Larry, thanks for the response! The reason why I think the pump might be damaged, is because I'm relative newbie with RVs, and this airstream is our first RV. When we first got it from the dealership we took it out camping overnight to test out all the systems to learn how to operate everything. The one thing we had trouble with was the hot water heater. We couldn't seem to get the hot water to come out. It was only after running the pump for about 30 minutes or so that we realized that the bypass switch was on for the hot water heater, so no hot water was actually flowing into the hot water heater.

Now when the pump runs it's pretty noisy. And it also doesn't put out a lot of pressure with hot water is running. It does ok with cold water but not so much with the hot water.


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[AnnArborBob]

Your water pump damage may be covered by your warranty. I'd contact your dealer to see if they will replace it for you.

If you want to skip that step and replace it yourself, know that the Airstream water pumps are basically standard RV water pumps that you can pick up just about anywhere (such as at a Campingworld or just about any RV dealer.) Shurflo is a common brand. They generally cost between $100 and $200 depending on the features you want. This is an example:

Amazon.com: Shurflo 4048153E75 Electric Water Pump: Automotive

Your water pump is designed to operate off of 12 volts and take water from your fresh water tank so you can use it while not connected to a water supply. If you are not connected to shore power, the 12 volts will come from your battery.

[easler7267]

Larry, if I may, one more question. Do you have a sense of how long I might be able to run the water pump while Boondocking? I'm planning to be Boondocking for about four days. I'm hoping to have hot water and minimal showers during that period. Is that an unreasonable expectation? This will be my first time Boondocking, so I don't have a good sense of how long the batteries last went running things like water pump and LED lights.


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[lsbrodsky]

If it does fine with cold water, your pump is OK. You still have something screwy with your hot water. Make sure your bypass valve is closed and that low point drains are closed, including the one in the front exterior storage compartment.
Larry

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by easler7267

Now when the pump runs it's pretty noisy. And it also doesn't put out a lot of pressure with hot water is running. It does ok with cold water but not so much with the hot water.

If your pump is very noisy and does not deliver a relatively constant stream of water with decent pressure, you probably have air in your water system which needs to be bled out. Usually you can bleed the system by running the pump for a few minutes (both hot and cold water.)

[lsbrodsky]

You will never get 4 days out of your stock batteries unless you have solar. It is hard to say how long they will last without knowing your use profile. You need to figure out about how many amp-hours you will use a day, everyone has different use. Many boondockers plan to battery charge every few days using a generator if they do not have solar.
Larry

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by easler7267

Do you have a sense of how long I might be able to run the water pump while Boondocking? I'm planning to be Boondocking for about four days. I'm hoping to have hot water and minimal showers during that period. Is that an unreasonable expectation? This will be my first time Boondocking, so I don't have a good sense of how long the batteries last went running things like water pump and LED lights.

Your water pump electrical draw is not likely going to be a big issue while boon-docking since it only runs for a few seconds/minutes at a time.

There are many scientific ways to figure out how long your batteries will last such as by adding up the amp hours of all your devices and estimate how long each will be used, but this theoretical approach will not take into account the health of your batteries (even if "new" they may not be able to deliver the rated amp hours.)

The easiest way to answer your question about boon-docking duration is to try boon-docking in your driveway and see how long it lasts. If your test "fails" you can always go inside the house and figure out your next steps.

[KJRitchie]

I'd put the Airstream on shore water. Before you turn on the water open the water heater pressure relief valve. Turn on the water. When water comes out of the water heater pressure valve close it. Turn off the shore water and open the interior water faucets in the bath and kitchen so both hot and cold are open. Then go to the water heater and open the pressure relief valve and drain any water that is above the level of that valve then close the valve. Turn off your faucets and then turn on shore water. Run water out for your bath and kitchen faucets until they are steady streams. Turn off shore water. Fill up the water tank with 10 gallons of water. Turn on the pump and run water through the hot and cold. The pump should react the same for both hot and gold now.

I'd cover the water heater parts below the pressure valve with a rag to keep water off those parts. It seems when I get water on those parts and the foam pad that secures the thermostats I can' get the gas to light up until it dries out.

Hopefully, when you had the water heater diverter valve set to bypass the water heater you didn't turn on the water heater electric switch. Without water in the tank you can burn out the heating element.

Kelvin

[grizbear]

One more thing to check that the three valves at the water heater are turned correctly there is a section in the manual with a drawing of the valves. You may have just one turned wrong. good luck Rand

[MelGoddard]

FYI: I don't have an Airstream yet, I have a HiLo; and I travel anywhere with the fresh water tank about half full. Reason? On the road, me or mine may have to use the toilet, so we stop in a convenient place, raise the roof, and use the 'biffy'. On top of that, I was in the middle of a shower at a campground, when the shore water quit, due to Hydro failure. (Thunder Storm). I finished my shower using the fresh water tank. Thank heavens that I did put water in just before 'taking off'.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

You will never get 4 days out of your stock batteries unless you have solar. It is hard to say how long they will last without knowing your use profile.
Larry

Yes, it's hard to say how long one's batteries will last because everyone pace different demands on their systems. I have gotten four days out of mine.

[Tink143]

Hi Flying Cloud 25 2015,
We have a 2015 25' Eddie Bauer FB and just experienced a leak coming from the low lying drain on the bottom of the trailer which causes the water pump to lose pressure and go on more than we want. We boondock almost every weekend and find that turning the water pump off when not in use saves a lot of battery and noise. Re: our leak (which was a spray when the pump was on and a drip when pump is turned off) I called the dealer from camping and they advised me to bring the trailer in for them to fix. I was told it was covered by warranty and is not an unusual problem due to the valves being exposed under the trailer it is easy for rocks to hit it while traveling. We have solar panels that completely recharge the battery when in sunlight... Another option is to plug your car into the trailer while camping to charge the battery if needed.... I hope this helps. Enjoy!!!

[LongShot]

We (2 grown men) recently completed 5 boon-docking days and never ran out of battery power. We made sure to shut everything down during the day and used lights, water and fans carefully. We did, however, run out of water on our last day - completed our showers and had just enough to rinse morning dishes. Of course, we always carry plenty of drinking water so we were never really out - but the tanks were empty so pay attention to those as well.

[Moflash]

If you want a quieter more efficient pump the Sureflo revolution is what we went with after using the factory pump twice.Unless you just like the noise (knocking) $100 is well spent and 15 mins to switch it out.Better water pressure also.
I kept the old pump and carry it to pump fresh water out of 10 gallon containers when boondocking.

[Drathaar]

Originally Posted by grizbear

One more thing to check that the three valves at the water heater are turned correctly there is a section in the manual with a drawing of the valves. You may have just one turned wrong. good luck Rand

Rand, the newer Airstreams have a single bypass valve, or at least my 2012 25' FC does. I'm not sure when that started.

[greghoro]

Any thoughts on adding an accumulator tank in-line after the pump?

[SuperTrouper]

Originally Posted by greghoro

Any thoughts on adding an accumulator tank in-line after the pump?

Sure! YES. Post #5

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f445...ml#post1603137


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