Water Pump suddenly stopped. What to do?

[DonnaDuane]

Our water pump suddenly stopped working. Any ideas on where to start trouble shooting are appreciated. We’re camping now so we’re stuck without it. Thank you, 

Duane and Donna

[DonnaDuane]

Is there a fuse for the pump? If so, where is it located?

[rideandfly]

Under the dinette there are 125V AC circuit breakers and 12V DC blade fuses in the Progressive Dynamics 125V/12V power supply. The water pump has a 12V 15 amp blade fuse #6 on our 2015 LE2 Ollie. 12V fuses might vary in number, so look at the number on the left side of the fuse to match with the 12V fuse list.

[DonnaDuane]

I have a 2018 Elite I so my fuse panel is the rear most cabinet. None of the fuses are labeled Water Pump. 

[MAX Burner]

Can you post a picture of your fuse box label panel?  We might be able to guide you to the correct fuse to start troubleshooting...

[mossemi]

If your pump is still not working after verifying the fuse condition, check the wiring around the pump.  There have been multiple instances of wiring failures near the pump.  And I personally found a female spade connector had fallen of the pump switch in the bathroom, disabling the pump.  Be sure that there are 3 wires connected to each to each switch.  The picture below show the water pump wiring originating in the converter which also houses the fuse panel.  There are AC and DC fuses in the panel and the picture indicates the water pump fuse is rated at 15 amps.

Mossey

Edited July 14, 2023 by mossemi
Added picture

[Mike and Carol]

There are two red wires that connect to the pump.  I had both fall off after a bumpy ride.  Check those if the fuse is good.  Mike

[MAX Burner]

If you can access the switch in the bathroom, as @mossemi indicates, check the integrity of the wires connecting the switch and the green LED.  If one of those spade connectors has fallen off and gone to ground - it could have blown the water pump fuse.

Do you have a VOM with you?

[MAX Burner]

FYI:  This is a pic of the bathroom switch and LED that could be your culprit...

[DonnaDuane]

I have an Elite I which is configured differently from a II. All 20 amp fuses in the panel are Good. I checked wire connections at the pump, and they appear to be Good. 
 

I need to know if the fuse is located somewhere else on my Elite I

[mossemi]

15 minutes ago, DonnaDuane said:

I need to know if the fuse is located somewhere else on my Elite I

The picture of the wiring diagram I posted above is from the 2018 Elite 1 manual and it indicates the the WP fuse is 15 amps, not 20.  @rideandfly's pictures appears to be from an LE2, but it does show that the WP uses a 15 amp fuse, which is blue.

Mossey

[SeaDawg]

I know you've already checked, but for someone new, stumbling on this post in the future, all the secondary switches are in the "on" position, right?

I remember a day when we were camped, and rhe main switch was on, but one of us had accidentally bumped the kitchen switch to off. A minute of consternation,  then checked secondary switches.

We have a 2008. 

 

[MAX Burner]

Have you tried to get a voltage reading at the pump with your VOM?  

If you don't have a VOM, you could also test for voltage at the pump positive (red wire) with a test light probe:

Realize that this is a basic question, but at least you'll know if the pump "is" or "is not" getting power.  Battery voltage at pump & pump not running = bad pump.  If there's no power to the pump, you're probably "ok" to assume the pump is functional.  We've had several pumps fail over the years and that's why we travel with a spare.  

One is none.  Two is one....:

Keep us informed of your troubleshooting progress - good luck!

Best,

A & D

 

[rich.dev]

Might be the water pump pressure valve, check this video 

https://youtu.be/0vemzasAdRY

[DonnaDuane]

So here's the latest on my non working water pump. I ordered and installed a new pump and guess what? It doesn't make a peep either. Just spoke with Mike in Service and learned that checking voltage to the pump requires testing the Ground wire too the pump while testing the Red power coming in to the pump. I had simply grounded the multimeter to the aluminum frame and got 12.3 volts. So, we could have a faulty Ground issue. I will keep you posted.

[ScubaRx]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:05 AM, DonnaDuane said:

I have a 2018 Elite I so my fuse panel is the rear most cabinet. None of the fuses are labeled Water Pump. 

The panel you are referring to was a sub-panel they used for a couple of years to supply power to everything above the belly band. You still have the original panel under the front dinette. Check there as the water pump is below the belly band.

[ScubaRx]

On 7/26/2023 at 2:19 PM, DonnaDuane said:

So here's the latest on my non working water pump. I ordered and installed a new pump and guess what? It doesn't make a peep either. Just spoke with Mike in Service and learned that checking voltage to the pump requires testing the Ground wire too the pump while testing the Red power coming in to the pump. I had simply grounded the multimeter to the aluminum frame and got 12.3 volts. So, we could have a faulty Ground issue. I will keep you posted.

Well, the good news here is that you've eliminated 50% of your problem. Now check for continuity between the ground wire at the pump and the frame.

[DonnaDuane]

How does one check the continuity of the Ground Wire? Also, could it be the Switch at the sink or the connections to the switch? If so, how do I check those? I really appreciate any help on this.

Duane

[routlaw]

I had this happen to me once several years ago, turns out the connecting wires at the switch itself had fallen off their terminals. This could happen at either end, ie the bath or the main cabin since the pump uses a double pole switch. Gaining access to either is not easy. In my case the wires came off at the cabin end which required taking off all of the control panels to gain access. Even with that it was a tight squeeze getting my hand through the cavities to deal with the wires. The FG will scrape the stew out of your hands too. It was near impossible to access the wires from the bottom access where my solar controller and main power switches are located. This might be a big different on the Elite 1.

Good luck.

[DonnaDuane]

Thank you. I have easy access to the switch just under the kitchen sink. I just need to know how to test lines for continuity

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Continuity is checked by switching your Multimeter (digital is my preferred meter) to the Ohm/Resistance function.  Clip one lead to the wire you’re testing, touch the other lead to a known ground like a bus bar or frame ground.  You should see almost no resistance if the wire and connection is good.

If you see very high resistance or an open indication, you have either a connector that is off or corrosion in the connection.

HTH