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"Coughing" water pump


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I own a Roller Team T-Line 590.  Last year I had the Shurflo water pump replaced professionally.  It worked normally for a while, although seemed to be noisier than the old one.  Then it developed a "cough" i.e. after use, such as running a tap, the pump will do a single cough or grunt every few seconds.  This doesn't stop until the pump is turned off at the control panel.  Otherwise the pump functions normally if a little noisily.  I have checked the mounting of the pump which seems solid and the connections appear to be sound.  I am wondering if the coughing is indicative of a reduction in pressure somewhere in the system caused by a leak somewhere.  Or perhaps there is another explanation or a simple fix?  Does anyone have any ideas please? [The professional who fitted the pump has now retired unfortunately].  Thanks in anticipation!

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I'm guessing that your SHURflo water pump is a Trail King 7 (example below) as that's what is most commonly fitted in European-built motorhomes.

image.jpeg.534a72ce0aded19ca53c82af29d70806.jpeg

And this link is to an installation/operation manual for the Trail King range (The document is 2001-vintage, but the guidance is still relevant.)

https://www.jacksonsleisure.com/content/pdf/shurflo-installation-operation-manual.pdf

Your pump's behaviour, where it 'coughs/grunts' once every few seconds after a tap has been turned off, normally indicates that pressure is being lost in your motorhome's water system downstream of the pump (ie. on the pump's water-delivery side) and - as you have suggested could be the case - is usually due to there being a small water leak. Other possibilities are mentioned in the Manual's "PUMP WILL NOT SHUT-OFF..." advice in the "Troubleshooting" section, but a leak has to be the prime suspect.

All three of my motorhomes had SHURflo Trail King 7 pumps and the pump in my first motorhome began to do this. The culprit was a tiny crack in the welding of the water-tank of the Truma air/water heater (buried inaccessibly in a cupboard). Water leakage only occurred when water was heated - so it took a while to notice this. This was a 'freak' fault: it just shows how tricky it can be to spot a small leak.

SHURflo Trail King water pumps used to be made in the USA, but nowadays are manufactured in Mexico. The SHURflo manual advises as follows:

image.png.9739481b17f9626675c0d92200032777.png

Installers (and motorhome manufacturers) tend to be oblivious to this guidance, but connecting rigid plastic pipe to the pump can definitely increase the noise level.

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Did the 'cough' only develop after the winter? If yes then it is possibly frost damage and could be a tiny crack in the casing of the pump section of the Shurflo pump.

I know this through experience as a few years ago I obviously didn't blow the pump clear of water properly after draining down for the winter and the pump body cracked. The leak was only visible by wiping the pump body with a piece of blue paper towel which showed up the wetness. A new pump was the fix in my case!

Keith.

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Some 30 plus years ago, the pump on our first MH the pump gave an occasional single pulse.

The leak was traced to a hose connection at the water heater, and a fractional turn on the "jubilee" style clip was required.

Since the pump in the OP's MH has been replaced, I would check the hose? connections to the pump carefully.  Alternatively check all other accesible connections, as the new pump may be delivering a slightly higher pressure.  Yet another alternative is that the new pump is slightly defective and has a leaking valve.

Alan

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  • 4 weeks later...

Once again, many thanks for your input.  Mercifully it turned out not to be a leak in an inaccessible place but a faulty pressure switch on the pump. I actually had a new pump fitted and have retained the old pump and sourced a new pressure switch on e-bay which I will keep as a back-up.  My first water pump lasted 6 years, so a bit disappointed that the second one failed after a year but I guess these things happen.  Phew!

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