Modern RV water pump time.

[Tuesdak]

So, because warranty, the results of the rematch are in. The replacement pump is still working after a long stay of 45 days in the RV.

The turn on pressure could be higher as the waterflow nearly stops when the flow rate is so low the pump starts cycling. The variable speed pump is able to avoid the constant pump cycling the on/off pumps do, but, I have to use a high enough flow rate. It's a bit of an adjustment every time I want the pump to constantly run. It started cycling when I was using the shower one time NBD other than I worried for a second the tank was empty as it was low when I started the shower.

I see the issue with the whole made in the USA thing as I have several friends in the lighting industry who have factories in china that produce most of the components and assembly plants in the USA the put it all together and they are allowed the made in USA label due to this process. I would suspect that is what Remco does also. As for pumps I have put several Remco pumps on different trailers and the only failure I have had was on my personal trail due to it running dry for probably a week. The pump would still work but wouldn't pick up the water if the tank was half full nor would it hold the pressure in the lines. This is my pump of choice make sure you have enough amps to run it though.

Recently this lighting company was put out of business although the "Made In China" label on the box claimed to be USA Assembled was an easy case to make.

https://inside.lighting/news/22-08/lighting-companys-made-usa-claims-may-cost-them-3-million

 

[slowmover]

 

[crispyboy]

What Slowmover shows is ideal.
I have the small quart size accumulator in my trailer and the water pressure is very steady. I can flush the toilet without the pump running in the middle of the night which is a good thing.

 

[AH64ID]

I’ve had various size accumulators in my trailers and have come to realize that the bigger the better. I currently have a 5 gallon accumulator and wouldn’t want anything smaller. It just works better.

 

[Ozymandias]

A gear pump does the same without an accumulator. It just turns faster or slower on demand. Stream is perfectly steady, no pulsation at all because of the gears.

 

[bcbender]

Been following this thread, a few months ago we were out in the 5er and came back to find water peeing from the fresh tank vent, we were hooked up to the city supply so the only thing I can think of is somehow the water passed through the pump back to the tank and filled the darn thing up. We disconnected and ran the pump the remainder of the weekend to drain (use ) the tank because I rarely travel with more than about 1/3 tank. Is this indicative of a failing pump? Its a Forrest River Sandpiper and 10y old, been rock solid so far.... Air conditioner on the other hand are garbage as we're on our third Dometic 15k.

 

[AH64ID]

A gear pump does the same without an accumulator. It just turns faster or slower on demand. Stream is perfectly steady, no pulsation at all because of the gears.

Yes, but a variable flow pump without an accumulator still has to run in the middle of the night. The accumulator can be used on either pump and provides quiet overnight water.

 

[Topzide]

You need to think of a setup with accumulator is similar to a well setup. The larger the tank, the longer the draw will be before the system needs to be pressurized. The only limiting factor is space on where to place it! Location in most is very close to the bedroom as that where most of the water sources are located, so the noise is a factor at night.

 

[Cummins12V98]

I think the quality of pump makes a difference. Don't know what mine is but it does not pulse it simply comes on as needed and is NOT loud and annoying. IMHO there are many other noises in the night that would get my attention. I always run my exhaust fan in the open or closed position in the bedroom for white noise.

 

[Topzide]

@Cummins12V98, You need to get a Dohm white noise generator. I've got one and that thing is the bomb! Two speeds and tone adjustable!
https://yogasleep.com/products/dohmclassic

 

[BigPapa]

My wife uses a White Noise Generator app and a Bluetooth speaker. We used to use a fan.

 

[Cummins12V98]

We like to bring in air so it's a dual purpose thing.

We pulled into a Thousand Trails next to I-10 in Palm Desert, CA late one night and the only spot was next to the Highway. From that point on we always have white noise going.

Topzide thanks for the suggestion!

 

[crispyboy]

I have an accumulator in my trailer. Besides allowing me to briefly turn on a faucet or flush a toilet at night without the pump running it serves as a cushion for the plumbing when hooked up to water supply in a campground. I work for a water company there are times when there are surges in a water supply. Someone could slam a fire hydrant shut, a pressure regulator or large pump could malfunction. All this can put extra strain on the pipes.

 

[Tuesdak]

Been following this thread, a few months ago we were out in the 5er and came back to find water peeing from the fresh tank vent, we were hooked up to the city supply so the only thing I can think of is somehow the water passed through the pump back to the tank and filled the darn thing up. We disconnected and ran the pump the remainder of the weekend to drain (use ) the tank because I rarely travel with more than about 1/3 tank. Is this indicative of a failing pump? Its a Forrest River Sandpiper and 10y old, been rock solid so far.... Air conditioner on the other hand are garbage as we're on our third Dometic 15k.

Yes there is a valve (or 3+) in the pump that is leaking back into the tank.

@crispyboy explains some reasons that even at an RV park with full hookups I still use the water pump and fresh water tank vs. hooking up the RV water system to the RV park water system. It's lower pressure and not depending on the water pressure regulator that screws onto the hose tap to work properly. So my 20 year old RV water system doesn't see anything except what the little pump can put out for pressure. Water gets hot in a sun baked water hose so using the onboard tank allows "cooler/cold" water. Even the pipes in the ground are warm at the RV park I stayed at in extreme heat so I flush the black tank to cool off the RV park water pipe before filling my tank.

Air conditioners:
I put a 15K BTU Recpro on my RV and moved the 13.5K BTU Coleman over the bedroom. The Recpro IS as quiet as they claim. Gentle rain, yeah. The Heat Pump mode saves propane. I would suggest getting one of those next A/C failure just for the noise reduction alone. The LOUD Coleman roaring away in the bedroom gets shut off at night... also because that much cooling isn't needed at night. Tempting to replace it just for noise alone with another Recpro, but, I can shut the bedroom area door during the day to contain the noise.

FWIW: Prior to the upgrade single A/C inside temp of 80F on a 115F day. Now 74-78F in the 27' 5er with two A/C units running. (Temp difference depending on parked sideways to the sun, N-S/E-W, or not. Something I didn't do with just one A/C). A 13.5K BTU to 15K BTU upgrade for a single unit isn't worth it. Kept the old now second unit, added a 20A dedicated power plug for the A/C unit (in addition to the 30A main power plug), and dropped the old original 13.5K over the bedroom. My RV is short enough to allow a full height A/C over the bedroom and stay under 13' total height.

Causes of frequent A/C failure may be low voltage. RV Parks are known to have low voltage at times due to age and wiring being not so good. You need to check the voltage at the A/C unit. If it's good you may want to get a different brand or an older A/C unit from an RV salvage yard say a survivor that has proven itself ... maybe that uses R22.

Surges are a thing and those power indicator surge suppressors are highly recommended. I don't use one, but, maybe I should.

RV parks... Worn out 30A plug. RV park claimed everything was fine as did the RV service tech. Even though the plug was hotter than it should have been to the touch.

After a week of use caused this:

Another cause of A/C failures: Perhaps a Pacific Rim Knock Off generator is lugging out trying to start the A/C compressor and burning the compressor motor up instead of starting it. Neighbor next door kept burning A/C units and generators up until the dealer, under warranty, installed a soft start kit. His new Chumpian generator would lug out and not be able to recover starting the A/C compressor in his new RV travel trailer in the middle of the night while boondocking. Going to an RV park after generator failure and the A/C unit is also toast is getting a Hotel with an RV... They later got a motorhome with an Onan Onboard generator and other than "sticker shock" for the cost of a good generator I didn't hear about another A/C unit or Generator problem.

 

[bcbender]

Yeah, Agreed, I have dual A/C on Zone Control in my 44' 5er.. really should have 3 units as in the HOT sun they both run a lot. I will look into something else for the next time, fingers crossed this one holds on, the first one went about 6y the second didn't make it out of the warranty period, both lost Freon and were not cooling due to lack of pressure. I have 50A service so no issues with getting power to the A/C and they are on separate circuits of the 2 line service. I do not run A/C on generators for the reasons stated, if I do and usually because I am at the track dry camping and know it,,, I bring a Honda EU6500 that has plenty of power vs my pair of Honda 2000W generators.

 

[Cummins12V98]

When ordering our DRV I thought the gal was trying to cut a fat hog when she suggested three AC's. Then she said when does your AC go out? I went with three and have not looked back.

 

[slowmover]

Yes there is a valve (or 3+) in the pump that is leaking back into the tank.

@crispyboy explains some reasons that even at an RV park with full hookups I still use the water pump and fresh water tank vs. hooking up the RV water system to the RV park water system. It's lower pressure and not depending on the water pressure regulator that screws onto the hose tap to work properly. So my 20 year old RV water system doesn't see anything except what the little pump can put out for pressure. Water gets hot in a sun baked water hose so using the onboard tank allows "cooler/cold" water. Even the pipes in the ground are warm at the RV park I stayed at in extreme heat so I flush the black tank to cool off the RV park water pipe before filling my tank.

Air conditioners:
I put a 15K BTU Recpro on my RV and moved the 13.5K BTU Coleman over the bedroom. The Recpro IS as quiet as they claim. Gentle rain, yeah. The Heat Pump mode saves propane. I would suggest getting one of those next A/C failure just for the noise reduction alone. The LOUD Coleman roaring away in the bedroom gets shut off at night... also because that much cooling isn't needed at night. Tempting to replace it just for noise alone with another Recpro, but, I can shut the bedroom area door during the day to contain the noise.

FWIW: Prior to the upgrade single A/C inside temp of 80F on a 115F day. Now 74-78F in the 27' 5er with two A/C units running. (Temp difference depending on parked sideways to the sun, N-S/E-W, or not. Something I didn't do with just one A/C). A 13.5K BTU to 15K BTU upgrade for a single unit isn't worth it. Kept the old now second unit, added a 20A dedicated power plug for the A/C unit (in addition to the 30A main power plug), and dropped the old original 13.5K over the bedroom. My RV is short enough to allow a full height A/C over the bedroom and stay under 13' total height.

Causes of frequent A/C failure may be low voltage. RV Parks are known to have low voltage at times due to age and wiring being not so good. You need to check the voltage at the A/C unit. If it's good you may want to get a different brand or an older A/C unit from an RV salvage yard say a survivor that has proven itself ... maybe that uses R22.

Surges are a thing and those power indicator surge suppressors are highly recommended. I don't use one, but, maybe I should.

RV parks... Worn out 30A plug. RV park claimed everything was fine as did the RV service tech. Even though the plug was hotter than it should have been to the touch.

View attachment 139148

After a week of use caused this:

View attachment 139146

View attachment 139147

Another cause of A/C failures: Perhaps a Pacific Rim Knock Off generator is lugging out trying to start the A/C compressor and burning the compressor motor up instead of starting it. Neighbor next door kept burning A/C units and generators up until the dealer, under warranty, installed a soft start kit. His new Chumpian generator would lug out and not be able to recover starting the A/C compressor in his new RV travel trailer in the middle of the night while boondocking. Going to an RV park after generator failure and the A/C unit is also toast is getting a Hotel with an RV... They later got a motorhome with an Onan Onboard generator and other than "sticker shock" for the cost of a good generator I didn't hear about another A/C unit or Generator problem.

All of it too true since the beginning (1950s).