Loud water pump

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albertm1960

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Posts
74
We used the water pump for the first time, its unusually loud and rumbly.  Is that a typical sound for them or is this a sign that it may be on its way out?  RV is 8 years old and I just bought it.  And is this something I can replace on my own. Thanks
 
Yes, you can replace it, but loud sometimes is normal. We put a bunch of foam padding around ours and it helped tremendously.
 
It should be mounted on rubber feet, and not screwed to a wooden surface very tightly.  Wrapping the plastic lines going in & out of it usually helps and adding a loop of flexible hose to the output side sometimes works wonders.  An accumulator tank too.
 
A loud pump isn't a sign of impending failure, it's a sign that it isn't isolated properly.

Go to ChinaMart and pick up two or three cheap mouse pads, you'll also want between two and six feet of foam pipe insulation the kind you would normally use to prevent freezing except without the heat tape installed, get the stuff that's sized for 1/2" pipe which is probably what your rig has installed.  Once you've got these little goodies climb into the cubby where your water pump is and unscrew it from the floor.  While it's unscrewed take the pipe insulation and cover as much of the "outbound" water line from the pump that you can paying careful attention to anywhere it contacts the wall, cabinets or floor, use wire ties or electrical tape to secure the foam insulation so it stays put.  After you've got that taken care of you can take your two or three mouse pads and set your water pump on them then screw it back to the floor.  Don't yard down on the screws it's not going to go flying across the room on it's own, just lightly screw it down with the mouse pads under it so it doesn't wander off the pads.

The last step is to run at least five gallons of water through each of your faucets using the pump.  If you've got air trapped somewhere it can really add to the racket when the pump is running.  RV manufacturers aren't in the business of taking extra time to ensure that little things like water pumps are less annoying.
 
I'll second what they said about air in the lines
I found that sometimes it takes a really long time for the air to completely work out.... sometimes a long while after the water is flowing and the "sputtering" stops.  In my coach the shower lines are the culprit.  When the air finally does work out, things are much quieter and smoother.
 
I just recently went through a water pump incident with our 2016 Sprinter. Pump was extremely noisy and it was under the kitchen sink cabinet in the living area. The water tank is up front and this is front bedroom unit with the bathroom in between. Anyway, pump starts spitting bad and then won't build up pressure to shut off. Take it in and they find the elbow out of the tank is slightly loose, and cheap, and the water line is long and kinked about halfway. They fix all that and I ask them to upgrade the water pump to a much better unit which they did. Much quieter but part of the problem is the tank being so far away from the pump. Usually 6' or less is the best. Our previous Layton had the pump right at the tank under the bed and you could barely hear it. I also second the air in the lines causing some of the problem. Takes ours a few runs of the faucet or a shower to get it good and cleared. I've got some more isolation to do on the lines under the sink which should also help. Try to determine if it's actually the pump or the line positions that is making the noise. Good luck.
 
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