Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Repairs & Maintenance
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-17-2018, 01:57 PM   #1
mazda_turbo
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Eau Claire
Posts: 1
water pump on and off constantly

My first thread!!

So, we have only used our new 175 LHS four times this year, since we just bought it new in March. Everything has been working just fine until last night when we were getting ready for bed and my wife had the faucet in the kitchen on washing out a glass. When she shut it off, about 15 seconds later the pump started running for about 5-7 seconds. Then it shut off, I didnt think anything of it because i thought it just ran late, since her request for water was only about 3-4 seconds long, nothing major.

Then 30 seconds later, it ran for 5-7 seconds again. It continued this pattern for spaces ranging between 40 seconds to 1 minute between cycling again. i had to shut the pump off for fear or ruining something in our new camper, and we could only turn it on when we needed to draw water. I unhooked from the power, i even disconnected the battery in the morning also, to "reset" the system. it continued to do this.

Thoughts? it worked fine all day Friday and Saturday until late saturday night. Tank had 1/3 full (when i got home and drained it, there was plenty of water) so i dont think it was struggling to find water to draw. UGH!!
mazda_turbo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2018, 02:04 PM   #2
66joej
Senior Member
 
66joej's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: radium hot springs bc
Posts: 2,007
First thought would be check all faucets to make sure they are off. They don't necessarily have to leak water for the pump to lose pressure. If the pump can't keep residual pressure it will cycle until it hits the preset pressure. Other than that maybe a slight water leak in the system.
__________________

2018 Ram 3500 6.4 Harvest Edition
2018 Cougar 27RESWE
66joej is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2018, 02:16 PM   #3
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
Here are a few possibilities:

1. You may have a small water leak somewhere. Keystone uses "cheap" plastic fittings (elbows, tees and unions) that may not be as durable as "quality" fittings. One of them could have been damaged during the winter freeze.

2. You may have a damaged city water connection. There is a one way valve inside the connection. If it is stuck open, or if the O-ring is damaged/displaced, it would allow water to flow out of the city water connection. To check, turn on your water pump, go outside, remove the cap from the city water connection and see if water is seeping out of the hose connection.

3. Your water pump "pumphead" may be damaged. There is a built in one way valve that could have been damaged from winter storage or simply may have failed. What happens is the water pump will pressurize the plumbing runs, then the pump will shut off. Water will start to seep back through the pump head into the fresh water tank. After the pressure falls, the pressure regulator (also in the pump head) will call for the pump to run to pressurize the system. It'll shut off again, and the cycle will continue.

4. You may have a loose "low point drain cap" or if you have an outside shower, you may find that the faucet is not completely turned off.

My guess would be that #3 is your problem, followed by #2 and finally, if you winterized correctly, #1 would be the least likely. So, I wouldn't start tearing into your plumbing runs before checking the pump. If your trailer is new and you have a FloJet or ShurFlo pump, I believe both have a 2 year warranty. If your trailer is older than that and the pump is not covered by a warranty, pumps are about $75 for a good quality replacement. If you buy the same brand, it will connect to the existing fittings. If you buy a different brand, you may need to also buy fittings to adapt to the new pump's pump head connections.

ADDED: The backflow through the pump head may be (probably is) caused by a bit of trash between the roller bearings and the diaphragm. If your pump doesn't have an inlet strainer, you could have pulled a bit of sawdust or a shard of plastic from inside the fresh water tank. That would be all that's needed to cause the pump to leak down pressure. If you're handy, you may be able to take the pump head apart, clean the rollers and diaphragm, reassemble and it'll work for years.... Then, if you're in warranty, you might want the dealer to repair it. Depending on how far you are from the dealership and how busy they are, it might be cheaper to buy a replacement pump rather than spend a day off work and $50 in gas to tow the trailer in for service.... YMMV.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2018, 02:17 PM   #4
Canonman
Senior Member
 
Canonman's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: South Jordan, Utah
Posts: 2,221
Check your shower. I've used the shut off on the shower head to turn the water off w/o turning off the taps. Even just a little drip/leak will cause the pump to cycle on and off.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	_MG_0700.jpg
Views:	439
Size:	471.2 KB
ID:	17037  
__________________
2017 Cougar 279RKSWE
2007.5 Dodge Ram 2500 6.7 Cummins
Retirement Training Completed
I think the little voices in my head have started a chat group.
Canonman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2018, 02:32 PM   #5
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,601
Check all the water line connections. I had 2 leaks within the first 2 trips from connections being loose in various locations.
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2018, 08:02 AM   #6
Bisjoe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Sammamish
Posts: 256
Look also at the water heater pressure relief valve to see if it's dripping.
__________________
2017 Springdale 202QBWE, 2017 F150 XLT 5.0

Bisjoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2018, 08:17 AM   #7
Pmedic4
Senior Member
 
Pmedic4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Illinois
Posts: 581
Thumbs up Water Pump continues to run

I would go with JRTJH #3.

We had the same situation previously. The water pump would run, then a short while later run again, on a continuous cycle.

In our case, it was the water pump had a small piece of silicon get stuck in the check valve, so it couldn't close completely. At the time, I assumed the water pump was going to have to be replaced, so I took it apart, found the small piece of silicon, removed it, and put the pump back together. It worked fine after that, and didn't need a new pump! Yay, small victory.


Fun part of ours was the problem started about 2:30 am, when I had to get up to use the toilet, and then it started. Our water pump was never very quiet, but at that time of day, it's exceptionally loud.
__________________
Ed & Mary

2017 Cougar 333MKS
2015 RAM 3500 HD with 6.4L

Pmedic4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
water, water pump

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:22 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.