water pump problems

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howejoyous

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Joined
Jan 3, 2006
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12
Hi everyone.  Thanks for your great help on my laptop questions.  I asked this next question in my reply....but I then thought I should have given it its own topic.  So, you may see this question twice.  Bear with me here. 

We are in a 1985 Dolphin Motorhome, class A, 30 feet and our newest problem is our water pump just stopped working.  The switch does not turn it on.  My hubby doesn't think it is a fuse problem---the other lights work on the panel but nothing when we flip the water pump switch.  Anybody have any suggestions?  Is this one of those things you can't fix yourself--where you just have to take the RV in?

We are supposed to move out of our site today, and we were hoping to dump the system (our first time doing that too) when we leave.  Will we be able to do that without the use of the water pump?

Thanks for any help you can give us.
Howejoyous
 
Yes, you should be able to dump youir holding tanks without the waterpump. You won't be able to flush them out though if you have a flush feature on them.
You can check the switch by removing the panel and the two wires behind that particular switch. Just touch the wires together and see if the pump starts. If not then it is probably the pump that has gone bad, especially if it is the original pump for your coach. Replacing the pump is normally a pretty easy job. almost all RV dealers carry them or you can order from Camping World or similar online places. Just unbolt the pump, remove the water lines and elec. wires and bolt the new one in place and replace the lines. They are pretty universal but I would try to get one with the same gpm that your present one has.

Woody
 
Possible problems with water pump systems and the symptoms of them and some testing suggestiong.

12VDC systems not turned on (ALL 12 volt lights and such do not work)  Try switch
Water Pump Fuse on panel plown (Pump on light does not work) Check and replace fuse if indicated (Note Progressive Dynamic fuse panels are good at checking the fuse for you.... They have a blown fuse indicator in them)

Bad wiring to switch (No light) Check w/voltmeter, note, this covers bad switch too,
Second switch (If there is one I hope you know)

Bad wireing switch to pump, also, blown fuse AT PUMP (some instalations) Measure voltage at pump motor

Bad pressure switch on pump if not intergral (See last)

Bad pump (Light comes on, pump sits there like a rock, no nose, no vibration no anything)

Broken line, clogged line, pinched line (note this includes a clogged strainer normally at the pump but my rig has one in the supply tank as well)  inspect lines Note, if it just suddenly quit working, the odds here are low (Save for clogged strainers)

EMPTY WATER TANK (Don't laugh, it happens, and is often overlooked)

Replacement may be hard or not, depends on where they stuffed the pump, if you can get at it and have room to work it's a simple job  If you have to tear half the motor home apart... Get professional help
 
If you can remove it, you may be a simple process to rebuild it - provided the problem isn't electrical, and you're reasonably mechanically inclined.  I remember rebuilding the pump in my parent's motorhome back when I was still a teenager, and it worked great for years afterwards. 
 
Thank you everyone.  Again you are making our lives easier.  I am so grateful. 

We tried checking the panel and switch on the waterpump...and lo and behold, that was the problem.  Grover was able to replace the switch and we are back in business.  We did locate the waterpump in our efforts, so, at least now we know where it is, and what to do when and if it stops working.

I can't thank you enough for such immediate responses to our questions.

We are about to put our RV into storage until November, so I will look for you all again then.  Take care.

Howejoyous
 
howejoyous said:
We are about to put our RV into storage until November, so I will look for you all again then.  Take care.
Click to expand...

Hey, great, you can pull the pump and work on it during the summer, have it ready to re-install come November and working 100% by then

And if it turns out the pump is totaled.... Drop us a note for suggested replacement units

To test pump off the MH use a pair of automotive jumper cables and a FUSE, do not forget fuse, and the batery on your car..

Unless, of course, like me, you have assorted 12vdc power supplies lying about collecting dust,,, then use them
 
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