Poor Water Pressure on Water Pump, and Water Coming Out of Weep Hole

[Margaret]

Hi there,

When I turn on my water pump (when not on a full hook up), the water pressure is bad, and the faucets sputter like there is air in the line.

In addition, there is water coming out of the weep hole in the bottom.  Usually there is more than what is shown in pics. I just turned on the faucet so I could show you the issue .  So usually, I end up with a fairly large wet spot on the pavement.

Last night, there was also water under the fridge.

Does this necessarily mean I have a leak (I researched old posts)??  I really hope not, bc I have significant mold sensitivity.  

I can hear the pump running when I turn it on, do I don't think the issue is with the pump itself 

 

Thank you!

 

[Ray Kimsey]

One question.  When you are running water the pump usually comes on to build up the pressure. Once you quit using water, the pump will then run for a few seconds longer  and then quit. Does the pump ever come on without running water or do you typically shut off the pump afterwards?

 

[Margaret]

5 minutes ago, Ray Kimsey said:

One question.  When you are running water the pump usually comes on to build up the pressure. Once you quit using water, the pump will then rund for a few seconds longer  and then quit. Does the pump ever come on without running water or do you typically shut off the pump afterwards?

 

Hi Ray, no, it does not come on on its own.  I shut it off after use by using the switch.  

[Ray Kimsey]

I was going to say if you leave the pump on for some amount of time and it comes back on without turning on a faucet, then it probably is leaking somewhere.  Since you are cutting it off, the pump cannot come back on. It might also explain why you are getting the sputtering like there is air in the line. My guess is that one of the plastic fittings may not be tight. They come loose easily. Start by looking under the curbside bed for any puddles of water or even remove the bedding and open the panels and turn on the pump briefly to see if you see water. Maybe try tightening all the white fittings (hand tighten) on the pex lines under the curb side bed. Others may have some other ideas for you.

 

[Margaret]

6 minutes ago, Ray Kimsey said:

I was going to say if you leave the pump on for some amount of time and it comes back on without turning on a faucet, then it probably is leaking somewhere.  Since you are cutting it off, the pump cannot come back on. It might also explain why you are getting the sputtering like there is air in the line. My guess is that one of the plastic fittings may not be tight. They come loose easily. Start by looking under the curbside bed for any puddles of water or even remove the bedding and open the panels and turn on the pump briefly to see if you see water. Maybe try tightening all the white fittings (hand tighten) on the pex lines under the curb side bed. Others may have some other ideas for you.

 

So if I turn on the button that says, "Water pump," I can hear it run.  I don't believe it shuts off until I actually turn the switch off.  It makes a continuous vibration-like sound when in on position.  I will check pipes under bed, and report back.

[Ray Kimsey]

If the pump doesn't stop, then I think it probably is a leak and maybe a big one. Check under the curbside bed would be where I would look first. 

 

[Margaret]

11 minutes ago, Ray Kimsey said:

If the pump doesn't stop, then I think it probably is a leak and maybe a big one. Check under the curbside bed would be where I would look first. 

 

Hi Ray, 

I checked under bed.  No evidence of leak or puddles.  I also checked in "sewage area" under dinette seat (road side).  

Thanks

[Ray Kimsey]

No leaks and puddles is good. I am sure some others may have some ideas. 

[ScubaRx]

If the pump continues to run when the faucets are off and there is water coming from the bottom scupper holes in the hull, you have a leak somewhere. Keep looking.

[Mike and Carol]

If you don’t turn the pump off after using the faucet the pump should stop just like Steve explains.  When we don’t have city water we often keep the water pump on, it only pumps when we turn on the water somewhere and the quits a few seconds later.  If it doesn’t you have a water leak or an air leak somewhere.  Sometimes, if we get air in the lines, I will turn the pump on and open all the faucets for a minute to get the air out.  It usually solves that problem.  Check the connections around the water pump.  Make sure the little filter on the pump is fully screwed on.  Mike

[Margaret]

8 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

If the pump continues to run when the faucets are off and there is water coming from the bottom scupper holes in the hull, you have a leak somewhere. Keep looking.

I will, thanks.  On top of this, we had a huge downpour, and now the windows are leaking, not the rear window, but two of the others!  

I am beyond frustrated

 

Thank you!

[Margaret]

5 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

If you don’t turn the pump off after using the faucet the pump should stop just like Steve explains.  When we don’t have city water we often keep the water pump on, it only pumps when we turn on the water somewhere and the quits a few seconds later.  If it doesn’t you have a water leak or an air leak somewhere.  Sometimes, if we get air in the lines, I will turn the pump on and open all the faucets for a minute to get the air out.  It usually solves that problem.  Check the connections around the water pump.  Make sure the little filter on the pump is fully screwed on.  Mike

Thanks Mike!

I had already tried turning on the pump and opening all the faucets to get the air out.

I checked the connections around the pump, as well as checking the filter 

Is it possible there is a leak in the fresh water tank itself?

Now that the windows have leaked too, I feel like I'm in a leaky boat out at sea (and this is monsoon season in CO, AZ, and NM.  

Thank you

 

 

 

[Patriot]

4 hours ago, Margaret said:

I will, thanks.  On top of this, we had a huge downpour, and now the windows are leaking, not the rear window, but two of the others!  

I am beyond frustrated

 

Thank you!

Margaret,

You may want to pull your window seals out and inspect and clean the track beneath that seal. Clean the seals as well. The seals will easily go right back in after you remove them. Any dirt or debris that builds up in the window track will not allow water to properly drain through the exterior window weep holes. When the weep holes are blocked the water will over flow and eventually leak into your interior.
We use an air compressor or you can use compressed air in a can to help in cleaning these tracks out. We clean the window tracks about every second or third wash and have not had any issues. 
Hope this helps.

Patriot

Here is a very helpful link -

 

 

[Mike and Carol]

4 hours ago, Margaret said:

Thanks Mike!

I had already tried turning on the pump and opening all the faucets to get the air out.

I checked the connections around the pump, as well as checking the filter 

Is it possible there is a leak in the fresh water tank itself?

Now that the windows have leaked too, I feel like I'm in a leaky boat out at sea (and this is monsoon season in CO, AZ, and NM.  

Thank you

Air could enter almost anywhere there’s a lose connection, certainly where the water is drawn out of the tank could be a possibility.  Since you haven’t found any wet spots it seems that air is entering the system somewhere.  Does you trailer have the fresh tank modification that allows almost all the water to be drawn out (I can’t remember what it’s called - just on my first cup of coffee!).  I don’t know when the factory started doing that, we had ours done by service later but some owners did it themselves.

David’s post on the window tracks is important, once they get a little clogged they don’t drain or don’t drain fast and those AZ monsoons will overload and cause water to come inside.  Mike

[rideandfly]

Where is the water coming in with your windows?

2nd what Ray, Mike, ScubaRX & Patriot are saying.

Where we store Ollie under cover, Mud Dauber wasp will build their nest in the window drains that would cause drains to overflow in Ollie. We tape the lower window drains during storage to keep the Mud Daubers out.

Other areas windows will leak from can be exterior fixtures above the windows like porch lights. This test takes two people, but when we had leaks, one of us would use a water hose above the the window porch light or fixture, to see if water comes in the window. We have the older style porch lights that was a source of leaks. Water will come in around porch lights and travel between the inner and outer hull coming out of the window in some cases. I keep white electrical tape on hand to temporarily seal a leak until we can repair it properly. When we first purchased Ollie, we had two window leaks that frustrated us with Ollie during our first camping trip. Took Ollie home and fixed the leaks years ago, not having leak problems since. 🙂

On your water system leak. Keep looking with bright light and feeling with your hand for the source of water leaks. It does not sound like a water tank leak with the air you're getting out of the faucet. It sounds more like a suction or pressure line to or from the 12V pump. Check the plumbing in the exterior storage area under the street side bed closely. Also pull out and check the exterior shower.  If none of that works, I would removed a kitchen sink drawer to look at plumbing under the sink. Next I would remove the towel/soap rack under the bath sink to look for leaks.

In the end, once these issues are fixed, you can really enjoy Ollie. It's a great fiberglass camper, once the leaks are fixed you normally don't have to worry about wood rot issues. Please let us know your progress!

The Ollie family is here to help! 🙂

[Trainman]

First I hope you have water in your onboard tank to pump, otherwise you are pumping air. Second yes there can be a air build up in the lines and this can cause the pump just pumping air and not pickup the water in the tank, I call it a vapor lock, but not sure if that is the correct term. Third I would hookup my fresh city  water line and prime the system, open all the faucets, flush the toilet, move the water faucets to both hot and cold and make sure the hot water tank if full and the water on both hot and cold is running and no air is in the system.  Fourth this should clear out all water systems and they should be primed and ready to go. I have had this happen before and doing what I described has always taken care of the problem. I don't think you have a water leak problem and don't start turning valves, if it worked before it should  work again as normal. One thing as many have said, there must be water in the lines for the pump to work correctly, air will cause the pump not to shutoff and keep running. Trailer systems have a lot of quirks with them, most over time will become first hand and easily solved, but for those new to be campers with RV's they can be somewhat a learning experience. 

trainman

[SeaDawg]

1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:

Does you trailer have the fresh tank modification that allows almost all the water to be drawn out (I can’t remember what it’s called - just on my first cup of coffee!).  I don’t know when the factory started doing that, we had ours done by service later but some owners did it themselves.

That's a good thought, Mike. Hull 179 would certainly be in the group of trailers before the factory started the pickup tube mod. She won't be able to see a leak if there's no water in the line...  @Margaret, you might make a quick call to the previous owners and find out if they ever had the pickup tube mod done at the factory.

 

[John E Davies]

13 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

That's a good thought, Mike. Hull 179 would certainly be in the group of trailers before the factory started the pickup tube mod. She won't be able to see a leak if there's no water in the line...  @Margaret, you might make a quick call to the previous owners and find out if they ever had the pickup tube mod done at the factory.

No need to call, it takes a few seconds to look and see. The older trailers have two lines coming out of the rear (vertical) end of the tank. The pickup tube mod added a third suction line at the TOP corner. Without that mod the tank only supplies 2/3 of its rated capacity, meaning 10 gallons is unusable - the pump sucks air. If the tank is full or the tongue is raised, it should work fine otherwise…

From an old thread:

EDIT 11/02/21. Oliver will do the spin weld mod free if you visit the factory. IMHO they should issue a Technical Bulletin and just fix all the ones in the field, at no charge to the owners. Instead they just changed the technical specs from “32 gallons” to “32 gallons design capacity”. LOL…. How lame is that?

Matt Duncan posted this on Page 2 here in this thread: "I have talked to the service department and management. We will take care of the tank modification for free if you can bring it to our service center in Tennessee. You will need to call 1-888-526-3978 to schedule the tank modification. Let me know if you have any questions!"

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2261-how-to-fresh-water-tank-suction-tube-mod-no-spin-welding-required/

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Trainman]

I will say this, when I drain my fresh water tank I have to tilt the trailer up in the front (on Jack) to get all the water to run out of the tank. This is probably not a water pickup problem, but I am surprised how much water is left in the tank when setting level that does not drain out. 

trainman

[rideandfly]

3 hours ago, John E Davies said:

No need to call, it takes a few seconds to look and see. The older trailers have two lines coming out of the rear (vertical) end of the tank. The pickup tube mod added a third suction line at the TOP corner. Without that mod the tank only supplies 2/3 of its rated capacity, meaning 10 gallons is unusable - the pump sucks air. If the tank is full or the tongue is raised, it should work fine otherwise…

From an old thread:

 

EDIT 11/02/21. Oliver will do the spin weld mod free if you visit the factory. IMHO they should issue a Technical Bulletin and just fix all the ones in the field, at no charge to the owners. Instead they just changed the technical specs from “32 gallons” to “32 gallons design capacity”. LOL…. How lame is that?

Matt Duncan posted this on Page 2 here in this thread: "I have talked to the service department and management. We will take care of the tank modification for free if you can bring it to our service center in Tennessee. You will need to call 1-888-526-3978 to schedule the tank modification. Let me know if you have any questions!"

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2261-how-to-fresh-water-tank-suction-tube-mod-no-spin-welding-required/

John Davies

Spokane WA

Oliver corrected our 12V pump fresh water tank pickup tube for free during a plant visit a few years ago. They also fixed the 12V ground to frame issue for free during that visit.

[John E Davies]

Here is a picture of the older design, no top pickup tube. Yellow shows where the new fitting and line are located.

 

FYI my “no spin weld” version is doing fine, I can use all but maybe three gallons without tilting the tongue. For draining, you must still tilt a little.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Mike and Carol]

Trainman’s recommendation to connect to city water to get all air out of the lines is a good one.  Over the years I’ve had to do that a couple of times.  Just hook up to city water and turn on the faucets and toilet until all the air is out.  Then disconnect from city water and try your pump again.  If you continue to get air you have a spot somewhere that air is entering the system.  Mike

[SeaDawg]

20 hours ago, Margaret said:

When I turn on my water pump (when not on a full hook up), the water pressure is bad, and the faucets sputter like there is air in the line.

Is this every time you run on tank water vs city water? Even when you know that the tank is full?

Maybe you'll find some info in this thread helpful.

 

[Margaret]

On 8/8/2022 at 6:08 AM, Patriot said:

Margaret,

You may want to pull your window seals out and inspect and clean the track beneath that seal. Clean the seals as well. The seals will easily go right back in after you remove them. Any dirt or debris that builds up in the window track will not allow water to properly drain through the exterior window weep holes. When the weep holes are blocked the water will over flow and eventually leak into your interior.
We use an air compressor or you can use compressed air in a can to help in cleaning these tracks out. We clean the window tracks about every second or third wash and have not had any issues. 
Hope this helps.

Patriot

Here is a very helpful link -

 

 

Yes, Patriot,

That's very helpful, actually.

Where can I get compressed air?

My Oliver is going to a repair shop on Monday, so I imagine they can do it there.

Thank you, Patriot

[Patriot]

41 minutes ago, Margaret said:

Yes, Patriot,

That's very helpful, actually.

Where can I get compressed air?

My Oliver is going to a repair shop on Monday, so I imagine they can do it there.

Thank you, Patriot

Lowes or Home Depot or possibly Walmart, Amazon.