Episode 215 – RV Water Pump Keeps Cycling? Check These Before Replacing It

You sit in your rv, nobody's running water, nobody's washing dishes, no one's taking a shower, no one's done anything.

And all of a sudden you hear that brrr.

The water pump runs for a few seconds and shuts off.

Then a few minutes later, it does the same thing again.

Well, staying on the road today, that's what we're going to talk about.

How the water pump keeps cycling and what can be the problem and finding the problem before you just go buy a new water pump.

And then in quick tips, we're going to talk about spare water f having some spare fittings in your RV in case of emergency.

Also in smart tips, the question is, should I keep a spare water pump on hand?

I'm Eric Stark.

Welcome to the Smart rver podcast.

If you'd rather be camping than sitting in a repair shop, you're in the right place.

In every episode, I'll walk you through practical DIY maintenance and repairs that keep you on the road.

So welcome back, Smart RVers.

Today is episode number 215.

I gotta mention, wholesale warranties were coming up to the end of the year 20, 27 will be here before you know it.

And you know, insurance companies are constantly reducing what they cover.

So if you're looking for an extended warranty for your rv, whether you're buying a new rv, a used RV from a private party, or a dealership, check out wholesale warranties before the end of the year.

Use the link in this description or you can go to our website, thesmartrver.com but contact them and talk to them about a warranty and see what changes are coming.

And they're going to tell you exactly what a warranty will cover.

They'll tell you exactly what it won't cover.

And I emphasize what it won't cover because, you know, a lot of times people buy RVs or sold this extended warranty and they're told it covers everything, man.

This is the warranty, or you got the platinum warranty, there's the gold warranty, the bronze warranty, the silver warranty, the copper warranty, the aluminum warranty, the rusty old metal warranty, forget all that garbage.

Get a warranty that works and one that you works for you.

You know, when they sell you these warranties and they tell you it's the bronze one or the bronze, the platinum one.

It covers everything.

No, it doesn't.

I guarantee you it doesn't.

Call up wholesale warranties, find out exactly what's being covered, exactly what isn't covered before you Ever pay a nickel?

Use the link in our description and contact wholesale warranties today.

Does that sound like an advertisement or what?

Nah, just messing with you.

Contact them whenever you're ready to buy your rv.

Like I said, private party, dealership, doesn't matter.

All right, that's enough of wholesale warranties.

We love the company, but I'm not going to talk about them any longer today.

Let's move on.

Let's get into the nitty gritty of the show.

How your water pump is running occasionally and it's really getting annoying because, you know, you're wondering, is the water pump wearing out?

Is there a leak someplace?

What's happening?

Is something getting damaged?

Is this pump gonna bail or fail on me this trip?

Will it make it through the trip?

So that's what we're gonna try to figure out today.

Alright, so let's just get into this.

Let's get into the meat and potatoes of why my water pump keeps running.

So, you know, the water pump can keep running.

You got these different problems.

You hear that noise here and there.

Maybe there's some other symptoms, but really the key is dialing in, you know, what the problems can be.

So in this episode, we're not really going to get into the weeds on this and try to get you to the exact problem because every RV is different.

The water systems are different.

They have different brands of water pump.

The water pump could be 5 years old versus 10 years old.

Could be 1 year old versus 10 years old.

So they're going to work a little bit different in how it's installed, what the manufacturer did, when they installed it.

There's different things there, but we are going to cover some basic things.

About six different basic things.

It runs for, you know, briefly runs when all the fixtures are closed.

You know, it repeatedly turns on and off while I'm using water.

It keeps running after the faucets closed, you know, for an extended period of time.

It runs, but I get sputtering or very little water.

It delivers water but the pump is really loud.

So those are kind of the basic areas here.

And keep in mind a water pump in an rv, you know, when you open up a faucet, those pumps should come on.

Once the pressure drops to a certain point, the pumps going to come on and it's going to run while you're using the faucet.

Sometimes it'll shut off, sometimes it won't.

Depends on how you're using the water.

But that's basically it.

And like I said, every RV is different.

Pumps are different, different ages.

So we want to keep that in mind, too.

And sometimes it's not a problem.

Sometimes.

Maybe it's just us, maybe we got a new RV and the water pump works different compared to old rv.

So is it a problem or is it just.

It's a different RV and it's done a little bit different.

So we have to determine that.

And that's where those manuals come in handy, downloading those manuals from the manufacturer's website.

So one thing you should do, unless you're absolutely positive about the performance, what it's doing, what the problem is.

But if you're not sure or maybe to say, you know what, I'm going to start from scratch.

So you can.

Well, let's say you get home from your trip.

You know, you're parked, you got water in the tank.

You know, you got water in the tank and you turn on the water pump and you get all the air out of the water lines and then see what the problem is.

Does the pump run for a few seconds every 15 minutes?

Is it a few seconds every hour?

Have you checked for water leaks?

But get that pump to the point where now you can see what the problem is.

Make sure your winterizing valves haven't been moved.

Someone's done something.

You know, maybe you weren't out RVing.

Maybe this is the first trip after de winterizing your rv and the water pump now isn't working, or you're not getting water through the system.

The pump comes on, but nothing happens.

Is that a bypass valve?

So check out the really basic things first, because a lot of people forget about the bypass valves or they had some work done on the RV and somebody turned the bypass valve in a direction and shut off the water flow, forgot to turn it back.

So those are normal things that can happen.

But write down what's going on.

What is the pump actually doing?

You know, you might find that the problem is just running.

It runs here and there.

And you know, it's a concern.

You want to make sure there's no water leaks.

So let's get into that.

So you're not using the water pump.

No valves are open.

And you hear the pump running, makes that noise, right?

It's losing pressure or it would appear to be.

Right.

So it's got to be a water leak.

That's what you're thinking.

So you're going to check for water leaks.

And you know, you just go through the system, go through your rv, cabinet by cabinet, wherever there's water, check it out.

Check out the Water heater.

Look at the water pump itself and you know, the water heater and the shower in the rv.

Sometimes they have access panels on the inside of the rv.

And I am told so many times, no, my RV has no access to the water heater or the shower after, you know, you convince them there is.

You know, it might be a drawer that pulls out, there might be a piece of paneling that was cut and put over a hole on the inside of the rv, maybe in a bedroom that backs up to the shower.

And you've looked at that piece of wood for so long, you forgot that it's even there.

Just blends right in.

You know, those things happen.

So have an open mind.

Well, there's got to be an access panel here.

Look at it with a fresh set of eyes if you will.

But check for every possible place you can check for a water leak.

Look underneath the rv, make sure the low point drains aren't leaking.

Check the water tank on the water heater, the fresh water tank.

You have to really invest some time in making sure there's no leaks.

And one of the things too is it's important about this is not so much the pump running, it's do you have a leak and is it going to cause damage that can be avoided or is that leak just going to get worse and worse and worse?

You know, maybe it's a water line that's loose, it's barely leaking.

The next trip you go on all of a sudden is a major leak.

You want to avoid that and that's why you have to pay attention to it.

And if you use a flashlight, you use that in the cabinets, it's going to help you find a leak because the light reflects off the drips of water.

And also paper towels are great for that as well.

You put a paper towel on a fitting, if it's dry, the paper towel will be dry.

If it's wet, the paper towel will show the moisture on it.

So that's a great way to check it out, check for leaks.

And now if you check for leaks and you don't find anywhere and the pump just runs occasionally, it could just be the pump is bleeding off and it's losing pressure.

It's like feeding backwards in the pump.

Probably not the best way to say it.

They do that sometimes.

Pentair, who owns SureFlow, they have it on their website in their manual it says that.

So that could be the problem.

And I don't know that that problem is that huge.

If it's a total annoyance, then yeah, Put in a new pump, but if it's something you can live with for a while, keep an eye on.

If it gets worse, then replace the pump, but make sure it gets worse.

Looking for those water leaks or a potential place where it can be.

Sucking air is a good way to start.

Generally, when you get something sucking air, though, you're going to get more sputtering.

Generally, you know, I'm not going to say that's for sure.

And also make sure there's not a faucet that's just barely cracked open or the toilet is just barely running.

Sometimes it's really hard to tell.

But if you just got something barely open, it can be just enough water coming out.

It could even be a drip where after 15 minutes, a half an hour, the pump has to run to fill it back up.

So look for that.

Now, if the pump runs or cycles very rapidly when the faucet's open, you know, it's on, off, on, off, on, off.

You know, that could indicate a problem, maybe the pressure is wrong, an internal problem in the pump.

And you can adjust the pumps.

And I say this kind of cautiously because I know there's a thousand videos on YouTube about adjusting the pressure on water pumps.

But take it incrementally.

You know, write down, draw, make a drawing.

Take a picture of how it's adjusted.

Now, if you can see the end of it.

And when you do your adjustments, do a very small ones.

You know, if you want to do an eighth of a turn, quarter of a turn, a quarter of a turn on those things is a lot.

But do it small and keep track so you can undo it if it doesn't change anything.

And sometimes it will.

Sometimes you put in a brand new pump and just adjusting that pressure switch will make the difference.

It might be just a tiny little adjustment, but these are generally tested at the factory.

At least ones here in the United States are.

Some of the Chinese ones probably aren't.

I don't know, I can't say for sure.

But you want to, you know that that's a way to go on, that you might have an accumulator, accumulator tank in the system.

And if you do, you'll know it.

It's a little tank.

It looks like a tank.

We're not even going to get into that.

You know, the tank could be leaking, could be other things.

That's why I don't want to get into it.

Not everybody has one.

If I talk about it, then everybody's going to think they have it and you might not but anyway, you're, you're going through the system and you're trying to find these problems.

If you open up the faucet and the water just runs real rapidly or cycles on, off, you know, pump runs okay, could be a pressure problem.

It doesn't mean that it is, but that's a good way, a place to start.

Now if the water pump runs continuously or it sputters, it just can't build up pressure.

See, now we're getting in a different area.

We're not talking about a leak.

More than likely we're talking about a problem and it could be the water supply.

You know, maybe the tank doesn't have as much water as you thought.

Always check that first.

Make sure there's no obstructions in the water line going from the tank to the pump.

And an easy way to do that is if the water line isn't see through enough where you can see if water's in there, disconnect the water line, put a towel underneath it, disconnect it and see if water just drains out, just runs out.

Because the pressure of the tank should push the water out at a pretty good pace.

If you got that, okay, water is there.

Sometimes tapping the water line or jiggling a little bit while the pumps running will get enough water in the pump to prime it.

Sometimes they just lose that prime and it's a one time deal and it comes back and it never happens again.

Or sometimes every time the pump sits for a while it'll lose its prime.

But you know, at the beginning of the season you get it primed back up and it's good for the rest of the season.

Sometimes these things happen, they're odd.

You could replace the pump if you want to.

You know, if you're out dry camping a lot, you might consider that, eh, I don't want to have this problem and then save that pump as a spare.

And I'm not saying you have to have a spare pump, but if it works and you know that just one problem, that you know what the problem is, save it knowing that problem's there, right.

It might save a trip one time, but you know, the, the water line can be sucking air.

You know, if there's a kink in the line, which I know, kinks don't just come out of nowhere.

So maybe something changed in the rv.

Somebody did some work on it and kinked it accidentally.

Maybe you're moving things around.

Another thing to check is that strainer.

The water pump should have a little canister on the intake side.

Of it.

So that's not the pressurized side, it's the intake side, and it's a little filter.

It doesn't take much for that filter or for the water pump to get screwed up with that filter or something in there.

And sometimes 10 years later, after the RV's been on the road for 10 years, you can get a piece of plastic in there from the tank when they drilled holes in it at the factory to put the fittings in it.

And that sounds crazy, but I've seen it.

And it takes a long time to work its way through the system finally gets there and it stops working.

It can be a tiny little bit of sawdust plastic.

It doesn't take much.

If you've never cleaned the strainer, it could just be building up in there, getting dirty, and it causes the problem.

So make sure that strainer is clean and there's nothing in there.

And it doesn't mean you have to replace it all the time, but just make sure there's nothing going on with it.

And there's no loose fittings on the suction side.

It might not actually be leaking water, just be pulling in air.

And that's one that's hard to wrap our heads around, is when a fitting has a crack in it or it's just.

I mean, I've seen some hairline cracks.

It's just enough.

It doesn't leak water, but it sucks in air.

It happens in RVs.

It happens in residential, commercial, irrigation systems, water systems.

And you think there's got to be a leak, you know, a water leak.

But there doesn't have to be.

It could be just enough where it's just pulling in air, just enough air to make it not work properly.

And another thing too, is make sure you have voltage at the pump.

Strong 12 volts.

Don't go by the water.

The lights, all the lights are on.

Use a voltmeter, Check, you know, just carry a volt meter.

Get past.

I say this out of frustration because so often I'm telling people to check for power.

Nope, I'm plugged in.

Nope, I've got power.

How do you know you have power?

I just know it's not a power issue.

And then, you know, turns out it's a power issue.

So check for voltage.

Make sure you got 12 volts or more when you're running the water pump.

And then like I said earlier, if you've winterized, something changed, something's different now the water doesn't work.

Go back to what was done if you had your RV at A shop, and now the water isn't working.

I'm not saying it's the shop, but keep that in mind.

Maybe they did something.

Maybe you can call them, or maybe you can just be proactive and just, okay, retrace the steps they might have taken, you know.

All right, now let's say your water pump is loud.

Is it the water pump?

Has it gradually gotten louder over the years and you definitely know it's louder?

Or is the water pump always been loud since you got the rv?

Maybe you just bought the RV and after about three months of using, God, that pump just seems loud.

You know, you've thought about it, now you're saying it out loud.

Maybe the water pump has rigid lines going to it that will make noise.

Or the lines are slapping or smacking the floor or a wall, just tapping it.

That'll make it loud.

Maybe when they put the water pump in, they ran those screws in so tight on the feet that hold it to the ground.

The feet are all flattened out and the vibration is just going through the floor.

Those are things to look at before you replace the pump.

Now, pumps can go bad, and when before they do, they can get extremely loud.

But make sure it's not something else.

Check all that first.

I only say that so you just don't buy a new pump.

And maybe it's something very simple, especially if you just bought the RV or someone put a new water pump in and it's loud.

Check those things out first.

Maybe they did something, not intentionally.

Maybe a water line got moved or they had a leak in a water line, they repaired the water line and maybe made it a little bit longer, a little bit shorter, and now it's the problem.

So check those things out first.

So that takes us to this repair replace, right?

And everything we've talked about.

You could have a water leak.

It could be sucking air.

When you rule everything out, there's no anything outside of the pump.

Then, yeah, the pump's probably bad.

Like I said, we can't just walk you to the pump directly.

Even in the store, when someone comes in, we have to go through this whole process.

And sometimes it's, you know, a couple phone calls because they got to check things out, which is okay, because I really don't want you to buy a water pump unless you need to.

You know, it's a waste of money.

The pump's just going to sit or you're going to try to return it.

Maybe the store won't take it back.

Maybe you bought it online.

They won't take it back, you know, so just make sure.

Rule everything out.

And if you absolutely go through the steps and you rule it all out.

Yeah.

Then replace the pump.

And sometimes these problems are more us than they are the pump.

If it's making a little bit noise here and there and it doesn't bother you, you might be able to get through the whole camping season without doing anything.

And you know what?

Maybe play it week by week, trip by trip.

If it gets a little worse the next trip.

Yeah.

Then replace it.

But if it seems to be the same and there's absolutely no water leaks, then maybe don't worry about it.

Just double check all those water leaks.

You know, like I said, I mean, I don't want you buying a pump unless you need to.

So always keep in mind, though, that being able to explain the problem of the pump, understanding how the pump works yourself, having that manual from the manufacturer can help.

And I know we're guys.

Hey, or if you're a guy, I don't need no manual.

You know, I can do this myself.

Get the manual.

Sometimes there's little tips in there, little things in there that can make all the difference in the world how that pump works or gives you a little more insight to.

Oh, now I get why it's doing that.

Never thought about that.

If your pump's working great now, don't worry about it.

But if you're ever out camping and you hear that pump running, you know exactly what to do.

So this will send you right in the direction where you need to go to diagnose whether you need to replace a pump or fix a water leak or find an air gap.

All right, everybody, so let's go on to the next section here.

Quick tips.

Oh, and by the way, there'll be an article and a downloadable check sheet on our website, the smartrverver.com the link will be in the description of this podcast, and of course, the article will be on the Smart RVer website under Do It Yourself RV articles, something like that.

But let's do it yourself.

I know that.

And it'll be the first one or second one.

They're up there in the order that they're put out.

And by the way, we have tons of little handy sheets and stuff on our website for download.

All right, now let's get into the quick tips and talk about spare water fittings.

Do we need to have them?

Yes, you absolutely do.

When you're out on the road, traveling on your trip, man, there's nothing worse than a water leak.

Right.

Or you go to fix that water pump and a water line starts leaking.

And you went to the RV store and they had one.

Or the hardware store, depending on where you're at.

You know, you went to the Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and took a pump out of his chocolate line.

Whatever.

You got a pump and you're putting it in and gosh, now water fittings leaking man.

Or this water line is not going to work.

That's why you need spare ones.

So you can save the trip, not ruin it.

You know, your kids are going, come on, dad, what's going on?

Are you stupid or what?

A monkey could replace this water pump and here you ruined it.

Be prepared.

And if you go to Sunbro Manufacturing, we have kits on our website and these kits are, they cover the gamut.

And I think we got four or six different ones and I'll have a link in the description.

Okay.

So it'll take you there.

You don't have to buy them from us.

If you want to go to your local RV store, go right ahead.

But we got these kits.

They're nice, they work pretty handy to have.

All right, now let's get to this nagging question and smart tips.

Should I keep a spare water pump on hand?

That's an entirely up to you.

Wow, what an answer that was.

Right?

I personally don't, I don't think they're worth keeping on hand unless you're going on a very long trip and you know there's not going to be anywhere to go to get a water pump.

And that's your, your baby for water.

There's no other way to get water in your rv.

Then I would say yes, keep one on hand.

And I don't know that I would buy an ultra cheap one because it's a spare because that bouncing around the traveling might actually ruin it.

I would get a regular one.

Like, you know, we're, we're pushing the envision water pumps pretty hard right now because they seem to work really good.

They're more acceptable being to be frozen and surviving that.

It's like you put a water pump in your RV in a cabinet, you forget about it.

In the factory, they put a little water in there.

Well, that water might freeze and ruin the pump and you don't even know it.

And that's the other thing.

You know, you buy a water pump and it sits in your RV for a couple of years.

It's out of warranty.

You know that you're not going to be able to take it back to the store, you might be able to call SureFlow or Envision or someone and get them to warranty it.

But locally you have no warranty.

You're probably not even going to have the receipt at that point.

And even if you did, they're going to.

No, it sat in your RV for two years, it doesn't work.

No, we're not giving your money back, so keep that in mind.

But if you feel you're really going to be someplace and you should have a water pump, go ahead and do it.

I'm not the biggest fan of it because if it goes bad, it's an expensive part just sitting there.

It's kind of like a circuit board.

They don't go bad regularly.

And generally there's warning signs with a water pump before it fails.

Not always, but generally most of the time if you're out dry camping someplace, depending, I mean, sometimes there's a town nearby, it might be a 50 mile drive, but that's just part of the adventure.

Right?

So it's up to you.

I mean, just think about your needs.

How you rv, do you need one or not?

Some people like go to RV parks, they're always hooked up to city water, so it doesn't matter.

Yeah, there's no reason.

You don't even need a water pump.

Right?

You're thinking of taking it out.

I don't need this steam thinking water pump.

All right, so leave your water pump in.

But whether you have a spare or not, just think about your circumstances, whether you really need to have one or not.

And maybe you need one for certain times of the year and you can just set it in your garage or your shop or something so it's not in the rv, just bouncing all the time.

Then when you go on those very specific trips where we're, you know, getting one out in the middle of nowhere, it's so remote.

Putting the water pump in the rv, you know, as a spare for that trip might be worthwhile.

Think about it that way too.

You know, you don't want the RV or the water pumps to just go bad because it's been traveling, bouncing around, maybe frozen, things like that.

I hope that this has helped you understand your, the water system a little bit more.

So share it with others, let other people hear about this.

You, I know you have friends at RV family at RV, share the podcast, share our YouTube channel with them so they can become better at the do it yourself maintenance.

And if you guys go out rving together, you know, you got the same information.

Now you can work on stuff and get, you know, one another back on the road quicker.

Now in episode 216, we're going to talk about the fresh water tank filling up when you're connected to City Water.

So we're going to stay on this water pump stuff for a little bit here at Fresh Water.

Anyways, so that'll be an episode 216 and that's going to bring us to the end of the podcast today.

And it's just been great doing it and I hope this information has been very helpful and like I said, share it if it has.

So that's going to do it.

For today's episode of the Smart RVer podcast, I want to thank you for listening.

I'm Eric Stark, and if you'd rather be camping than sitting in a repair shop, you're in the right place.

Until next time, take care of the little things.

And sometimes the little things can be really little.

Sometimes the little things can be very big.

But take care of those things and enjoy the trip.