ckerr Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 The system comprises a pressure controlled pump feeding from an external under floor tank. The high pressure side is fine and seems to maintain pressure indefinitely. However after a few hours, turning on a tap slightly, the pump starts but just keeps on running without pulsating or pumping water. It takes the tap to be opened up and then the system pressurises. First thoughts are that water is leaking back to the tank upstream of the pump, due to air entering via a joint. One consequence of this is air jetting water from the taps periodically. Before a trip to the dealer I would welcome observations as to how usual this situation is and how long would one expect the system to sit before the pump would need to re-prime? In my previous van the tank was internal and the pump sat alongside. Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petefarnell Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 Not much help, but we have exactly the same symptoms with a brand new Auto-trail Apache 700. Typically we notice it when we flush the loo and the pump just keeps running until we open a tap, after some coughing and spluttering we turn the tap off and the pump stops. (?) This is our first motorhome, our previous setup of caravan with aquaroll never had this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 Not sure if I've got the right end of the stick as for how the fault manifests itself...but... Assuming that it's fully primed(no air locks)and there are no leaks(and is therefore not taking air in),have a check of the boiler drain valve and make sure that's closing/seating properly.... Also, is there some means of adjustment on the pump (?)..I seem to recall one of our vans needed the pump "adjusting" when we first had it,as the pump would "hammer"/"bounce" when running the water... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 ckerr - 2013-10-01 8:52 PM The system comprises a pressure controlled pump feeding from an external under floor tank. The high pressure side is fine and seems to maintain pressure indefinitely. However after a few hours, turning on a tap slightly, the pump starts but just keeps on running without pulsating or pumping water. It takes the tap to be opened up and then the system pressurises. First thoughts are that water is leaking back to the tank upstream of the pump, due to air entering via a joint. One consequence of this is air jetting water from the taps periodically. Before a trip to the dealer I would welcome observations as to how usual this situation is and how long would one expect the system to sit before the pump would need to re-prime? In my previous van the tank was internal and the pump sat alongside. Many thanks. Id advise you to go on the Swift Talk forum as you are likely to get a Swift adviser to answer you, its a new van so it might be a hiccup. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckerr Posted October 2, 2013 Author Share Posted October 2, 2013 pepe63 - 2013-10-02 10:17 AM Not sure if I've got the right end of the stick as for how the fault manifests itself...but... Assuming that it's fully primed(no air locks)and there are no leaks(and is therefore not taking air in),have a check of the boiler drain valve and make sure that's closing/seating properly.... Also, is there some means of adjustment on the pump (?)..I seem to recall one of our vans needed the pump "adjusting" when we first had it,as the pump would "hammer"/"bounce" when running the water... I don't think that the boiler drain valve is the problem as that would reduce the pressure and turn on the pump. At the moment the high pressure side of the system is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 Oh yeah...I'd missed the bit about it "maintaining pressure indefinitely".. :$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisden Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 ckerr - 2013-10-01 8:52 PM The system comprises a pressure controlled pump feeding from an external under floor tank. The high pressure side is fine and seems to maintain pressure indefinitely. However after a few hours, turning on a tap slightly, the pump starts but just keeps on running without pulsating or pumping water. It takes the tap to be opened up and then the system pressurises. First thoughts are that water is leaking back to the tank upstream of the pump, due to air entering via a joint. One consequence of this is air jetting water from the taps periodically. Before a trip to the dealer I would welcome observations as to how usual this situation is and how long would one expect the system to sit before the pump would need to re-prime? In my previous van the tank was internal and the pump sat alongside. Does the system also flush the toilet from the tank? I find this can lead to pressure drop resulting in a pump pulse to regain pressure. My Dometic toilet flushif left for a hour or two is weak building as the pump runs and restores the pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckerr Posted October 3, 2013 Author Share Posted October 3, 2013 Yes it does feed from the fresh water tank but the toilet flush behaves just like the other taps. I am beginning to think that it is a design feature that will not be easy to solve satisfactorilly. However will see what the dealer has to say! Curtisden - 2013-10-02 10:39 PM ckerr - 2013-10-01 8:52 PM The system comprises a pressure controlled pump feeding from an external under floor tank. The high pressure side is fine and seems to maintain pressure indefinitely. However after a few hours, turning on a tap slightly, the pump starts but just keeps on running without pulsating or pumping water. It takes the tap to be opened up and then the system pressurises. First thoughts are that water is leaking back to the tank upstream of the pump, due to air entering via a joint. One consequence of this is air jetting water from the taps periodically. Before a trip to the dealer I would welcome observations as to how usual this situation is and how long would one expect the system to sit before the pump would need to re-prime? In my previous van the tank was internal and the pump sat alongside. Does the system also flush the toilet from the tank? I find this can lead to pressure drop resulting in a pump pulse to regain pressure. My Dometic toilet flushif left for a hour or two is weak building as the pump runs and restores the pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckerr Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 Update. The feed from the tank turns through 180 degrees just before the pump, so together with the filter, there is about four joints. The dealer checked all joints and fitted a one-way valve just upstream of the joints. The result very successfull, in fact I can't believe the difference it has made. Consequently am very pleased with the van. One unrelated point, it seems strange to fit a wheel arch fridge; perhaps a bulk buy issue. Cecil Kerr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Cecil, our fridge in the Bolero sits above a wheel arch on the near side. Is there any issue with this design? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckerr Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 No Chris the fridge is excellent, it just seems a waste of space when it doesn't fit over a wheel arch. Cecil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisden Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 bolero boy - 2013-10-24 9:21 PM Cecil, our fridge in the Bolero sits above a wheel arch on the near side. Is there any issue with this design? Yes there could be. My Swift built Astrocruise Cooker was mounted over the wheel arch. In 8000 1 year it shook itself to bits. My Dealer tried to sort it but was honest enough to say what do you expect with it sitting over the wheel arch. Design that is flawed IMO. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 ckerr - 2013-10-24 8:51 PM Update. The feed from the tank turns through 180 degrees just before the pump, so together with the filter, there is about four joints. The dealer checked all joints and fitted a one-way valve just upstream of the joints. The result very successfull, in fact I can't believe the difference it has made. Consequently am very pleased with the van. One unrelated point, it seems strange to fit a wheel arch fridge; perhaps a bulk buy issue. Cecil Kerr I would have thought, with an external underfloor fresh-water tank and a pressure-sensitive water pump, it would be common practice to fit a non-return valve as close to the tank as practicable in the water-supply hose leading to the pump. Although this type of pump will self-prime and lift water vertically a significant distance, if the water pick-up in the tank is well below the pump and there's no non-return-valve, the pump will eventually need to re-prime as gravity drags water out of the water-supply hose. I'm guessing that you may have found that, when the water tank was brim-full, the problem was less evident. Non-return valves complicate winter draining down, but if the system needs one there's little option but to fit one. (With this sort of problem there's the possibility of a tiny air-leak within the tank itself, where the pick-up hose connects to the fitting that, in turn, connects to the water-hose that leads to the pump. That would encourage the water to drain back into the tank. However, if your Rhythm's problem has now disappeared, you can happily forget that.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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