Fresh Water issues on an Autotrail

[wildebus]

So I got a new to me Motorhome coming up for 2 weeks ago. But got a problem.
When I looked at it, and when it was dropped down to me, the sink, washroom basin, shower and toilet flush were working fine.
Went to the Kelso Meet last week and had a lovely hot shower in it, no probs.

Went away on Thursday and when I went to use the sink tap, no water! Check the levels - 50%. Filled up anyway just in case gauge was faulty ... 100%, but still no water!
no water leaking underneath except for the overflow after I filled up. the next morning opened the fresh tank empty valve to fill up a washing up bowl and got water out that way.
As soon as I turn the pump power on at the control panel I can hear the pump working away attempting to prime to pressure, so got power at the pump.
Took the pump off this morning to test and that is working fine as far as I can see - sucking water in and pumping it out the other side

The route from water tank to pump seems very straight - no isolation valves as far as I can see. Just comes out of housing where tank is and up through floor to where pump is.
There is no inspection points to tank inside the van.


Any ideas why this is not working?!


(right now I have opened the dump for the fresh water and the truma boiler to totally empty and will then refill just in case it makes difference but I can't see how and why it would. straw grasping there )

 

[robell]

We had a similar problem when we had our MH several years back. It turned out that there is a pipe which reaches down into the fresh water tank. This had come away at a joint almost at the top of the tank. The result was that we could get water if the tank was full, but if it dropped slightly - no water. What you describe sounds similar.
Hope you get it sorted

Rob

 

[wildebus]

We had a similar problem when we had our MH several years back. It turned out that there is a pipe which reaches down into the fresh water tank. This had come away at a joint almost at the top of the tank. The result was that we could get water if the tank was full, but if it dropped slightly - no water. What you describe sounds similar.
Hope you get it sorted

Rob

I was wondering about something like that actually.
I had wondered initially if there was some isolation valve somewhere I could have hit while I was sticking stuff into Cupboards (and I did search everywhere with a torch looking). A chap next to me on the campsite thought it could be a stop valve as well as he has had three motorhomes and they all had a valve like that.

However ...... Sorted

Spoke to previous owner (always wary of doing that with a problem in case they think you are trying to blame them!) to see if this has happened before and it has twice before in his 12 years of owning the van.
He found that if the water has been allowed to run dry, he got a bit of an airlock directly after the pump outlet. To fix the problem, loosen the fitting after the pump and let the pump run until you stop hearing air and start getting water out - then tighten up quickly again. Not sure why it happened for me this time when I had a fair amount of water in the tank, but doing that sorted out the problem and I'll just have to make sure never run with tank below around 25% and remember that fix for the future if it happens again!

 

[The laird]

I was wondering about something like that actually.
I had wondered initially if there was some isolation valve somewhere I could have hit while I was sticking stuff into Cupboards (and I did search everywhere with a torch looking). A chap next to me on the campsite thought it could be a stop valve as well as he has had three motorhomes and they all had a valve like that.

However ...... Sorted

Spoke to previous owner (always wary of doing that with a problem in case they think you are trying to blame them!) to see if this has happened before and it has twice before in his 12 years of owning the van.
He found that if the water has been allowed to run dry, he got a bit of an airlock directly after the pump outlet. To fix the problem, loosen the fitting after the pump and let the pump run until you stop hearing air and start getting water out - then tighten up quickly again. Not sure why it happened for me this time when I had a fair amount of water in the tank, but doing that sorted out the problem and I'll just have to make sure never run with tank below around 25% and remember that fix for the future if it happens again!

Suggest you fit a non return inline valve (anti-run back)

 

[wildebus]

Suggest you fit a non return inline valve (anti-run back)

sounds like it could be a good idea. could fit that underneath in the pipe between the tank and where it enters through the floor.

 

[The laird]

Thinking something like this david

 

[Carrotts]

Hi David. I found with my Cheyenne Fill tank with water at home. On arrival at destination tank only half full. Found out that as the Moho went up or down hills the water poured out the overflow pipe. I put a stopper in the end of overflow pipe when travelling. Cured the problem. Brian

 

[wildebus]

Hi David. I found with my Cheyenne Fill tank with water at home. On arrival at destination tank only half full. Found out that as the Moho went up or down hills the water poured out the overflow pipe. I put a stopper in the end of overflow pipe when travelling. Cured the problem. Brian

Interesting. I noticed the tank is quite shallow so I can imagine that occuring! Thanks for the suggestion

(when I pulled to the side of the road after arriving on Thursday, the car behind decided to honk at me. I wonder if he thought I was dropping my waste tank but it was the fresh overflow as I went up and down the hills?)