maiden voyage and a Question

[CincyGus]

Previosly had a popup. Now have a Passport 238 and we are on our maiden voyage. Everything has been great with the exception of the little bit of rain we have gotten. Usually have full hook ups or at least electric. On an electric only site and using fresh water tank. Dewinterized prior to the trip, filled the water heater, all is working well.

Last night, the water pump would kick on for about 1 second every 30 or 45 mins. I'm going to guess that is to maintain water pressure since no one was using any water. It was aggrevating to have it kick on repeatedly every hour or so I turned the pump off and went back to bed. This morning, turned it back on and have been using water plenty but now that we are done washing up and breakfast dishes are done, it hasn't cycled like it was last night.

My question (finally, I know), is this something I should continue to monitor or that indicates that I might have a small leak somewhere? Or is it normal for a pump to cycle occassionally even when no water has been used? I just have not used the fresh water tank enough in the past to knowmm

Thoughts?

[hankpage]

If it is cycling you may have a slight drip somewhere. Could just be the toilet valve that should seat itself after some use. You might want to check the caps on the low point drains and the winterizing valve. (if you have one) Another common place is the check-valve on the city water inlet may be weeping a little. Also the outside shower if you have one. Just some spots I have had drip in the past. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip, Hank

[Festus2]

I'm with Hank - sounds like a small leak somewhere in the system. In addition to the places he mentioned to check, you might also check the connections at your water pump, FW and HW tank drains, and all other places where one plastic line ties into another. Make sure all those connections haven't worked loose. Sometimes, they weren't tightened properly at the plant or have worked loose by vibration when travelling.

[chuck&gail]

If you can't find a leak, and I'll bet you can't if pump comes on that little, there is another spot. There is a valve between the pump and the fresh water tank. That valve will sometimes gradually let pressure off by letting water back into fresh water tank. So by all means look for a leak. If you don't find one, just turn off the pump when unneeded. That is what we do, and it is a good practice anyway. If you always leave the pump on, someday when you are not in the TT a leak will develolp and you will return to a real mess.

[CincyGus]

Thx guys. Have had the pump on all day and been sitting around outiside but have not had it cycle at all. Might have been a drippy bath faucet that one of us didn't turn off all the way. Seems to have solved itself but I'll keep my eyes and ears on it. 2 days in and no problems yet so starting off good. Thx again for the fast responses.

[golfpro]

I might add that if you can't find a leak, then when ever you leave the camp ground or go for a walk, turn off the pump. you may find a pool of water large enough to stock fish in when you get back

[shooted]

Maybe there was extra air in the system that had not been purged, as the air cooled the first night it allowed the pump to cycle? After some use the extra air was purged allowing for normal operation? Something to consider if no leaks are found and the unit is operating correctly now.

[SteveC7010]

RV fresh water plumbing systems have been notorious for this annoying behavior for years and years. The pressure sensor in the pump only needs a drop of a few PSI to trigger the switch and engage the pump. The pump runs for a second or two, reaches the correct pressure, shuts off and the cycle starts again.

All it takes is just a few drops of water per hour to make all this happen. So, the most common causes seem to be the toilet valve or a sink faucet. The toilet valve has an O-ring in it that is easily clogged up with mineral scale or other debris like sand or sediment. Even algae can cause this. Sometimes the seepage is so slow that you don't see it, and if you don't check the entire circumference of the bowl for damp, you'll miss it. Sink faucets can be the same way.

The pressure relief valve on the hot water heater can weep. It is the nature of the beast that mineral scale will build up on the valve. If you test the valve by opening it, do so several times to clean off the scale. Otherwise, it may have a very slow leak.

The check valve on the city water connection can also be easily choked up with sediment, scale, or sand. And, it's an O-ring in there that can easily curl out of its proper place. When we dry camp, I cap the city water connection with a screw-in plug to be sure it doesn't leak.

Someone already pointed out that the check valve in the pump itself can leak, pushing water back to the fresh water tank.

Note that there is a repetitive theme to all this: sand, sediment, or other debris gets in the system and prevents a valve of some type from fully closing. Except for mineral scale buildup on the hot water heater pressure valve, the other debris can be minimized by the use of a sediment filter on your fresh water hose. There are all kinds available at the RV stores, or you can buy a standard size residential one at Home Depot, etc. and just pick up a couple of garden hose adapters in the plumbing aisle. The filter cartridges themselves are available from sediment grade for $5-6 each all the way up to taste, odor, and chemical filters for $30+ each.

Campground water systems are no different from residential ones when it comes to sediment and other debris. They all have some, even our homes. Campgrounds can have more sediment because they are often on proprietary wells and pull a large volume of water from relatively small small wells which tends to bring up more sediment. We don't see problems at home on city water so much because we run the water and it gets pushed out of the way. Those of us with wells know better. In our RV's, we tend to use a lot less water so the debris doesn't get flushed as well and settles where it can cause problems.