dripping bathroom faucet

[Danno and Donna]

Group ... I own Hull# 069 ... a 2015 Elite II ... the bathroom faucet has developed a drip ... not a leak or trickle, but a steady drip.  The drip is confined to the bathroom (all other faucets seem to be fine).  The drip stops when I close the valve to the bathroom (under the curbside bed) and resumes when I open the valve again.  Even with the pump turned off the drip continues, though I'm guessing that's due to the latent water pressure remaining in the lines.  With faucet knobs open, both hot and cold flows are good ... it's only when turned off that it continues to drip.  I can't imagine trying to sleep at night with that going on!  So ... any suggestions?    I believe it to be the original Scandvik setup and have not ever had the issue before.  Hoping to avoid a full faucet set replacement, is there a cartridge that may need replacing? An "O" ring to replace? If so, has anyone actually done this?  Stop the insanity!

[John E Davies]

Have you ever flushed the system with vinegar? It dissolves the hard crusty deposits that occur in the hot lines and faucets. It might just dissolve whatever is causing the seal to leak. There have been a number of threads about how to do this.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Danno and Donna]

Hey John ... I've not tried the vinegar flush ... will check the online threads and give that a go.  Thanks! -Dan

[Frank C]

If you’re not hooked to a city water connection, even with the pump off, the accumulator tank that’s just downstream of the pump will maintain some pressure in the lines (accumulator to the right of the pump in this photo).     That is what is providing the pressure for your drip.  Until you can try the vinegar flush or repair/replace the faucet,  a simple way eliminate the drip is to shut the pump off and then turn the faucet on until the water pressure in the accumulator drops to zero, then close the faucet (assuming you’re not connected to a city water hookup). 

 

[John E Davies]

The early hulls like mine (218) did not come with an accumulator. Tho an owner could have installed one.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

 

[Frank C]

4 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

The early hulls like mine (218) did not come with an accumulator. Tho an owner could have installed one.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

 

Thanks for the info/clarification John.   👍🏻

[Danno and Donna]

So ... update ... the Scandvik cold water valve/cartridge developed a small crack in the plastic internal workings ... I spotted it with a magnifying glass!  So, the water would shut off but then works its way thru this tiny crack and into a drip ... drip ... drip.  Found a Kohler insert/cartridge at Home Depot that looked identical in all dimensions so I thought would work ... it fit the internal workings ok and in the "shutoff" position resolved the drip.  However, upon trying to reinstall the knob I discovered that the splines were differently spaced and the screw threads on the original knob were different (metric vs std?).  I didn't want to ruin the valve so tracked down the proper Scandvik cartridge (cold side only) on Amazon ($22.23) - scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

On a related note, I discovered this problem as I was in the process of installing an accumulator tank - hoping to reduce the noise from the water pump (as noted by John Davies, above, the 2015 models did NOT have accumulators).  Interestingly, in researching I referred to my handy 2015 Oliver Owners Manual which provided some detail on the water pump. I found one statement in the manual very interesting - because the ShurFlo 4008 is a "by pass" type pump, "❚ No need for an accumulator with bypass pumps" ... not sure I understand why this is the case ... but ...  That said, I installed the accumulator anyway (pretty easy really) just to see if it made a difference ... sorry to say that it did NOT help the noisy water pump at all! So, I'll be tapping some collective brain power at the rally in May!

[topgun2]

Dr - 

I too went the accumulator route in my search for a quieter way to get water.  There are also additional features of the accumulator that I've grown to like.

In addition to this I did several things - all at the same time.  Therefore I can't tell you which of these helped the most.  When plumbing for the accumulator I replaced all attached lines with stainless steel braided lines and then covered ALL lines that I could reach with insulator tubes (LIKE THESE).  Next I added more layers of insulation against the hull, on the underside of the trap door/access door to this area, and against the interior wall beneath the bed.  As a result, I can now hardly hear the water pump when it come on.

Good luck!

Bill

p.s.  look me up at the Rally - I'd be happy to show you what I did.

[Danno and Donna]

mmm ... what are the additional features of an accumulator? ... I had mine in place for only a short time, only to judge any reduction in noise ... please advise.

My unit already has the braided stainless steel lines, so no need to make a change there.  

I'll give the added insulation a try soon.

Cheers, -Dan

[topgun2]

8 hours ago, drfaux said:

what are the additional features of an accumulator?

1- relatively steady water pressure - thus easier on your water lines and water pump

2- no (or little) pulsing of water due to the water pump "cycling" particularly at low volumes

3- when needing only a little water there is no need for the water pump to even turn on

Bill