Single battery hookup

[Rfriebele]

General question, I've removed my batteries for the winter ...new 25' FC but if I wanted to do a simple water pump check, on/ off for a second, using a single, small 12 v battery would entail BOTH large neg. Leads to the battery neg post, BOTH Large pos. leads to the pos. post? Just to hit the pump switch once.
Won't hurt anything yes?
Thank you!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Interesting that my previous reply in this thread is now missing .... apparently the forum is haunted (or this is a duplicate of the other thread)

Simple answer - hook them all up.

Alternate one - plug into shore power (making sure the cables are not going to short out) and run the pump. A 15A adapter is handy for this sort of thing.

Alternate two - hook up the tow vehicle to the 7 pin and get it supplying power. (same issue of making sure the cables do not short out).

Alternate three - hook up the skinny cable, insulate the other cables, hope that there is no interconnect that blows up the inverter ....

Bob

[68 Overlander]

Originally Posted by Rfriebele

General question, I've removed my batteries for the winter ...new 25' FC but if I wanted to do a simple water pump check, on/ off for a second, using a single, small 12 v battery would entail BOTH large neg. Leads to the battery neg post, BOTH Large pos. leads to the pos. post? Just to hit the pump switch once.
Won't hurt anything yes?
Thank you!

Any way you can get 120 or 12 volt to your Airstream will allow you to check your water pump but why are you wanting to go bump your water pump for a second?
I presume where you store your trailer you have no power there. Otherwise there would be no reason to pull the batteries and even a small solar maintainer might be the answer unless there is no access to sun either. If you are in NC like your sig says, your batteries will not freeze.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by 68 Overlander

Any way you can get 120 or 12 volt to your Airstream will allow you to check your water pump but why are you wanting to go bump your water pump for a second?
I presume where you store your trailer you have no power there. Otherwise there would be no reason to pull the batteries and even a small solar maintainer might be the answer unless there is no access to sun either. If you are in NC like your sig says, your batteries will not freeze.

Hi

If the batteries *do* freeze in NC then we're all in *big* trouble

Bob

[Rfriebele]

[QUOTE=68 Overlander;2175747]Any way you can get 120 or 12 volt to your Airstream will allow you to check your water pump but why are you wanting to go bump your water pump for a second?
I presume where you store your trailer you have no power there. Otherwise there would be no reason to pull the batteries and even a small solar maintainer might be the answer unless there is no access to sun either. If you are in NC like your sig says, your batteries will not freeze.[/QUOTE

How to keep this short without the 2 pg backstory...this year, winterizing I forgot to run the fresh water pump to clear it. It's completely disconnected and there's no water in the strainer. but I'm worried there might be water in the impeller section that could crack the housing if froze hard. Unwarranted with a shureflow pump? I've seen it happen before on sealed pumps so...and thanks for the responses, my first post vaporized into the ether.. plugging in the TV....why didn't I think of that?!

[uncle_bob]

[QUOTE=Rfriebele;2175877]

Originally Posted by 68 Overlander

Any way you can get 120 or 12 volt to your Airstream will allow you to check your water pump but why are you wanting to go bump your water pump for a second?
I presume where you store your trailer you have no power there. Otherwise there would be no reason to pull the batteries and even a small solar maintainer might be the answer unless there is no access to sun either. If you are in NC like your sig says, your batteries will not freeze.[/QUOTE

How to keep this short without the 2 pg backstory...this year, winterizing I forgot to run the fresh water pump to clear it. It's completely disconnected and there's no water in the strainer. but I'm worried there might be water in the impeller section that could crack the housing if froze hard. Unwarranted with a shureflow pump? I've seen it happen before on sealed pumps so...and thanks for the responses, my first post vaporized into the ether.. plugging in the TV....why didn't I think of that?!

Hi

Before you plug in, be sure the loose battery cable ends all are insulated from each other and anything like the battery box or the frame ....

Bob

[Rfriebele]

[QUOTE=uncle_bob;2176251]

Originally Posted by Rfriebele

Hi

Before you plug in, be sure the loose battery cable ends all are insulated from each other and anything like the battery box or the frame ....

Bob

Right..thanks. I'm hoping to have what I need next winter to leave em in on a solar minder.

[68 Overlander]

[QUOTE=Rfriebele;2175877]

Originally Posted by 68 Overlander

Any way you can get 120 or 12 volt to your Airstream will allow you to check your water pump but why are you wanting to go bump your water pump for a second?
I presume where you store your trailer you have no power there. Otherwise there would be no reason to pull the batteries and even a small solar maintainer might be the answer unless there is no access to sun either. If you are in NC like your sig says, your batteries will not freeze.[/QUOTE

How to keep this short without the 2 pg backstory...this year, winterizing I forgot to run the fresh water pump to clear it. It's completely disconnected and there's no water in the strainer. but I'm worried there might be water in the impeller section that could crack the housing if froze hard. Unwarranted with a shureflow pump? I've seen it happen before on sealed pumps so...and thanks for the responses, my first post vaporized into the ether.. plugging in the TV....why didn't I think of that?!

I really don't think you have anything to worry about. While living in Idaho for 10 years I never did that and it got butt cold for weeks at a time. All I ever did was blow out the water lines with compressed air.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Rfriebele

General question, I've removed my batteries for the winter ...new 25' FC but if I wanted to do a simple water pump check, on/ off for a second, using a single, small 12 v battery would entail BOTH large neg. Leads to the battery neg post, BOTH Large pos. leads to the pos. post? Just to hit the pump switch once.
Won't hurt anything yes?
Thank you!

Rfriebele,
I live not far from you in Davidson County, NC. I have had experience with a pump head freezing in my Safari, while stored at home. People don't realize that it occasionally gets below zero where we live.

You got good advice about the multiple ways to turn on the pump. Though, IMO, turning on the pump, even for several minutes, might not clear the water from the pump head. If there is slope in the pump outlet pipe that will allow water to gravity flow back into the pump after the pump is turned off (mine has a loop in the flexible pipe) water can remain.

I had to replace a pump in my 25' trailer because water remained in the pump. (the toilet flush valve can do the same) Lesson learned the hard way, I added a Camco valve kit to the pump intake pipe and now use potable system safe RV antifreeze in the whole system.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-Per...EgJGyPD_BwEBwE

[Rfriebele]

Well, I guess this can be chalked up to the " newbie learning curve". The first season in our new Flying Cloud, we only used campground water. I never used the fresh water tank or turned on the pump so when I winterized, I blew the lines and just disconnected the pump inlet outlet. Next season, something strange occurred. While hooked up to city water, had been in camp for a day or so, sitting outside when I noticed water trickling out the fresh tank overflow. When checking the tank level, I found it had filled and was overflowing from City water pressure. I assumed there was a check valve or some such deal in the lines that had obviously gotten stuck so I opened up faucets and drained it, running the pump till everything was dry and started over at which point, the fresh tank stayed empty so whatever had allowed the leak had now sealed but it left me wondering if I now had a "charged pump" full of water that could freeze. Again this year, I've disconnected the inlet outlet so it's just that 2" square impeller section I'm concerned about. Like I said, I've seen happen before on other pumps and another reason to be worried, last year, I removed the shower head, shook it some but left it IN the camper all winter and first time I used it this year, found it had cracked from freezing and had to run to a Walmart for a new one....don't want that to happen to my pump!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

As long as the batteries are disconnected ( = a true disconnect switch and not the silly use/store thing) just leave them in place. You *might* loose 0.2% of their expected life as a result Given that battery life is never what you think it will be ... why bother? If you have
fully charged batteries freeze, you are going to have *much* bigger issues elsewhere. -70F is good golly cold. The plumbing / heating in your house isn't rated for that ...

There are a lot of ways to disconnect, they range from just pulling the wires to putting in big marine switches to simple little things that go on the battery posts. Properly done, they all work.

====

Pumps do odd things at odd times. Getting crud into any back flow valve is surprisingly easy. Indeed pumps should be emptied in the winter. This is more a function of disassembly ( pulling the pipes off the pump) than running it.

Bob

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi
<< snip>>
This is more a function of disassembly ( pulling the pipes off the pump) than running it.

Bob

Re the pump:
On my ShurFlo pumps the inlet and outlet are in the upper half of the pump head. Even with the pipes removed, water can't completely drain out by gravity unless the pump is disconnected from the floor and rotated.

ps:
@ the OP
The 2088 series pumps in my trailers operate using a diaphragm, not a normal centrifugal type impeller. The diaphragm has multiple one way valves. Water can be retained on both sides of the diaphragms. There are videos on YouTube that show how it works.

[Rfriebele]

Arrgh...plugging in the TV didn't do anything...no juice to the trailer..I guess the batteries are necessary to do this...thanks for the suggestions and I'll report back if it was even worth the trouble..

[Rfriebele]

Took a 12v mini max, attached both big leads to appropriate terminals jogged the pump and....no water! So even though it was probably unnecessary, I needed peace of mind!
Thanks all!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Rfriebele

Arrgh...plugging in the TV didn't do anything...no juice to the trailer..I guess the batteries are necessary to do this...thanks for the suggestions and I'll report back if it was even worth the trouble..

Hi

If you have a typical modern TV, it will only supply power to the trailer after it is sure things are hooked up. Just what makes it "sure" depends on the TV. Some need to be in gear. Others need the brakes applied first. Some need other things done ...

Bob