Accumulator, quieting pump & fresh water drain

[BuxCamper]

The mods have started!

Added an accumulator and some soft tubing to improve pump performance cut down on pump noise. Preciously I could hear the PEX radiating the pump noise the full length of the camper. Now I only hear the pump itself. Unfortunately it's right next to my wife's side of the bed. I also added the Flo-Jet strainer.

Hook up of the accumulator was pretty straight forward and convenient thanks to how Keystone plumbed things. I disconnected the city water line from the PEX and attached it to the accumulator (lower left) and then ran a flexible sink riser from the accumulator to the PEX where the city line connected. I disconnected the PEX from the pump output and connected a flexible sink riser from the pump through a male - male nipple to the PEX. The one line touching the wall has been tied back to the others. The strainer is just above the accumulator.

I do have to say while it is a little cramped in that compartment it is probably the easiest pump location I've dealt with.



Outside I quickly got tired of the fresh water drain cap. Added a threaded PVC ball valve.



The beehive is Keystone's generous quantity of expanding foam.

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

[mfifield01]

I've been thinking about ways of quieting the pump too. I don't dry camp that much, so I've only added some insulation to the current PEX.

Where did you get the accumulator? How long can you use it before the pump kicks in?

I added the same ball valve, but I trimmed it close to ball valve.

[BuxCamper]

I got the accumulator on eBay, it is a Shur-Flo and has female fittings. I think their latest version has male fittings. Flojet makes a version too.

You get 3 or 4 seconds of water after the pump shuts down but the big thing is that the accumulator stops short cycling of the pump. With the flow restricters in all the faucets the pump gets up to pressure, shuts off and then immediately restarts. Real annoying in the shower! Plus every time the pump starts it pulls more power then when it's running continuously. When your boondocking that is a concern. With our camping friends we do far more off the grid camping than we ever thought we would.

I debated trimming the tube but decided to leave it be for now. I may eventually do so and run a short pipe closer to the edge of the camper. I still have to reach under the camper to turn the valve.

-- Mark