Drastically reduced water flow in motorhome

[Pete]

My first time using the forum, hope I am doing this right!

I am new to Motorhome RVing, we bought a nice 2005 Monaco Knight, and noticed a strong odor from the water being used in the coach after filling the fresh water tank in a RV Park and began using the water, we then traveled on to another Park, since we were in a new campground I used the pump to drain most of the water from the then 1/3 full fresh water tank and then refilled the tank. (Probably not the best idea to use the pump to do this?)

On entering the coach we began running water through all faucets to "clear the old water from the lines, and immediately noticed the water pressure begin to dwindle down until now it is running at about 10% of the original pressure!

I would appreciate any suggestions as to what has happened and how to approach this? I assume it is either a blockage from tank residue, or a damaged pump?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts!

[rsbilledwards]

Pete,  welcome lots of info here and the only dumb question is the one you did not ask

 

LIkely a contaminated system.  There should be  a screen filter at the pump. I would check that first off and see if it is contaminated. Others here will have a better blow by blow how to resolve the issue. Most of the pumps are pretty robust and will run for a long time.

[wolfe10]

Yes, Pete--- welcome to the FMCA Forum.

If you completely drained the tank, may be air in the lines.  If no air, indeed, check the strainer at the water pump. 

You can also listen to the pump-- does it sound normal or is it racing.  If racing, that would suggest air in the lines.  If that is the case, open a couple of faucets to help the pump prime.

[wildebill308]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

My first time using the forum, hope I am doing this right!

I am new to Motorhome RVing, we bought a nice 2005 Monaco Knight, and noticed a strong odor from the water being used in the coach after filling the fresh water tank in a RV Park and began using the water, we then traveled on to another Park, since we were in a new campground I used the pump to drain most of the water from the then 1/3 full fresh water tank and then refilled the tank. (Probably not the best idea to use the pump to do this?)

On entering the coach we began running water through all faucets to "clear the old water from the lines, and immediately noticed the water pressure begin to dwindle down until now it is running at about 10% of the original pressure!

I would appreciate any suggestions as to what has happened and how to approach this? I assume it is either a blockage from tank residue, or a damaged pump?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts!

Welcome to the forum.

If the smell continues try sanitizing the system especially the hot water tank. There is a bacteria that loves the hot water and produces a strong odor. Do a search there are several threads about it.

Yes, checking the screens is a good place to start including the ones on the faucets. I use a filter on my water inlet (city water) The blue "Camco 40043 TastePURE Inline Water Filter" helps reduce bad taste from the water. It also keeps the silt and outher junk out of my system.

Something else I recommend, ok 2 things, Camco 90 Degree Hose Elbow- eliminates stress strain on RV water intake hose fittings. 

You need a water preshure regulator with a gage like this one. "Esright Brass Water Pressure Regulator Lead-Free with Gauge." 

https://www.amazon.com/Esright-Pressure-Regulator-Lead-Free-Adjustable/dp/B075RRCWGD/ref=asc_df_B075RRCWGD/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242006903502&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17411269382575160732&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027284&hvtargid=pla-395827532630&psc=1

Let us know what you find.

Bill

 

 

[richard5933]

If the previous owner(s) had been filling with hard water, you may also have deposits built up in the pump. When you check the pump inlet screen, you should be able to get an idea of what the system looks like.

[rayin]

I suspect the pump valve head is faulty or clogged. Replacement parts are widely available.

[Pete]

Just a update, and a word of thanks to everyone who commented, problem solved! I was able to clean out the pump filter and solved the blockage, and I am in the process of sanitizing the fresh water tank.

Thanks again!

Pete

[wildebill308]

Good, glad it was something simple. Be sure to get plenty of the sanitizing mix in the hot water heater. That is the most likely place for the smell to be coming from. 

Bill

[rsbilledwards]

Great alway the simple things that get in the way first. Happy motoring  B

[Pete]

I know this sounds a little bit anal, but I wanted to be sure that when I mix up the 6 + gallons of bleach and water for a 100 gallon tank and pour it in to the tank to sanitize the system, my tank should be full of water to get the correct 50 ppm?

Thanks again for a response😁

[wolfe10]

Yes,  after adding the bleach solution, completely fill the tank.  Let it sit for an hour or so.

Then turn on the pump and open each faucet (both hot and cold) and run until you smell bleach.  Because of the volume of the water heater, not will have to run for awhile.

Let that sit for a couple of hours.

Drain and flush with shore water.

 

[f433921]

Make sure you used bleach that doesn't contain any detergents. I made that mistake and it too for ever to get the suds out of the system.

I used hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach the last time.

Jim

[rayin]

On 11/15/2018 at 2:12 PM, F433921 said:

Make sure you used bleach that doesn't contain any detergents. I made that mistake and it too for ever to get the suds out of the system.

I used hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach the last time.

Jim

Hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting an RV fresh water tank:

"There is much rumor and myth in the RV world that you can disinfect a fresh water tank using hydrogen peroxide (the stuff you can buy off-the-shelf at the store). The bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide that you likely have in your RV or house won’t do the job—it is not a strong enough solution. Even if you could fill the fresh water tank with the 3% hydrogen peroxide, it wouldn’t do the disinfecting job you need.

The higher concentrate required to complete the disinfectant is only sold to authorized recipients—chemical companies, school systems, industry, etc.—and is only available at chemical-supply houses. That concentrate may be as high as 50%—significantly stronger than the off-the-shelf bottle available at your local store. Plus, when using the highly-concentrated solution, there is a specific process required to neutralize the level of hydrogen peroxide after disinfecting to make the tank safe for normal usage. I won’t go into that process here."

 

[f433921]

Rayin,

Thanks for the response.

 

Jim