Is it a water pump or an electrical problem?

[Taj MaHaul]

We have a 3 yr old 28' Classic with an Aquajet II pump.

Last fall on the road our water pump quit. We stopped at Airstream dealer and they found loose wire near fuse holder (but fuse ok). Water pump worked rest of trip. Went to winterize later and found pump inop but got it to work by jumping over fuse holder.

Before leaving again we had non A/S dealer check wiring & pump. They repaired wire & checked fuse holder. All ok.

2 days into current trip, pump out again. Stopped at Airstream dealer in Az. They found fray at fuse holder, also replaced pump control wires into switches at monitor/pump switch. They were going to bench test pump but got everything working before reaching that point.

Uh huh, OK until pump or electrical ? quit again when we were 100 miles away from last dealer later that day. The odd thing is that we have times when pump will work for periods without doing anything - it seems more a matter of setting one of the two pump control switches (bathroom or galley) in a certain sequence. One thing seems certain, period pump is working seems to be getting briefer. When it quits there is no warning, no sound and nothing tripped. Then it can just as mysteriously, start working next time we turn it on.

So do we have a pump getting ready to quit or a gremlin in our wiring?

[n2916s]

I think the pump is starting its death spiral. Excessive start current is probably what is blowing the fuse. A replacement is not ridiculously expensive and is definitely a DIY project if you feel like it.

mike

[TG Twinkie]

I think you have a problem with the ground on the pump. I'll make an assumption here that the wires coming out from the pump are 1 red and 1 black.
The Black wire is what is refered to as the ground or common wire. This wire runs from the pump to the metal skin of your trailer. If you know how to access the pump, you may be able to check it out yourself.
The ground/common wire is usually attached to the skin with a sheetmetal screw. If this is the case just remove the screw clean up the surface of the connector and the place where it is attached to the skin. A Scotchbrite pad will work.
Then reinstall the wire and screw and tighten it firmly.
Let us know what you find. If you can't locate the point where the ground is attached then we will have to take another approach.
Do you notice if the 12volt lights in the trailer change intensity or blink on and off unexpectantly?

[garry]

It can be either one bad power or bad pump.

A switch is nothing more than a short circuit and a flaky connection a faulty switch could cause your problems.

In addition to the on/off switches there is a switch on the pump (pressure switch) and could cause the problem.

If the failure is the "pump won't start" then a quick way to check is when it fails to start tap on the pump with a screwdriver handle if the pump starts the problem is the pump or pressure switch.

If that does not help go to the on/off switches and rock "them" on/off several times if pump starts problem with one of the switches.

If you can use a meter when the pump stops or will not turn on check for 12.6VDC at the pump side of the fuse no power then a switch, fuse or the wiring is faulty.

If you have 12.6 volts or more at the pump side of the fuse then run a test ground wire or loosen and reconnect the ground wire where it connects to the ground point on the trailer.

[TG Twinkie]

I would also check the connections at the battery. If they are corroded or lose it could cause the problem. The symptoms may not show up in the lights because they don't require much current. But the motor on the pump draws a lot more than a light. If you have a bad connection anywhere there could be enough of a voltage drop to prevent the motor from running. Since you are not blowing fuses; my guess is that you will find a bad ground/common connection that is causing the problem.
There could also be a bad connection at the converter.
If you have a camera and can post some pictures of the converter, pump and battery setup, it may be of some help.

[Taj MaHaul]

Thanks to you all for giving us some other avenues to look at. Am I handy, well, yeah, I can dry dishes but my wife is the owner of the tool kit (& it's used to service her sewing machine). I will look into the compartment and check where wires go and that ground is securely connected. It sounds simple enough to take care of any corrosion on the ground wire, if that is what it is and will check the batt connectors for corrosion as well.

Temps warmed up enough yesterday to use shore water but when we checked to see if the pump was online last night and this morning there was no response. If it finally has stopped then perhaps it will be easier to find where the problem is.

Thank you all for responding!

Bill

[azflycaster]

When the pump is failing a check with a volt meter should tell you what is wrong.

[overlander63]

The simplest test for a bad ground is to connect a test light to the ground lead of the pump, and switch on the pump. touch a ground that you know is good, and if the light lights, even dimly, you have a bad ground.