Water pump problem/ hand pump replacement

RunningChicken

Hello,
We have a 2009 T@B clamshell that we bought used last year. The water pumped worked fine until late last year. We are trying to debug it now, and have found that there is no power going to both the switch and pump. We have checked all fuses. The pump works when we bypass the T@B. The husband thinks the problem is deep in the walls of the t@b- some mysterious wires have come loose. Any ideas out there? And so I have been thinking of replacing the electric pump with a simple RV hand pump. Does anybody out there use one? I'm thinking it makes sense- one less system to go wrong. One less thing to drain the battery.

thanks- Marianne

Michigan_Mike

RunningChicken said:

 We have checked all fuses. The pump works when we bypass the T@B. The husband thinks the problem is deep in the walls of the t@b- some mysterious wires have come loose. Any ideas out there? And so I have been thinking of replacing the electric pump with a simple RV hand pump. Does anybody out there use one? I'm thinking it makes sense- one less system to go wrong. One less thing to drain the battery.

thanks- Marianne

I'm guessing that your problem is probably located in the bench seat area behind the electric converter area of your trailer and it is probably a result of a bad connection in a splice in that area.  The hot wire to the pump switch no doubt has come loose from a splice or the ground wire may possibly be loose.  Check the door inside the converter and identify which fuse is dedicated to the pump and follow it out of the converter and back to the pump switch.  

You could also easily run another wire or set of wires (12V DC hot wire & ground wire) back to the pump switch and start anew if you cannot find the problem.  If you have determined that the pimp is still functional why abandon it?  If you or your husband are not adept at finding an electrical problem you might also consider taking the trailer to a nearby RV repair shop and let them make this repair for you so that you can retain normal use of the pump.  I personally would not revert to a hand pump and would do everything in my power to fix and repair the problem as most likely it is accessible and will be an easy fix when all is said and done.  

Here is a local repair shop not too far from you:

Southside RV Repair & Shelter Factory

1750 SW Allen St. (Near Avery Park & Marysville Golf) 

Corvallis, OR 97333

541-754-9390 

RunningChicken

Thanks! We'll look into that today.

rfuss928

There is an inline fuse in the wiring very close to the pump.  It is a small (1" square) black housing with a blade style fuse enclosed.  Did you check that?

RunningChicken

OK. Been playing with it. On our model the fuse covers lights and pump. The lights work. Nothing is obviously loose- although we are worried about what we can't see inside the wall. 60 minutes ago the switch was hot and working. However, when we put a volt meter on the little fuse by the pump it showed just a negligible amount of electricity. So it seemed somewhere between the switch and the little fuse there was something loose. But that is inside the wall. Then 30 minutes ago we test the switch again and it is cold and not working. But the lights are on the whole time. ARRRRGHHH!

Verna

@RunningChicken, are you able to run a wire that is not inside the wall?  Even if it is temporary, it would prove whether the wiring is defective. 

Michigan_Mike

It looks like you're making progress.  

rfuss928

Looks very familiar. 
Sorry if I state the obvious - you realize there is also a switch in the faucet??
I have had trouble with the "shark bite" connections becoming intermittent.  If the red wire from the switch has one on the way to the converter I would check it.
There are no connections in the wall.  There are some in the speaker box above the sink. I think this is where the power for the lights and pump splits. Access is in the pass through cabinet.

RunningChicken

Good ideas. Did not know faucet has a switch- is it activated when the water is turned on? We saw wires running to the faucet and wondered why they were there. Will search the faucet further. And check the connections better. And try bypass wiring.

But I gotta say, a simple hand pump is sounding kind of good..... We just use the faucet for brushing teeth. 

Ratkity

I also never trust those connector nuts. I always use straight connectors. I've had too many of those connector screw on nuts fail, even with electrician's tape on them. I feel more comfortable using crimped connectors of the correct size for the wire.

rfuss928

RunningChicken - The faucet switch is on when the handle is moved from the off position.  It is redundant (in series) with the wall switch.
Ratkity - Wire nuts are used virtually everywhere in the electrical industry and are generally quite reliable when installed correctly.  There are dozens in your average home.  My problems have been with "quick splices" used throughout the DM built T@Bs


These rely on displacing the wires insulation when squeezed.  The metal blade is supposed to contact the conductor of both wires to make the connection.  These connections are sometimes marginal and not reliable long term.  I have removed and replaced several troublesome examples in my T@B with wire nuts.
 

Ratkity

rfuss928, I don't like those quick splicers either. The concept was great, but then things started going wrong. I know those nuts are everywhere in my house. I think they move my tools around. Every now and then, a banana goes missing too!

TabberJohn

rfuss928 said:

My problems have been with "quick splices" used throughout the DM built T@Bs


These rely on displacing the wires insulation when squeezed.  The metal blade is supposed to contact the conductor of both wires to make the connection.  These connections are sometimes marginal and not reliable long term.

Agreed, especially since the typical quick splice connectors at auto-supply stores are red 22-18 gauge (blue is 18-14). Neither size will necessarily match the gauge of wires you are trying to splice. The wrong combo can damage the wire strands reducing voltage down the line or make a poor connection to what you are trying to power.

In general the best connection is soldered with shrink wrap, closely followed by butt connectors with crimper or wire nut connectors depending on application, then quick splice connectors.
However, there are superior quick connectors for butt, splice, and nut situations. They are reusable and tool-less.
They're called Posi-Lock, Posi-Tap, and Posi-Twist connectors.
I found them here: http://www.webbikeworld.com/sale/posi-locks-for-sale.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N64p6ndlTQ8