Water issue, read forum posts, still have issue

KTOT

I have a new T@b that I believe has air lock in the water lines. I've read everything I can find online but still have it. Basically at this point I can drain the tank (though the low point valves) to 19% then draining stops. If I fill the tank to 100% (or any other level), I get no water, period, through the faucets, etc. I do get water if I plug a hose into city water. I tried holding the flush handle open and flushing a number of times as some people have suggested but I still have air lock. No water out of the faucet, shower, or toilet, period. And once the tank is at 19%, it won't even drain out of the tank. How do I clear the air lock? Some people have said to suck on a line but I have no idea what line they are referring to. Perhaps one either side of the pump behind the toilet? I did try sucking the one to the left of the pump to no avail. I obviously am hesitant to disconnect anything near the Alde as sucking glycol would not be a good idea! How do I get the pump primed and/or get the air lock out? And once I do that, how do I prevent that from happening in the future? For now, though, I am most concerned about getting the water flowing again.

RollingBnB

Try pouring water into that same left side hose. It goes right to the tank. Also check the filter tightness. Any air leaks before the pump will prevent suction.

Sharon_is_SAM

Did your pump ever work when running water via the tank?

KTOT

Filter and hose connections are completely tight--I checked those right off when I didn't get water. Sam, yes, the water worked fine after the first tank fill until it quit at 19% and hasn't worked since. (I've since read people find the tank can't be drained below 20-25% or this happens.) RollingBnB, I believe I tried pouring water right into that hose but I'll go out and try again. Certainly can't hurt. 

marknjudy

Having just done it this afternoon, I can testify to the fact that it doesn't take a lot if effort to draw water from the tank when you suck on the hose on the left side of the pump. Two or three draws and I had a mouthful of water. If you did this and got nothing I'd suspect that's where your issue is. If you meet a lot of resistance, it is probably blocked. If you meet no resistance but get no water, there must be a leak. 

marknjudy

Dumb idea, but try blowing in the tube on the left side of the pump. If it's blocked that may clear it

Michigan_Mike

I'd even try screwing in the brass style air fitting to the left side pump hose, hooking a compressor to it set at about 20# < and see if that clears the line.  It sounds like you might have some debris in the water line and if you are unable to get water up from the tank when full that may be the issue.  I would ensure that the tank is full too as you are correct, when it gets down to around 25-26% water in the FW tank the pump begins to struggle and suck air into the system.  

KTOT

marknjudy, I trie sucking hard on that hose multiple times--a lot more than you did--and got nothing. I talked to a dealer tech who's in on Sat. and he said sucking will never work (though apparently you've proved him wrong), that it's like sucking a milkshake through a four foot straw (that was his exact analogy). Regardless, it didn't work for me. Nor did blowing into it, or pouring water directly into it.

KTOT

Michigan_Mike, I thought about using my air fitting but hadn't yet thought through where to try it, but I will give that a try. That said, I strongly doubt I have debris in the line. The water quit right at 19% tank level, and I later read letting the tank go below 25% or 20% can lead to air lock. I'm sure I just need to prime the pump but the question is how to do so successfully. Regarding fullness of the tank, I've emptied it (to 19% since it won't go below that now, though before that I emptied it all the way) and refilled it a couple times. Right now the tank is at about 56% though it was 100% when I was trying all kinds of things earlier today.

marknjudy

Maybe I have better lungs than he does. It really took very little effort. I like Mike's idea. I would try it on the left hose first. I didn't see where you took off the filter, but I would try that too. If you already did then I apologize. 

Mine was airlocked as well today. I checked the filter and sucked water through the hose and then flushed the toilet four times and all was good. So sorry yours isn't remedied that easily. 

KTOT

I just went out and sucked the left hose 22 times. (Note I have good lung capacity.) At that point it felt like the water was right there--I couldn't suck in any more air--but no water came out. I hooked the hose back up, tried the toilet multiple times and the shower and sink, but zilch still (the tank is now showing 50%). I did it again and got the same resistance after 5 or 6 but again, no water. A third time another 20+. I can sometimes hear water gurgling when I suck, but again, no water. Another note--the whole filter piece is off right now as the tech suggested I get a pipe fitting and hose to match it so it's in my vehicle to take to town Monday. So the filter, which I checked right off for blockage anyway, isn't the problem. It's all very, very frustrating. There must be a way to pull air and water up through that hose other than with the pump, but what? Or what else can I try?

Homebodyatheart

@KTOT a gal in our state had the same issue with her new Outback. Knowledgeable friends tried their hardest to get it running. Turns out she had a lot of construction debris blocking a line and I think in the pump, too. Dealer cleared it all out for her and I believe it runs well now. You might want to get this checked out, especially since you've tried what you know with no luck. Good luck though!

KTOT

Homebodyatheart, thanks. But my dealer is nine hours away so I cannot just drop in and have them check it out. Since all worked fine until I let the tank get down to 19%, I'm quite positive I just need to prime the pump. But I need a pipe hose connector to do that, from all I've learned today--unless anyone has something else to try. Nothing so far has worked.

ChanW

Our pump self-primes. It's the nature of that type of pump to be able to pull air enough to self-prime. But I'd think any resistance in the lines would hinder that. 
Sounds aggravating.
Be sure to let us know what you learn!

Michigan_Mike

ChanW said:

Our pump self-primes. It's the nature of that type of pump to be able to pull air enough to self-prime. But I'd think any resistance in the lines would hinder that. 
Sounds aggravating.
Be sure to let us know what you learn!

I agree.... The pumps should self prime easily, especially with a full tank of fresh water, letting the pump run, opening the faucets, flushing the toilet, etc.   The factory is aware of these incidents/issues and are focusing on eliminating the problem completely.  I wonder if it's not more of an issue from the tank manufacturer than via the nüCamp factory?  

ericnliz

@Michigan_Mike, This sounds EXACTLY like the problem @Dalehelman & I experienced with @OreoTAB's Outback in May. Even though we cleared all the debris from the hose going to the filter, we could not get water to the hose itself from the tank. Hers also worked prior to the incident, however, I'm not sure if the tank was ever allowed to go below 20% as described by @KTOT. Your suggestion with the blow-out valve is a good one (however, Dale & I tried that with a small compressor he had to no avail.) and might be worth a try. Not real sure if this is a priming issue, or ( I would think ) a blockage issue at the fresh water tank.
@KTOT, Please let us know what resolves the problem for you so that it may help others experiencing the same issue. Thanks!

ChanW

Maybe the tank's vent is blocked?!? (Mud dauber wasps...)

ericnliz

@ChanW, We cleared that one as well when trying to get @OreoTAB's working, but good thought. When we used the compressor through the hose, all kinds of small plastic pieces came out of the tank via the open fresh water fill door, as we made sure it was full of water before trying anything.

ericnliz

@KTOT , "The water pump was dry. Used bypass hose in gallon jug of water to force water into pump. Relubricated pump with water and it works great." This is what @OreoTAB's dealer posted as a "fix" for the issue she was having with getting water from the fresh water tank via the pump. Might be worth a try. Sorry it took a minute to find. I knew it was here somewhere! Eric

Michigan_Mike

 I thought about the vent as well, but wouldn't there be a noticeable situation with the sink if you poured water into the sink and watched how quickly or slowly it drained out?  And if the vent was an issue you would think there may be a problem adding water to the freshwater tank or that it would go in slower if the vent was somehow clogged with insect debris, etc.?

 If you are unable to suck water up through the holes easily it seems there is something going on inside the supply line?   But I also agree with Eric, there might be some debris in the faucet lines that impede the pumps ability to bring water up and through the faucets.  I would try blowing those lines out with a compressor as well and see if some debris is stuck inside of them.

KTOT

Any sort of debris is highly, highly unlikely based on the age of the unit and where it has been. A dealer I talked to Sat. told me to do what ericnliz quoted, to prime the pump, and that makes most sense to me--nothing clogged, just the pump needs priming. I'm buying the needed fitting and hose piece tomorrow (I live very far from any towns so can't just pop in to a local store) and believe that should resolve the issue. I also plan to talk to NuCamp. Something like this should not happen. I have and have had other RVs and never have had pump or water system issues with them.

Homebodyatheart

@KTOT thanks for this post. BTW you can make your own fill tube. If you have an old hose around you can cut a foot length off including the male fitting (I think) and there you have it. Easy!

After we dewinterized a few weeks ago (dealer didn't get a lot out before delivery) I don't believe we left much water in the tank. When we dumped yesterday at the campground I had added water to the tank so I could add the enzymes and water to slosh around on the drive home but not much came out of the toilet or sink. I just went in tonight and turned the pump on and held the toilet handle open. Air came out, followed by water! Did the same to the sink. The pump is still pretty noisy so I'll play with it another day to see how it goes. Again, thanks!

KTOT

Homebodyatheart, actually, no, that will not work. I have a hose fitting on a piece of hose already for another purpose but the pump requires a pipe thread, not a hose thread.

ericnliz

@KTOT, Above, you mentioned the age of your T@B. 2017 Outback? If so, same make & model as the one we had the issues with. Let us know if the forced "prime" works for you. I've already sent a note to nuCamp via @Michigan_Mike about this issue (this being from what we discovered on the one Dale Helman & I worked on.), especially concerning the "debris" we came across in both the feed hose to the pump, and coming out of the fresh water tank. I've let my tank get pretty low in the past (less than 20%) with no issues afterward as far as the pump producing water. Just sputtered, and after re-filling, spit out a little air, then worked fine. Kind of curious about the diaphragm in the pump getting perhaps dry, or something along those lines causing this occurrence. Brings up a question at this point, because of situation we ran across as well: Can you hear air coming out of the faucet with it in the open position with the pump on? If not, same scenario we had, and priming should do it. Good luck, and keep us posted. Thanks!

KTOT

Ericnliz, yes, 2017 T@b Outback. No air heard coming out of the faucet. I got the fitting today but no stores had the hose (tubing) so I'm getting that elsewhere tomorrow and will then prime the pump. I have another RV that I frequently completely empty the tank on with zero problems so I'm surprised people have stated the T@bs need to stay at least 20-25% full.

Sharon_is_SAM

I think part of the problem is the location of the outlet on the tank.  If it is on the side of the tank, rather than the bottom, then you can suck air while you still have it partially filled.  Has anybody seen where the outlet is located?

marknjudy

I empty my tanks between uses always. It's not a problem. 

KTOT

marknjudy, do you empty them via the faucets and gray tank or via the low point valves? My understanding is the problem comes from running the faucets to get the tank low, not from emptying the tank via the low point valves. And that is what caused my initial problem--getting the tank below 20% via the faucet. One has to empty the tank before winterizing, at least.

dsatwork

I had a similar issue you can see my post....it ultimately was the shavings in the fresh water tank. Funny thing is it never seemed like that much stuff at one time. I bought common water supply hose that that you can get at any hardware store to prime the pump. I connected it to the cold water supply under the sink and sucked on it to force prime the pump. That would work to get the water flowing but ultimately it would stop again. What worked for me was to use my air compressor to blow air back into the tank by disconnecting the hose going into the water filter. As soon as I did this the pump started working and primed by itself...it clogged a couple more times but I ran about three tanks of water though it and cleaned out the water filter each time. Nucamp sent us a new water pump but we didn't have any other trouble. I did see on the forum that someone had the diaphragm on the pump ruined by the shavings....hope you are not having that problem.

KTOT

Well, I am far past angry at NuCamp. Problems still. I called yesterday morning and have still not received a call back from them. So much for the supposed good service I hear people claim about NuCamp... As far as the water pump issue... I did finally get the fitting and hosing and primed the pump so water ran from all the faucets and the low point drains. I then went to sanitize the tank since the manual says to sanitize it when new. I followed the directions exactly. Well, at 31% tank level, the faucets stopped working. I went to prime the pump again (angry that now it's stopping working at 31%, not 19% or 21% like before). Nothing. It wouldn't draw the water up this time. I unhooked the fitting and it fell down the deep cavity where the pump and filter are. There is no way to reach down there! Furthermore, I took photos and cannot see the fitting so it apparently fell behind a piece of wood that's there. This is beyond ridiculous. It's a brand new T@b Outback, the plumbing is useless, and NuCamp won't return my calls. With the nearest stores an hour each way away, I cannot just run to a store for a new fitting, but even once I do, unless it just wasn't fully tight (I believe it), priming this time didn't work anyway. I have other RVs that have never had issues like this. Oh--my dealer is 8 hours away and the nearest T@b dealer is over 4 hours away so I cannot just run to a T@b dealer about this. I am not happy...

Verna

I have sent an email to the factory. I gave them your email address and the state you live in, but I do not know your name.  They should be able to connect your message with my message.  

And I'm really sorry you have had so much trouble. My T@B gives me so much happiness and freedom to travel and I certainly hope you can get this taken care of quickly so you can do the same. Each day, I've been hoping the good advice from our owners would be the one thing that gets you going. Don't give up on us, nüCamp will get it fixed.