Leaking water pump?

TerryV6

Well, we haven't had a lot of chances this summer to camp what with family issues..  We were invited to come to an assisted living "Octoberfest" by my wife's aunt, who is 96, but is still spry and with it.  She says she is the last member of her HS class, so she can have a reunion whenever she wants...grin... 
We stayed overnight in Lake Elmo County park in Minnesota.  I would give it 4 stars.  



We we got up this morning, I was outside when I was asked why water was dripping along the lower edge in front.  I immediately thought of the pump and hit the switch.  Checking behind the access panel, I could see that is where it was coming from.  To be clear, I was not able to scope it out completely.  We had to go...I am home now and will look in the morning and report back.  I'm thinking it could be the connections on either side of the pump, or the pump itself.  Someone mentioned something about a filter check.... I'll have to look that one up.  I'm still worn out partying with the oldsters, who had more energy than I did.  They were singing Neil Diamond songs and pumping their fists in the air...  Sweet Caroline... bom bom bom....

ericnliz

@TerryV6, Thanks for sharing both the story & the picture. Please let us know what you discover for your leak. I hope it's nothing serious.

TerryV6

First step for me was to see if the two connections were tight... Seemed to be...  I was looking at the manual and saw a pump pic.  What is the round thingy on the left hand side? Mine is not so visible.



Todays temps are in the 90s, so I'll wait till tomorrow to fill fresh water tank and test.  Stay tuned...

ScottG

That's the filter screen on the inlet side of the pump. The knobby cap on the opposite side of the picture unscrews, and a small metal screen slides out.

A loose or cracked cap could certainly be the source of a leak.

TerryV6

Thanks Scott,  I checked that out and found styrofoam in the filter.  Looks like these...



I cleaned the filter, made sure all connections were tight, fresh water was full, hooked up to shore power and power on.  Tried turning on sink faucets and toilet flush... pump didn't turn on at all.   I then turned off power and checked the 10 amp fuse.  It was good.  Anyone have suggestions?  Maybe I'm missing something..  I'd hate to think I'd need a new pump...  Ahhh, time to see if a football game is on and try again tomorrow...

TerryV6

Well..  sent a message to our friendly Tab company people.  Probably be a few days.  I did see that someone out there had the same problem and bought a replacement on Amazon for $65.  He said it was easy to install.  Also said he bought a spare...  Stay tuned...  

My wife won't be happy without a bathroom...

ScottG

That looks like bits of the Styrofoam used to insulate the cabin. Not sure why it would be in the plumbing, but maybe some snuck in during assembly. However, as long as the filter caught it I can't see how that specifically would cause your pump to leak or die.

Good luck and let us know what you hear from NuCamp.

Cozyshack

We had a similar problem...Our pump was cycling on/off & we also had water running underneath along the sides. After much frustration I took it to the dealer and the city water connection hose inside the compartment where the pump is was loose and after it was tightened problem solved! 
Hope this helps!

TerryV6

Just ordered a new one.  Marvin said ours was toast.  On Amazon, they are about 69 bucks.  I paid 46.80 from nucamp. They are sending along a return envelope and want us to send our old one back.  Apparently they are getting a number of these...   if I can figure out the wiring, I might do the replacement myself.  I’ll know more when I get the new one.  There isn’t much room to work in there...  my dealer is a 100 miles away..  perhaps I could get a reasonable install price from a local camper place.  We’ll see.  

leenscottfl

I changed mine out recently with no problem. if I can do it anymore can. Got mine from Amazon and they sent the wrong one, twice! We need 40 psi and they sent 50s. Check it out even if it isn't coming from Amazon.

TerryV6

We got our replacement pump in the mail today.  Even for me, it looks doable.  2 wires and 4 mounting bolts..  Any tips or cautions you want to add Scott?  I can see myself dropping a bolt down into the darkness, and the workspace is rather small...

leenscottfl

I stuffed newspaper in the black hole to prevent losing things. I think I see that your pump is 55 psi. check your old pump but mine came with one rated 40 psi. 

TerryV6

That’s the one they sent me..  so I’m going with it....

TerryV6

There are many on this forum who are very handy.  I'm only half handy...  You people who are handy can just move along... Nothing to see here.... grin....So, I thought I'd go through the process of installing my new pump.  First, I did some searching for how to's and found this one.  The guy is using the same pump, but his pump location is in a much nicer location.  Also, his wiring is slightly different, but the video is informative.  https://youtu.be/dqROXlgt-lI.  

I started out by emptying my fresh water tank.  I took out the fuse in the tub.  My first problem was getting a way to hold up the access door.  I used a command hook located above it and tied off the door with a string.  Now, I had no idea what would happen to the hoses once they were disconnected, so just in case, I tied a string to each so that I wouldn't lose either of them.  This proved unnecessary, but who knew.  I disconnected the hoses keeping a cloth handy in case of water leakage.  (didn't happen...).  The four screw heads on the pump mount need a square head driver to remove them.  Pulling the pump out of the space, I put in on the toilet and checked the wires.  The two wires, black and red, were connected by splice wire connectors.  I cut the two wires fairly close to the old pump so I'd have wire length to play with.  Looking at my old pump, I could see why I was unsure about a screen holder.  Mine was turned and facing the other way. I took this off the old pump, cleaned the screen and screwed it on to my new one.  Then I made the decision not to go with crimp connectors.  Everyone will tell me that they work fine, but I've had bad lock with crimping tools, being the clutz that I am..  The wire always pulls out....I checked online and saw dryconn waterproof wire connectors advertised.  There is silicone inside to help seal the join from water.  Once I connected my wires, I used a little black tape to help hold the wires together.  I mounted the pump back inside, connected the two hoses, cleaned up and was ready for the test.  I filled the tank, put the fuse back in and turned on the faucets.  Then I hit the pump switch...  Tada....  It worked...   

(All proceeds from the sale of this help page will be donated to the less fortunate owners of other kinds of campers..)




Pump is out of the space.  Could that space get any smaller?



The filter holder disconnected from pump



You can see the wire screen that we are supposed to check once in a while...


Ready to reinstall new pump, once the filter thingy is screwed onto new pump.


Very nice job Terry..  Why, thank you Terry...  grin..  Oh yes, now you can see and access the filter holder...    Oh, and below is the kind of wire nut connector I used..

Verna

Great How-to, @TerryV6! I like tying the string to each loose part--you do know that if you hadn't done that, you would have lost one . Murphy's Law of Pump Removal.

TerryV6

Yes,  plan for whatever shouldn’t happen...  I am one of those who dropped his glass fuse casing down that little crack...

Ratkity

Great job, Terry!!! No more leaks, right? Does it sound different? 

TerryV6

First thing...  no more leaks, however my old pump had progressed to a non working state.  Noise wise... it does seem a bit less noisy...  

Ratkity

Dead pump is dead! You have upgraded your T@B badge to full "handyman"!!!

Jdcouple

That is an actual pic of me. Lol

gbell

Has anyone thought of cutting an access panel somewhere near the bathroom floor, behind the toilet so you can get to the very back wall.i had water leak there and could not get to it to clean it up. Also that you could water seal it till necessary.? I am thinking of it. But it is a double wall.

TerryV6

Not sure I’d want to do that...  When I had a water problem, water streamed out along the leading edge of the camper.  I don’t see that there will be a large amount of water remaining.  I’m assuming the inside area will dry.  Hope hope hope...

ericnliz

Nice job @TerryV6!!! See, you CAN do it. You deserve a hearty pat on the back & a WAY to GO!

TerryV6

Thanks Eric...  like one of my childhood memories of a book about a little train...  I think I can, I think I can... grin ...  

TerryV6

Even with simple things:  it an go south in a hurry...

i was was going to put on a toilet seat for my aunt -  cracked the bowl.

At work, we were told to remove a plaster/lath Wall.  We cut through a water line.

I could go on, but I’ve already embarrassed myself...

ericnliz

@TerryV6, On the flip side...if 'ya don't try, 'ya don't learn.

Michigan_Mike

gbell said:

Has anyone thought of cutting an access panel somewhere near the bathroom floor, behind the toilet so you can get to the very back wall.i had water leak there and could not get to it to clean it up. Also that you could water seal it till necessary.? I am thinking of it. But it is a double wall.

When I work in the pump area I just jam a towel down below the pump.  It catches any water and parts.  I certainly understand people's fears about dropping things into the dark abyss behind the stool, but if you were to cut an access area for a seldom needed task you also risk creating other issues (e.g., water entry, cutting into wiring, etc.) that could complicate things more.

TerryV6 said:

First thing...  no more leaks, however my old pump had progressed to a non working state.  Noise wise... it does seem a bit less noisy...  

Congratulations Terry!   These types of issues and problems always create anxiety via the unknown and once you're finished you can give a huge sigh of relief, completing a job you really didn't know where it would go.   I haven't done it, but you can play with the tension of the screws that hold the pump onto the wall to reduce or increase the noise level.  You will also need to watch your water consumption as the new pump will suck it out of the tank much faster.  You don't want to be taking any cold showers! LOL

TerryV6

I did notice a much better flow rate... 

Michigan_Mike

TerryV6 said:

I did notice a much better flow rate... 

Gotta love it as it is like night and day with an improved pump!  

TerryV6

Now that I’ve cleared away the rubble from the job site, I was left with the old pump.  Looking at it, I decided to take it apart and see what there was to see.  Now, not knowing what I was looking at, I was unimpressed.  I didn’t see anything broken, and the motor shaft turned freely.  I did see some rust spots by it though.  Anyway,  only cats get killed by curiosity...