Do you turn your water pump off?

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kalynzoo

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Posted on the Winnebago board since Winne places the waterpump in a spacious compartment with plenty of air flow.
Just replaced my Surflo smart 4.0 pump. In reading the instructions, it states that the pump should not be left on while traveling, and should be turned off when not in use. I definitely tend to leave the pump on when traveling, in case we need a quick potty stop, and often leave the pump on for days at a time. Now that the pump failed, I wonder if my actions could have been the cause of the failure. In the future I guess I will turn the pump off when water use is not anticipated. Don't know about travel, have to give that some thought. Sadly, this is the second 4.0 pump I have replaced. The first one failed when a fitting came loose, and the pump compartment flooded. Nice thing about the Adventurer is the large compartment for the waterpump, allowing easy access. But it is so well made that it hold in water, so the loose fitting flooded the compartment, and sank the pump. Surflo said the water pump is not covered for water damage...imagine that.
Anyway, do you guys & gals turn off the pump when not in use?
 
We leave ours ON when traveling, and off at home when not occupying the unit.   :)  

This Spring, I replaced our OEM Shurflo 2.8 standard pump with the Shurflo Extreme Series Smart Sensor 4.0 pump......did we replace our OEM pump with a lousy one?   ???  

EDIT:  I just read the Installation instructions on the Website, and here is what it says:

Pump draws 15 milliamps when pump is powered on,
even when the pump is not running.
SHUT OFF POWER TO PUMP WHEN LEAVING COACH.

Most likely in the future, I will turn off my pump during travels, as I can't hear it if it did start running.
 
What Mark said...

Ours is on all the time except when we aren't on the coach.  Shurflo had lots of problems with the 4.0 pumps from the era of 2005/6 and maybe '07 based on anecdotal evidence (I'm on my third or fourth Shurflo 4.0 Smart Sensor and I think Rex (LK23) is on his third or fourth pump.  Our current pump is new as of last summer (replaced at GNR) and so far, so good.

Turning off the pump is always a good idea assuming you can't hear it operating (like if the engine is running or you aren't in the unit.)  FWIW, we always turn off shore water when leaving the coach - it's a habit acquired from boating days when a broken water gizwilly could mean a flooded and sunk boat.

 
After having 2 floods and replacing flooring as a result of the last one, the pump is OFF while traveling and when we are not there as is the park water when we are not there.

Just a word, it can happen and a small quantity of water is a lot less expensive that a tank full. :)
 
Do any of you have ice makers? For the amount of ice we go through we leave our water pump on most of the time.

I drew up a schematic one time to put a time delay relay in the power feed of the pump so the pump couldn't run for more time than I had the relay set for but never got around to building it.
 
We had a tiny air leak on the water pump on the old Class C and the pump would come on briefly at all sorts of times, including the middle of the night. So we got into the habit of shutting it off so we didn't have to hear it's little "burps." Never got out of the habit and still leave the pump off most of the time on the Sightseer.

Wendy
 
I replaced the Smart Sensor 4.0 with the same unit, hope that was not a mistake. I like the pressure the pump puts out, especially in the shower. Not great, but better than before. Guess I'll monitor the on off switch more often. Still, this month was new tires, new pump, and new water filter. Sort of hurts. Happy Trails.
 
For the same reason we turn the water off every time we leave the MH, we turn the water pump off when not needed.
 
    Although ours rarely comes on by itself, we have always taken to shutting it when not in use.
 
We turn ours off when we're not using it - when we remember  ::)  (About 90% of the time)
 
Ours is usually on if we are not hooked to city water.  I'll turn it off if I notice it and know we won't be needing any for several days (temporary storage), but if we are in and around the coach it stays on.

As for traveling, it used to be a concern if the pump ran and could not suck water, as might happen if the pump cycled on when going up a grade with a tank less than half full. Many modern water pumps are rated to run "dry" almost indefinitely.

The fact is, the pressure switch keeps the pump off when there is no demand anyway, so there is little value in turning the pump switch off. The switch merely prevents the demand cycle from happening, like with Wendy's air leak. Toilet valve leaks is another case where it might be advisable to turn the switch off.
 
It never occurs to me to turn the pump off or, for that matter, on. My other half turns it off when we're getting packed up to move. I come in from dumping, putting the dirty cords away, fueling, or one of a number of other things that get my hands dirty &/or smelly; I put the liquid soap on my hands and there's no water when I turn on the faucet. Never fails.
 
kalynzoo said:
Posted on the Winnebago board since Winne places the waterpump in a spacious compartment with plenty of air flow.
Just replaced my Surflo smart 4.0 pump. In reading the instructions, it states that the pump should not be left on while traveling, and should be turned off when not in use. I definitely tend to leave the pump on when traveling, in case we need a quick potty stop, and often leave the pump on for days at a time. Now that the pump failed, I wonder if my actions could have been the cause of the failure. In the future I guess I will turn the pump off when water use is not anticipated. Don't know about travel, have to give that some thought. Sadly, this is the second 4.0 pump I have replaced. The first one failed when a fitting came loose, and the pump compartment flooded. Nice thing about the Adventurer is the large compartment for the waterpump, allowing easy access. But it is so well made that it hold in water, so the loose fitting flooded the compartment, and sank the pump. Surflo said the water pump is not covered for water damage...imagine that.
Anyway, do you guys & gals turn off the pump when not in use?
Click to expand...

I almost never use my pump, either on the road or when in CG.  When I did, I never had it on while travelling.  Just take an extra gallon of water in a jug, place it next to the toilet and use when needed while travelling.
 
the on/off switch for my pump is conventionally located on the end of the counter, by the sink, and on the way to the potty. we flick it on heading in and off heading out. easy reach from kitchen sink. pretty much stays off unless in use.
 
Like Gary we leave ours on unless we are hooked up to city water or gone for more than the day; then we will shut off all water.

Leaving the pump on is the only way I usually discover water leaks before they become major (by hearing the pump "burp" occassionally).
 
When we had our first Class C we used to put our lawn chairs in the shower/tub while traveling.  One time we arrived at our destination only to find we had no water.  The lawn chair had vibrated against the tub faucet handle enough that the water turned on.  All our water went down the drain.  Don't remember that anything happened to the pump, but from that time we turned the water off when traveling.  These days we don't worry too much about it, but I often check to be sure it's off if we're going anywhere for the day and don't have a water hookup.  Based on this experience, if you store stuff in your shower or sink, it's a good idea to turn the pump off.

ArdraF
 
With a trailer the water is turned off when I am not there to catch trouble, either turning the pump off or, if hooked up,  shutting off the campground hose bib.   I am prompted to do this by the memory of the water pouring out of the door of a nearby unattended motorhome in a Salt Lake City campground (Water pressure around 120psi and no regulator.)

Want to go to the john while traveling?    Turn on the pump.  ::)
 
Want to go to the john while traveling?    Turn on the pump.
Click to expand...

One wonders how you do that in a trailer while moving down the freeway  ???
 
Tom said:
One wonders how you do that in a trailer while moving down the freeway  ???
Click to expand...

Why Tom, one stops at a rest area or pulls off at a offramp and stops.   Just as one should in a motorhome when one wants to go wandering about out of one's safety belt.  You all do buckle up in those rolling palaces don't you?  ::)
 
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