Pump Noise / Vibration - 2019 AS GT - Newbie

[olgoat]

Ok, complete newbie here to travel trailers and AirStreams. We just purchased and took delivery of a 2019 AS GT. We have found a few cosmetic issues but for the most part all is good. With somewhat warmer temperatures this week I decided to fill the freshwater tank and try out the pump, water heater and faucets. Water heater seems fine but the pump is excessively noisy. Even to the point that it is shaking the shower wall and you can feel vibration in the floor. During the dealer training, we verified everything was working and the trailer water system was running off of the fresh water tank. I didn't notice any unusual pump noises at that time. Is there a prime or air bleed process that I am missing? Thanks in advance for any feedback...

[Adventure.AS]

Tour hot water tank has lost the air cushion at the top. Turn off pump (or city water) and being careful to avoid scalding yourself upen the pressure relief valve at the top of the hwt for a couple of seconds to let out some water. If you have let out enough to restore the air cushion the pump will run quieter. If not let out some more.

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by olgoat

Ok, complete newbie here to travel trailers and AirStreams. We just purchased and took delivery of a 2019 AS GT. We have found a few cosmetic issues but for the most part all is good. With somewhat warmer temperatures this week I decided to fill the freshwater tank and try out the pump, water heater and faucets. Water heater seems fine but the pump is excessively noisy. Even to the point that it is shaking the shower wall and you can feel vibration in the floor. During the dealer training, we verified everything was working and the trailer water system was running off of the fresh water tank. I didn't notice any unusual pump noises at that time. Is there a prime or air bleed process that I am missing? Thanks in advance for any feedback...

Hi olgoat,*

Congratulations on your new Airstream! Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customer_support@airstream.com*

Thank you.*

[olgoat]

Thanks, AdventureAS. I allowed the water heater to heat up for quite some time, deenergized the pump and bled some water from the pressure relief device. No noticeable improvement, tried three more times with the same result. I may be overlooking something else.

BTW I am not a fan of the pressure relief device location. It dumps water directly on the screen that draws air into the burner prior to mixing with propane. When you dump water, some of it mixes with the entering combustion air and disrupts combustion.

[TheGreatleys]

Do you have a screen on the intake side of your pump? My pump used to be super quiet and then it got loud suddenly and I couldn't figure out why. Disassembled it today for a different issue and found that the intake screen was clogged with plastic shavings from the fresh tank fabrication. Cleared the screen, quiet again.

[Lily&Me]

You have a problem with a brand new rig you have just taken delivery of?

Call your dealership, call their service department, please.

Maggie

[Atwebs]

Call the dealer or call the Coach-Net number you were given. They can help you through whatever is causing your issue.

Last time out we needed the furnace for the first time and couldn't figure out exactly how to get it to come on. We could get the heat pump, just no furnace! We fiddled, read and messed with the thermostat some more then we called the dealer on Sunday, with no tech types working and who didn't have a clue on a GT but who told us to try Coach Net. We were only on the phone with that guy for a minute when he asked which zones we were using, turns out the furnace is only available on Zone 2....I sorta recall something about the zones from our initial "get to know your trailer" but thought it was more about the air conditioners! Anyway, toasty warm in a matter of minutes- after one short phone call. Oh yeah, when you need a heater....
Zone 2!

[olgoat]

I have tried the dealer many times over the past two days. So far I haven’t spoken with anyone, other than operators and my salesperson. Messages left with Service netted no results. Reached out to my salesman who had a tech call me and I missed his call, unfortunately. In his voicemail he stated he blocks his number so I can’t contact him direct, to just call service. Tried again and no answer.

Also sent messages to AirStream with no feedback other than we will get back in touch with you.

What is Coach Net?

[Lily&Me]

Keep trying the service department, call them directly and not your salesman.

I would tell whoever answers the phone that you have tried to call repeatedly, and ask that they stay on the phone until you have a human.

Maggie

[Atwebs]

Coach-net is handling our three year warantee on our 2019 GT. We got a number in with all the paperwork when we took possession of it.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by olgoat

It dumps water directly on the screen that draws air into the burner prior to mixing with propane. When you dump water, some of it mixes with the entering combustion air and disrupts combustion.

Ahem...
That's what it's supposed to do.

[Dlaker]

Olgoat - When/if you find a solution for your pump noise problem , please post the solution. I have the exact same problem on my 2016 25-foot FC. When the pump comes on, the sound can be like a jack-hammer inside the trailer. I even recorded it and played it to the Airstream service person over the phone, who said it definitely should not sound like that. There is a significant vibration of a pipe against the wall of the shower stall that needs to be stabilized and AS also thought the pump needs to be secured to its base better (however, that was the first thing I checked and it is very secure). I am stopping by Jackson Center with it in March and AS said it should be relatively simple to fix. My dealer in MN said they fixed it during the warranty period but it was absolutely no better. Our dealer has been less than very helpful on a variety of matters. Best to call AS service desk or tech support directly, who have always been very helpful.

[overlander63]

For the noise, find where the line is up against the wall or shower enclosure. Then, depending on how official and elaborate you want to get, return to the dealer for them to either reposition the pump so the line doesn't rest against the wall/enclosure, or you can reposition it or the line yourself. Even a piece of foam, say from a pool noodle, between the line and wall will greatly quiet the noise and reduce the vibration.

[olgoat]

Thanks for the comments.

There is a strainer located at the pump inlet. I will remove it and clean it, but it appears to be clean as viewed from the exterior.

In addition I will look for a pipe/tube resting against the shower wall and reposition it, if necessary.

Also considering adding some grommets/isolators under the pump to try to minimize vibration transmission to the floor.

[smithcreek]

Make sure that every water outlet has been bled of air. That includes all faucets, inside and outside shower head, toilet and all the low point drain valves. Just run each until no air is coming out. If I don't bleed the low point drains on our FC20 we get the same noise. Might help, might not. Good luck tracking down your problem!

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by olgoat

Also considering adding some grommets/isolators under the pump to try to minimize vibration transmission to the floor.

The pumps come with a set of rubber feet that are screwed to the floor. If the screws are too tight, that can also transmit noise through the mounts. It's not generally as noticeable as a line touching a wall, but something to look at while you're in there. Simply use a phillips screwdriver, and loosen the four screws a half-turn or so.

[hshovic]

I got a new pump years ago, and it was very quiet, UNLESS, there is air somewhere in the system. Bleeding the water tank is good, but also try all your other faucets to get the air out (hot and cold, and include the outside one).

[daleyocum]

We found ourselves irrationally annoyed by the pump noise in our 2018 FC25FB. The Shurflow pump would do all its turning on and off and the solid pipes Airstream uses were happy to transmit that noise throughout the trailer. I threw the kitchen sink at it, so to speak, and now the noise is only about 25% of what it was. More of a humm.

1) Installed the Shurflow accumulator. Yeah, I know the pump manual says it doesn’t need one. Maybe not technically but the tank makes it much smoother when you turn on a faucet partially. Sometimes the pump won’t even kick on if you are just asking for a small amount of water. Ours is on the output of the pump below the closet.

2) Installed Shurflow’s silencing kit.These are really just flexible hoses and the required fittings. It prevents the pump vibration from being transferred to the rest of the trailer’s plumbing.

3) Put foam pipe insulation around those flexible pipes. You don’t want them to come in direct contact with anything else as they do vibrate as the pump runs. They are absorbing that pulsing.

Total cost under $100. Time, 2-3 hours.

SHOULD you have to do this to a brand new trailer? Well, no. This makes it better than new, however.

[Tony Lee]

It will be a pipe resting up against a wall. Just the usual failure to comply with standard installation guidelines

[Bbelk]

I find my pump gets noisy and stays noisy if I run the tank dry. If I fill the water tank all the way up and run water for a minute or two, it gets quite again and stays that way.