Water Pump Question

[Mike and Carol]

Last week we were camped at Black Canyon NP. No hook ups. When using the water pump I couldn't clear the air out of the system which resulted in very uneven water flow.  Fresh tank was nearly full. I checked all the connections around the pump and all were tight. Here at Mesa Verde we have city water and all is fine. Suggestions?

 

BTW, the drive down 550 from Montrose through Ouray and Silverton to Durango was quite exhilarating!  Mike

[Free2Roam]

Sorry for the above errant post. It's Monday!

 

Getting ours in 2 weeks so haven't experienced this but noticed on the home page that the new specs for the 2018s are posted and they list that a new standard feature is a "water accumulator bladder tank to help add constant water pressure at faucets".  Wonder if it can be added after the fact and if it would help your situation?

 

-Angela

[sailorashore]

Mike and Carol:

 

I installed an accumulator tank after taking delivery of my trailer because the pump pulsation was making a "water hammer" noise and I wanted to quiet it down.  Had put accumulator tanks on boats in the past and found them a nice addition to on board water systems.  Since the water pump on my Oliver was a Shurflo, I used a Shurflo accumulator tank to keep the fittings the same, Shurflo Model 182-200.  When I ordered the accumulator tank I also got what Shurflo calls a "silencer kit', mainly for the extra length hoses with fittings installed to facilitate the installation.  I think my installation may have been the basis for adoption of the accumulator tank in the newer models.

 

Putting the tank in provides a pressure buffer, quiets the system, and takes the shock out of the pump cycling on and off.  Pictures of my installation are set out below.  If you elect to do a tank installation, you might want to get pictures of the accumulator tank installation from Oliver to see how they are doing it.

 

As an additional thought, do you have the old style water tank connection coming off the back of the water tank, or the new style coming off the top.  If it is the old style you might want to read the posts of those who had trouble drawing water from the water tank when the tank was partially empty or the trailer was nose down.  In any event, good luck in finding a solution.

 

John Shkor

SailorsAshore

 

 

[Raspy]

The expansion, or accumulator tank is a very important addition and I'll be adding one to my LE2 soon.

 

Beside the previously mentioned improvements it also stabilizes the pressure while the water heater is warming up.  I noticed that if I switch on the water heater and use no water as it warms up, the pressure increases until the relief valve pops.  This is probably about 125 PSI or so and puts a lot of strain on the fittings.

 

The Shur-flo accumulator is a good one and I have one on my boat, but it can also be a small domestic style.  It can be teed in anywhere after the pump.  I'm looking at under the sink, behind the drawers.

[donthompson]

I have an appointment at the Oliver factory in mid-October to add the composting toilet, the new bike rack and the water accumulator bladder tank added. Not very expensive to do the accumulator bladder. Will also have them do the fresh water tank retrofit so I can use the entire fresh water tank capacity.

 

Don

[Mike and Carol]

Problem solved. Looks like the one thing I didn't check was the issue - the filter trap on the side of the pump was slightly loose, I tightened it and now we have smooth flow (thanks Steve for suggesting that). I don't have the fresh tank retrofit but will get it the next time we're near the factory. I will also get the accumulator to smooth out the vibrations!  Thanks for the suggestions. Mike

[topgun2]

John Shkor

SailorsAshore -

 

How did you attach the tank? - it looks like screws from what I can see in the picture, but, if that is on the inside wall I would be afraid that the screw would come through the other side.

 

Bill

[sailorashore]

Mike:  The tank is mounted with stainless through-bolts in the same compartment as the water pump.  I put it on the fiberglass bulkhead between the compartment and the inside of the trailer because there was a nice open flat space and easy hose runs.  The tank has some rubber stand-offs to minimize any vibration transfer.  Round bolt heads and fender washers on the aisle-way side, lock nuts on the water pump compartment side.     We have the twin bed model so the bolt heads and washers are pretty much hidden under the extension for the mattress.  I would still see where Oliver has put the tank--they may have come up with an arrangement you prefer.

Best regards,

John Shkor