Too much H20!!

[Bambi_Bandit]

Hi folks,

OK, so when I hooked up to city water at the site, I noticed that the water pressure was pretty high, so, I installed a pressure regulator on the faucet. After the regulator, a 2 foot hose to a whole house filter (single sedement filter), and from that to a 2nd 2 foot hose connected to an inline hydro-life filter, and finaly to a 4 foot hose that feeds the AS city water connection.

So first off, I think water pressure is no longer a problem since I have 2 filters and a pressure regulator right? (even the city inlet on the AS is supposed to have a built in regulator too)

Hmm... I go to take a shower and the first 30 seconds the water pressure is low... after the 30 seconds or so the water pressure jumps to very high allowing a great shower. Initially I pass this off as a kink in one of my hoses, so I go out to check after the shower and I find no kinks in the hoses, but water trickling out of the gravity fresh water fill overflow hole behind the fresh water fill door.
Thanks strange... is there so much pressure it back fills my tank??
I go to check my water level and low and behold, it is full!!! How'd that happen if I only travel with 1/2 a tank at most???

Any suggestions? Do I have some plumbing or check valve issue here? (My Aquajet ES water pump is off during my shower, but was on earlier when my wife took the first shower of the morning.)

I'm gonna shut off the water supply until I can figure it out, so suggestions on what to look for or what this may be are most welcome!

Thanks

Kevin

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by Bambi_Bandit

(My Aquajet ES water pump is off during my shower, but was on earlier when my wife took the first shower of the morning.)

That happens to me too so I'm curious about what the answer is too. I do want to point out though, that you shouldn't run the water pump when hooked to city water.

[2airishuman]

hi bandit......

so i guess you do have wifi......

using a 2nd water pressure restrictor inline with the factory installed pressure regulator......doesn't work well at all....you will experience strange surges, no flow, high flow, spurts, stops, stalls and so on.....and no smooth flow....

take the secondary blue pressure thingie....off.

it is ok to use the pump when hooked to shore water......
but usually there is no need to use the pump when hooked to shore water....
unless the pressure is reeeeeeeeeeealy low....

and when using the water pump to boost flow....you will be using tank water along with shore water....so the tank will empty.....

your tank should not fill from the shore water line, connected to the correct port...if it did...what would keep the tank from over filling and spilling?

cheers
2air'

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by Bambi_Bandit

Thanks strange... is there so much pressure it back fills my tank??
I go to check my water level and low and behold, it is full!!! How'd that happen if I only travel with 1/2 a tank at most???

Any suggestions? Do I have some plumbing or check valve issue here?Kevin

Kevin, you have a bad check valve on the water pump. My 2004 Classic had the same problem when it was brand new, although maybe not to the extent of overflowing the fresh water tank. I remember coming home from our first campout where I had full hookups for the weekend and accidentally noticing on the monitor panel that the fresh water tank was half full. I normally don't keep the systems monitor panel on so I didn't see this until just before departure where I fill the gray tank prior to dumping the black. I opened up the fresh water drain and the water poured out.


We came back from the campout and I opened the drain to the fresh water tank. Nothing came out. I then connected my hose and pressurized the system with city water. Within a few minutes the open fresh water tank drain started dripping very quickly.

The dealer replaced the pump and this took care of the problem.

Jack

[Bambi_Bandit]

Cool! Some suggestions to try!!

jcanavera - Thanks for your thoughts... I always did wonder how the system allowed for city water without filling the fresh at the same time. That would make sense that there would be a check valve at the pump. I have a Safari LS, so I have the Aquajet ES pump. I'll call them up and see what they have to say that may help me out. That does make me wonder why AS didn't just install a valve that allowed us to fill the fresh tank from the city hookup. That would make things a bit easier.

2air - you lost me on the "blue thingie" So what you are saying is to not use any pressure regulators with the one aready built on the city inlet? I always figured it wouldn't hurt to reduce the pressure at the source first, prior to putting it to the AS city inlet simply to reduce the pressure on the hoses, filter, and fittings. I figured the AS city inlet could handle the higher pressures, but thought the weaker links would be the fittings and hoses.

yukionna - I think that running the pump while connected to city water is not recomended on some models, but not all. I my safari LS, it comes with an upgraded water pump, which is the Aquajet ES. The AS manual does say I can run the pump with city to boot pressure while connected to city water, as long as there is some water for it to use out of the fresh tank, but as 2air stated, it will run down my fresh water stores.

[Bambi_Bandit]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Kevin, you have a bad check valve on the water pump. My 2004 Classic had the same problem when it was brand new, although maybe not to the extent of overflowing the fresh water tank. I remember coming home from our first campout where I had full hookups for the weekend and accidentally noticing on the monitor panel that the fresh water tank was half full. I normally don't keep the systems monitor panel on so I didn't see this until just before departure where I fill the gray tank prior to dumping the black. I opened up the fresh water drain and the water poured out.


We came back from the campout and I opened the drain to the fresh water tank. Nothing came out. I then connected my hose and pressurized the system with city water. Within a few minutes the open fresh water tank drain started dripping very quickly.

The dealer replaced the pump and this took care of the problem.

Jack

OK, I just got off the phone with Mr. Tom Barnes of Auqujet and they stated that the pumpt does not have a check valve. They say that there they have rubber valves / stoppers that can open in one direction only, however, if there is debris, (i.e. plastic shavings from the tank install) that is small enough to get thru the strainer but large enough to clog the valve partially open, this could theoredically lead to the situation I am experiencing.

So, based on his advice, I will disconnect the pump on the inlet side, and turn the city water back on. If water comes out of the inlet side of the pump, the pump valves are clogged or bad. If no water comes out, then something else is the issue.

(Good thing the factory is just up the street in Irvine!!!)

Will let you all know tomorrow.

[jcanavera]

My guys at the dealership called it a check valve, but for all intents those valves or stoppers have a problem, which most likely was my problem. Just an FYI if you don't want to play around with opening up those lines, drain that fresh water tank and leave the external drain open. If water is coming out of the inlet side of the pump, it will begin to fill the tank once you turn on the city water. Ultimately you will start to see water dumping out of the fresh water tank drain. Note however it will take a bit to get that tank empty if it truely is full.

Jack

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by Bambi_Bandit

.2air - you lost me on the "blue thingie" So what you are saying is to not use any pressure regulators with the one aready built on the city inlet? .

hi bandit......

by blue thingie...i meant the pressure regulator...camco sells a plastic one that's blue, and a brass one that's a little more$...

like you and others, i've tried using one regulator to protect the white hose...but the 2 regulators end up competing somehow with irradic flow as the outcome....

your pipes/fitting were tested at 90psi so they can handle most sites....as for the hose.....i usually turn off the water if i'm gone anyway...and replace the white hose every 2-3 years...for other reasons....

there is a device you can buy that attaches to the faucet and measures pressure....before hooking up...but i've not used one.

good luck birddogin' that check valve leak....
debris left behind? airstream doesn't do that!

cheers
2air'

[lewster]

I'm surprised that there isn't a check valve installed upstream of the pump. It should protect the pump from back surges and thus keep water from the tank. If you don't have one or you do and it's bad (seen lots of failures in this area) replace it by all means!

And speaking of factory debris.......... The best one I ever saw was in the black tank. 2 year old Safari Trek MoHo (cute little devil) that was having intermittent problems with dumping the black tank.....then it wouldn't dump at all.

I snaked the tank from the slide valve with a special little gizmo that I made so the release goes into the sewer hose, but still provides access for the snake. You'll never guess what came out!

Ever see the caps that plumbers use to seal a rough-in system for inspection? Well, after the system holds water, they drain it and knock out these caps and then complete the plumbing. Apparently, someone at Monaco decided to also use this as a testing method and knocked the little 3" ABS disc into the black tank instead of retreiving it, where it eventually lodged right in front of the dump valve.

There's more, but I'll save it for another opportunity!!!

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by lewster

... Knocked the little 3" ABS disc into the black tank instead of retreiving it, where it eventually lodged right in front of the dump valve.

There's more, but I'll save it for another opportunity!!!

Or don't! Ewwwww!!

[crazylev]

Interesting.

We stayed in a full hook-up place for the first time last week-end on the way home from Mammoth Cave, KY.

I took advantage of the city water supply and that was pretty sweet. I had an in-line Camco water filter before entry to the AS. I noticed that if the water system is properly presurized, then even if the pump switch is on, it didn't activate. I kept the switch off.

It was also real convenient to do a real good flush/clean of the black tank since there was a sewer conection right at the site.

On another note, I am total amazed with Flying J's. On our trip south to Kentucky, I still had the AS winterized, and was planing at staying at some full hook-up park just to un-winterize the system, and pay the piper around 25-35 dollars to KOA or the like for this operation. We needed gas and stopped at a Flying J in Whitehead(?) Indiana and lo and behold a camper dream: They had a few dump stations, with potable water hook-ups just feet away from one another. So I did the de-winterizing, un-by-passed water heater, etc. right there!!!

That night, we stayed at an Indiana state forest south of Scottsburg (according to the sign, Indiana's oldest state forest). Boondocked, and payed the $5.00 fee.

That much more for a bottle of bourbon!!!! (Which we would need because it was so friggen cold the week we were gone!)

Jonathan

[Bambi_Bandit]

Sorry for the late post... I'll explain why in another post...

Good thing Aquajet is in Irvine CA, right down the street from where I stayed in Newport. Called them up and drove right over to their factory for a test and repair in 20 min flat.

Although the Aquajet does not have a "check valve", it does have "one way" valves that can occasionally get debris that will allow it to stick open slightly, causing my issue. Although they could not find any particles, they suspect this is what happened and replaced the pump head valves.

Great folks at Auquajet!

Kevin