Fresh Water pump MISSING in our Montana!

[kpetry]

First post here. Looking forward to learning a lot on the forum.

So our new-to-us Montana is missing it's fresh water pump! I know what you are thinking, but hear me out! The water pump switch would light, but no noise and no water pressure. Checked with Keystone and found the factory location was behind the furnace, adjacent to the shower. I'd already looked thoroughly in this area, and it was not present. I could see where the fresh water hose came into this area from the rear mounted water tank, but it went straight to the water line manifold. Thought possibly the pump was located, or had been relocated close to the water tank, due to priming issues, but that did not make sense due to access and potential freezing problems. No screw holes or any other evidence of a pump being mounted near the plumbing manifold. Removing the hose, I was able to manually suck water easily from the tank, which determined that the pump was not somewhere in between. I then started looking very closely, and sure enough, I found a wire tucked away that had been cut with the ends left bare! I determined with a multimeter that I got 12 volts at this location, off and on, via the water pump switch inside the unit. Some jackleg mechanic had completely removed the pump and replaced the hose directly on the manifold barb!

So without a bad pump for reference, I am unsure what exactly I need! I'm pretty sure it is just a Surflo RV water pump, but I would like to match factory gpm and psi if possible.

If anyone has any insight, or can take a look at or picture of their pump, I would be very appreciative! Thanks!

[Festus2]

If you can locate the "build sheet" that came with the RV, the make, model and serial number of the water pump may be listed along with other items such as appliances, etc.

If it is listed in the build sheet, you can replace the missing pump with another similar one keeping in mind that manufacturers frequently change, delete or add models to their line of products. An exact match may not be possible but you don't need an exact match anyway.

[trucker LOU]

Hey, here is pics of the water pump install in my Springdale. Orig.equip. was leaking and in a hard to get to location. I relocated it under the now removable stairs .the pump is a Shurflo.----Lou----

[Pmedic4]

When I first thought this, I was like, did someone steal your waterpump!

After thinking about it, sounds like this is only new to you, and the original owner removed it since they probably had the trailer at a somewhat permanent location, with a city water connection - whew.

The good news is you can replace the AWOL pump with something better than OE. Quite a few pumps are quieter and provide better pressure than stock, but that may not be true in a higher end Montana, where they've might have upgraded it for full-timers? Good Luck

[bsmith0404]

Just curious why you want to match factory specs when you have an opportunity to install anything you want and most likely an improvement from the factory pump. There are a lot of pumps available out there to choose from. I would look for a constant pressure/flow type such as the Flojet V flo.

[kpetry]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I just wanted to know what the specs were, specifically gph and flow, so I didn't get something less than OEM. I've found a nice Sureflo Revolution pump on amazon that I think exceed those. I also wanted some idea of the original mounting, since I don't even have original screw holes to go by! Should have this fixed in a few days!

[bsmith0404]

Mounting isn't critical as long as your wiring and water lines reach it. While you're in there installing it, I'd add some sound proofing. The vibration can make these pumps a bit noisy, adding a little rubber/foam insulation between the pump and the mounting surface will quiet it down quite a bit. Also make sure your water lines are well supported and not laying against anything where they can cause vibration noise.

[chuckster57]

Water pump should come standard with a rubber mount. I have yet to see one come out of the box without it.

The original mounting holes may be hard to see, I've missed them when replacing with same make/model.

[GaryWT]

The previous owner must have needed it for something else and must have never used it in the camper. I only use mine twice a year, to sanitize and to winterized.

[WaltBennett]

First off, you didn't say what year and model you have.

Next, join the Montana Owner's Club and look in the forum - you'll have better luck finding a specific answer there: http://montanaowners.com/

Next, I've not heard of any 'build sheet' being provided for any Montana (or any other Keystone product either). Your pump should probably be behind the convenience center - that's where most Montana owners have said theirs was.

Next, although I was able to quiet our existing pump with the Surflo hose kit and some extra padding, it failed about a year afterwards. Put in a more expensive pump and it was much nosier! Guess I've got to go with a really expensive one or just go with a replacement for the old one.

Hope this helps some.

[bobbecky]

If your Montana has a convenience center on the road side in the pass through compartment, it will be behind the white plastic panel and mounted to the floor. I assume you have checked all the 12 volt fuses in the electric panel?

[kpetry]

Thanks WaltBennett for the link to the Montana Owners Forum! Didn't know such a thing existed! Looks like a lot of good information there!