Supply line to pump inlet

Bill&Suze · September 3

The supply line leading to the water pump inlet coming from the Nautilus plumbing nexus was routed over a blue cold water line and under a red hot water line as shown in the first attached photo. The supply line appears to have thinned or flattened a bit where it passes over the blue pipe, perhaps because it bridges over it and then drops down to the pump. I'm guessing that it also is warmed by the proximity of very hot water piped directly from the Alde boiler which might explain why we get a bit of warm water out of cold water faucets before it runs cold for a bit. I'd like to reroute the supply line to below the blue pipe but have never tried to remove a pipe clamp. If someone who has done this could offer a few pointers on technique and required tools that would be great. A small issue, I know, but maybe it'll help someone else too! Thanks.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/b7/4f2woyfg3wd0.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/be/p83ev2qa8s58.png

pthomas745 · September 4

This is interesting: two days in a row!

Look over this thread.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/19833/flat-water-line-hose-on-2022-tab-400#latest

jimcenname · September 4

Consider disconnecting the supply line from the water pump, at the filter basket. It should be only hand tight. Route the hose where you want it. Also, I believe the correct orientation of the inlet filter basket is on the bottom of the supply line.

Bill&Suze · September 4

pthomas745 said:

This is interesting: two days in a row!
Look over this thread.
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/19833/flat-water-line-hose-on-2022-tab-400#latest

@pthomas745, that thread is what led me to take a look at my supply line. What's interesting is that it was routed in the same manner, between hot and cold lines and bridged over the cold and then down. Maybe it's NüCamp's standard installation? Seems like an invitation to eventually collapse.

jimcenname said:

Consider disconnecting the supply line from the water pump, at the filter basket. It should be only hand tight. Route the hose where you want it. Also, I believe the correct orientation of the inlet filter basket is on the bottom of the supply line.

This is a great suggestion @jimcenname, I'll try this route but I don't follow what you mean by "correct orientation of the filter basket..."
I'd still like to know what the procedure is to remove any of the band clamps at all the plumbing connections. I have an intuitive idea but don't want to break something.

pthomas745 · September 4

All I know about this is what I have seen in that previous thread: maybe...the collapsing hose has more to do with the pump deflating the hose when the Nautilus is set to city water and the pump is activated. Someone will have to test this. Whether it has anything to do with the routing of the hose over and between hot water lines I would have no idea.

The clamps on the pex lines are..pex clamps. There is some good conversation about how to remove them, and some of the more plumbing oriented owners have ideas about them in the threads linked below.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pex+clamps+site:tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com&client=firefox-b-1-d&uact=5&oq=pex+clamps+site:tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com

Bill&Suze · September 4

Perfect, thanks @pthomas745.

Bill&Suze · September 4

Supply line rerouted successfully. It sounds like a very good idea to travel with a Pex tool, cutter and some half inch clamps.

ScottG · September 5

Please report on how this works. If an additional fix is needed, I wonder if replacing the soft hose with rigid pex would do the trick. The pex would be more resistant to suction from the pump or Nautilus nebula, if that is in fact the root of the issue (which I suspect it is).

Bill&Suze · September 5

@ScottG, your proposed additional fix would be a good solution.

dsfdogs · September 5

ScottG said:

Please report on how this works. If an additional fix is needed, I wonder if replacing the soft hose with rigid pex would do the trick. The pex would be more resistant to suction from the pump or Nautilus nebula, if that is in fact the root of the issue (which I suspect it is).

After I realized the hose flattened because I accidentally turned on the pump without the Nautilus in the correct position (twice, no less), I stuck a piece of tape with "Nautilus" written on it near the pump switch and never had a flattened hose again! Coming from a non-Nautilus 320S and having to change the levers to use the pump was all new.

Also, at first I thought the hose was too short and that was the problem, but it wasn't flat when I purchased the trailer so I knew I'd created it and it would go back to round again.

Pex would avoid the potential problem all together.

RTWCTS · September 5

ScottG said:

Please report on how this works. If an additional fix is needed, I wonder if replacing the soft hose with rigid pex would do the trick. The pex would be more resistant to suction from the pump or Nautilus nebula, if that is in fact the root of the issue (which I suspect it is).

That’s exactly what I did (replace with PEX).

Bill&Suze · September 5

@RTWCTS, please explain the reason you made the change to PEX. Also, what clamps did you use, they look different from the NüCamp hardware shown?

RTWCTS · September 5

Bill&Suze said:

@RTWCTS, please explain the reason you made the change to PEX. Also, what clamps did you use, they look different from the NüCamp hardware shown?

I found we were suffering from the collapsed vinyl tubing syndrome while trying to diagnose a different water supply issue. At the time I wasn’t sure what the cause was but knew PEX would be the cure. The clamps are just a different system that does the same thing. I believe they predate what NuCamp is using (and what I have from my previous life).
I was late to comment on this discussion as we’re on the road. We are currently camped at the Wisconsin Sheep &Wool festival, giving me time to catch up on reading while my spouse communes with her fiber tribe.

subkron · September 6

@Bill&Suze @RTWCTS et al
Not sure having a pex crimp on any flex line is the best (see pics of pump outlet). If anything, and size you are in that compartment anyway, I would change the outlet flex from the pex crimp to a screw worm gear. If/when it ever leaks, a simple tightening of the worm gear and your good to go.

RTWCTS · September 6

@subkron I think if you reread my comments you’ll realize that I installed rigid PEX with compression rings, not flexible vinyl.

Edit to add: We haven’t had any leaks from NuCamp’s work, I replaced a collapsed line that was apparently caused by improper Nautilus valve position on our part.

Bill&Suze · September 6

subkron said:

@Bill&Suze @RTWCTS et al
Not sure having a pex crimp on any flex line is the best (see pics of pump outlet). If anything, and size you are in that compartment anyway, I would change the outlet flex from the pex crimp to a screw worm gear. If/when it ever leaks, a simple tightening of the worm gear and you're good to go.

Thanks @subkron, if you're right I guess we might see some leaking at some point. Things are still dry a year and a half into ownership. All that I know is that NüCamp did the installation with PEX clamps on everything, and I count at least four flexible lines in the photo I posted at the top of this thread. Periodically I keep an eye out for leaking on the whole Nautilus and Alde miss-mash - it seems prudent.

subkron · September 7

RTWCTS said:

@subkron I think if you reread my comments you’ll realize that I installed rigid PEX with compression rings, not flexible vinyl.

I was looking at the pic you supplied which I referenced the pump outlet still appears to have flex.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/mk/e1vpyvv8z7o5.jpg

RTWCTS · September 7

@subkron

Ok, I understand what you’re saying. There is still vinyl tubing in my T@B with crimp style connectors. In 3 years we’ve never had leaking issues, so no need to fix what isn’t broken. In my previous posts here I was discussing the work I did to replace a collapsed vinyl tube that was NOT leaking. NuCamp’s fittings have stayed water tight in our 400.

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