charleydog Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 our new a/s kingham has a submersible pump which tends to stay running after closing taps and flushing. So we operate from the control panel. Which is a bit annoying.Not worth reporting to the dealer till first hab. check next September.(long time) checked were I can for air leaks etc,My question is how can I gain access to the pump itself? Seems to be buried underfloor.Like to know and solve this one myself,and save a trip to Newark,unless it gets really annoying.Anyone know please :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 Submersibile pumps need a switch inside taps. First check them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 You might find this earlier thread useful https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/water-pumps-/56453/#M665539 Your Auto-Sleepers handbook should contain a section (Section 7.4 ?) on the motorhome's water system, and that section should contain advice on adjusting the Whale in-line pressure switch to address the 'running on' problem you are experiencing. As long as the pump is working as one might expect, there should be no need to access it. If it were necessary to access it, it's quite likely that the external fresh-water tank would need to be detached from your motorhome in order for the pump to be reached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 mtravel - 2020-11-24 3:48 PM Submersibile pumps need a switch inside taps. First check them. Some do: some don't. My understanding is that Auto-Sleepers tend to use a Whale in-line pressure-switch https://www.whalepumps.com/rv/product.aspx?Category_ID=10028&Product_ID=29&FriendlyID=In-Line-Pressure-Switch rather than taps with micro switches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charleydog Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 Thanks Derek, will check that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmold Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Find pressure switch. If you're not sure what it looks like , Google whale pressure pump and click on images. Then mark a starting point on the knurled wheel on top, turn it s tiny amount at a time in one direction, if it gets better then continue until problem solved. If it gets worse the take back to starting point and repeat in opposite direction. You may find a difference when on hook up and when not, in which case you need to find a sweet spot between the two. Plenty of information available on the Auto-sleeper Owners Forum (free to join, Google it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 A picture of the Whale pressure-switch (and a video on how to adjust it) are on the link I provided in my last posting above. A basic difficulty with Auto-Sleepers motorhome water systems problem-diagnosis lies in the (current and historic) inadequacy of the Owner Handbooks that A-S provides on this subject. A lot of the water-pump related enquiries on the ASOF and on other forums don't revolve around how to adjust the pressure-switch, but rather trying to find where Auto-Sleepers has put the damn thing. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charleydog Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 Found it under the sofa.Hard to spot as it is a small white unit among other white pipework. Thanks again Derek,you really are a fountain of knowledge :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burtonwisher Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 mtravel - 2020-11-24 3:48 PM Submersibile pumps need a switch inside taps. First check them. (See my posting of 24 November 2020 3:58 PM above - Derek Uzzell) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickB Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 These Whale pressure switches are a real pain and not fit for purpose. The pressure at which they cut in and out is hugely dependent on voltage so totally different on battery only and on hook up. They are so sensitive that even a reducing battery voltage when not on hook up for a spell or when you drive and the battery is charged will affect the switching points. You set for one condition and that changes and the pump comes, on usually in the middle of the night! I ditched the Whale pump and switch and replaced with an external pump with integral pressure switch as I had successfully for 30 years on my boat; no problems since. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 There’s a longish 2019 forum thread (to which you contributed) that discussed voltage sensitivity when a leisure-vehicle water system has a submersible pump controlled by a Whale in-line pressure switch. https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/New-pump-for-water-needed-/51411/ This 2009 Practical Caravan forum thread https://forums.practicalcaravan.com/threads/revolutionary-water-pump-pressure-switch.34491/ mentioned an alternative pressure switch marketed by Mid Service Centre Ltd for around £40 and that addressed the voltage sensitivity issue. There are occasional on-line references to this ‘self-calibrating’ switch elsewhere (examples here) http://caravanning4u.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-28429.html https://forums.practicalcaravan.com/threads/whale-submersible-water-pump-modification.48413/ but the item apparently became unavailable some years back. (The company may still be trading if anyone wants to follow this up.) https://sutton-coldfield.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/mid-service-centre-ltd-13974850.html The obvious ‘fix’ (one might think) would be to introduce a voltage stabiliser into the system and this modification was mentioned here a few weeks ago https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/First-trip/56545/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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