Staying in caravan park and hooked up to their water supply. A few days ago they had a problem with water and turned it off at mains. We did use the water until it fizzled out...not very long!
anyway, since then when turning on the taps the water pump is making a pulsing noise...instead of continuous pump sound.
There is a big chance you have air in your lines, just goto each tap and turn it on and let any air out and if you have a mixer anywhere remember to do the hot as well as the cold.
If it is pulsing when you aren't using water then you will have either a water leak or some rubbish in the valves inside your pump..
-- Edited by oldbobsbus on Wednesday 30th of October 2013 09:00:59 AM
Some time ago I had the same problem with both my pumps. I lost 10 years of hair growth trying to fix it. Redid all the pipework and serviced the pumps. There was nothing to indicate any problems.
Two weeks ago the navigator and I were free camping on the Murray River and the problems arose again. The problem was that both batteries would collapsed under extended and greater load. Like when having a shower and having the TV etc going.
When we arrived home I fully charged the batteries and had them load tested. They both failed under load. One was worse that the other. I tested everything with the new batteries and all went well.
There is a big chance you have air in your lines, just goto each tap and turn it on and let any air out and if you have a mixer anywhere remember to do the hot as well as the cold.
If it is pulsing when you aren't using water then you will have either a water leak or some rubbish in the valves inside your pump..
All the taps are mixers! Not sure I know what you mean by let all the air out! Will turn all the taps on this weekend and see how we get on. The pulsing is only when turning taps on, so no leak.
And the batteries and caravan are new...there shouldn't be a problem with them...plus, we are plugged in on 240v at the moment!
-- Edited by oldbobsbus on Wednesday 30th of October 2013 09:00:59 AM
OK sounds like your non return valve is the problem.
Most likely crap from the water supply,,, the system presurizes when you turn off the taps,, ie say 45 psi,,, and THEN the 45 psi pressure decreases as water flows back past the non return valve, and pump restarts. This happens very quickly, hence the cycling.
What brand of pump is it?
-- Edited by Baz421 on Thursday 31st of October 2013 09:04:49 AM
__________________
Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
There is a big chance you have air in your lines, just goto each tap and turn it on and let any air out and if you have a mixer anywhere remember to do the hot as well as the cold.
If it is pulsing when you aren't using water then you will have either a water leak or some rubbish in the valves inside your pump..
All the taps are mixers! Not sure I know what you mean by let all the air out! Will turn all the taps on this weekend and see how we get on. The pulsing is only when turning taps on, so no leak.
And the batteries and caravan are new...there shouldn't be a problem with them...plus, we are plugged in on 240v at the moment!
-- Edited by oldbobsbus on Wednesday 30th of October 2013 09:00:59 AM
Sounds like there is air in the pump and the lines, you need to bleed all the taps untill when you turn any tap OFF the pump stops instantly.
There is a big chance you have air in your lines, just goto each tap and turn it on and let any air out and if you have a mixer anywhere remember to do the hot as well as the cold.
If it is pulsing when you aren't using water then you will have either a water leak or some rubbish in the valves inside your pump..
All the taps are mixers! Not sure I know what you mean by let all the air out! Will turn all the taps on this weekend and see how we get on. The pulsing is only when turning taps on, so no leak.
And the batteries and caravan are new...there shouldn't be a problem with them...plus, we are plugged in on 240v at the moment!
-- Edited by oldbobsbus on Wednesday 30th of October 2013 09:00:59 AM
Sounds like there is air in the pump and the lines, you need to bleed all the taps untill when you turn any tap OFF the pump stops instantly.
IF it is a pressure system that shuts off at determined pressure IT IS UNLIKELY TO BE AIR PROBLEM.
If air in pump the pump can "cavitate" (for want of a better word) and run on and on. If air in the line it will pressurise AND pump will normally shut off.
The problem with pump pulsing ie turn on/off quickly is normally the non return valve OR a leak.
I have posted heaps of info on this - Shurflo pumps to be exact, I'll see if I can find it.
-- Edited by Baz421 on Thursday 31st of October 2013 08:07:57 PM
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
Answer: The pump cycles off because the shut-off pressure of 45 PSI has been reached. If it shuts off with your faucet or shower running full open, it is seeing excessive resistance (flow restriction) in the water supply plumbing.
Question: Are there any ways to reduce system cycling?
Answer: 1.Clean or remove the water savers in your faucets and shower heads. 2.Remove as many elbows and tees as possible at the outlet of the pump, and replace with approved flexible hose (SHURflo silencer kit #94-591-01). Look for restrictive valves. 3.Increase the shut-off pressure setting of the pump by turning the adjustment screw on the switch clockwise 1/2 turn. Note: We recommend this be done by a qualified service technician. 4.Install a SHURflo accumulator tank to reduce cycling, keep water flow constant and even out temperature fluctuations.
Question: The pump runs when there is no demand for water. How can I fix this?
Answer: 1.Purge all the air in the system and check for leaks in your faucets or lines. If no leaks exist, you may have debris in the check valve/switch or valve assembly. 2.Clean debris or replace the check valve or valve assemblies.
Cheers Baz
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
G'day Buffy. If the caravan park was having water problems and had to shut it down then the natural conclusion would be that dirt or other foreign bodies have transferred from their supply to your pipes (as suggested by Baz). Please keep us posted though, as this is an interesting problem that I (for one) would be keen to know the answer on.
Staying in caravan park and hooked up to their water supply. A few days ago they had a problem with water and turned it off at mains. We did use the water until it fizzled out...not very long!
anyway, since then when turning on the taps the water pump is making a pulsing noise...instead of continuous pump sound.
have we got air in the lines? How do we fix it?
any suggestions greatly appreciated.
cheers
Maybe I'm simply not understanding the situation here, but it appears that you are connected to the mains water but still have the pump turned on.
If this is the case, then it is possible that your pump pressure is higher than the mains pressure.
This will cause the pump to pulsate as it draws water from the onboard tank to augment the mains supply.
Ie. it will build up pressure then switch off until enough water has been released for the pressure to drop below the cut in point of the pump control, and then the cycle will repeat.
Try it with the mains disconnected and see what happens.
Will turn all the taps on this weekend and see how we get on. The pulsing is only when turning taps on, so no leak.
