Water Pump, Where to start?

[Grider]

OK, I got my new (to me) 18ft hobby/time consumer/portable man cave. Like most people I started out by looking at everything one at a time, if it was a switch I would turn it on to see what would happen then look/listen/pray and move on to something else. Kind of a mental list of what is top priority and what can wait. Anyway, I had a light on the control panel that said water tank level is half full and when I opened the kitchen faucet the pump kicked in and water flowed, COOL! Sometime later I decided to add more water to see if I could get some type of light that would indicate full instead of half full. There is more water in the tank but the light still says half full and now, no matter what the pump won't activate, BUMMER.

There was a hose that had a plastic tee in it that was broken. I replaced the tee thinking this was probably where the water pump recognized a pressure drop and hoped it would bring things back to life, it didn't.

What next?

[TomW]

Originally Posted by Grider

... What next?

If you still have the shore water line connected & turned on, then the onboard pump will see that pressure, and not do any pumping.

Assuming it is not, check the voltage at the pump - it is probably wired in with wire nuts which can be unscrewed. You may just have have turned the switch off, and not realized it.

If the pump has power, then proceed cautiously. Drain the freshwater tank, acquire towels, and then disconnect the pump's outlet line. If the pump is good, the towels will be needed for residual water in the line. If the pump makes no sound, then I recommend the FloJet VSD from PPL in Texas.

Regardless, please post the results.

Tom

[Grider]

Thanks Tom, I'll follow your advice. I'm proceeding cautiously with every connection. My reason for being cautious is since I bought this 38 years after the manufacture. I look at items that are working but that doesn't mean they are properly connected. I have something connected directly to the battery that makes a noise around the water heater and makes a red light blink too. I'm thinking that a direct battery connection works but still isn't correct.

Am I making sense?

[TomW]

Originally Posted by Grider

...I have something connected directly to the battery that makes a noise around the water heater and makes a red light blink too...

I believe that's the old self-destruct device Airstream quit using in 1972. A previous owner must have already removed the C-4.



Without a picture, my first thought is the noise & light belong to your Airstream's converter because the location you described is where my converter is.

Tom

[Grider]

We now have running water. The original pump has been replace with a FloJet. The old pump would have worked but still needed replacing. As suspectected it was a wiring issue. Many wires have been removed from behind the control panel and the spades have been cut off and replaced with wire nuts, very difficult to troubleshoot. Our next project will be to make the running water become HOT running water. See you over in water heater territory.

[TomW]

Thanks for the update.

I think you will be pleased with the FloJet - I've got seven years & 25,000 miles on mine and could not be happier.

Tom