Hi All, hope you're all okay and having a great summer so far...
Righteo, I've actually asked about this problem before and with sound advice, I assumed it was sorted but it wasn't to be
My issue is that my water pump starts and stops constantly. It only comes on for a second but it is happening all the time. We have to control this by switching the water pump off.
After the last postings, I followed advice and searched for leaks, (none found), and I then stripped down the pressure switch. Inside, I found a little rubber valve that was folded under itself. I straightened this out and put everything back together and 'yippee' it worked, no more on/off/on/off.
Until... the last weekend we went away, it started again. Although this can be controlled by turning the main switch off, it was really getting to me and I started dismantling the caravan to find the fault. It was then that my beloved told me that while I was walking the dog, the water had ran out and the pump ran dry for 'a short while'.
Now, what I need to ask you is, could this have caused an air lock and could this be causing the pump to think the taps have been turned on etc?
I am told that if there is a pressure switch adjoining the water pump housing, there won't be any micro switches on the taps. The pressure switch is there and is adjustable but apart from me waving a screw driver at it like Zorro, I've no idea how this works either.
I know the pump shouldn't run dry but I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me if this might be the cause of my nemesis. My nut is done in!
Thank you in advance and happy camping! (unless you happen to be pitched next to us and you'll probably hear something like "£^*^%, *&^"£<, at ~#"£ water pump!!!!").
Michael's right in as much as the pump can burn out if run dry, however your post suggests that it's probably still functional.
While I appreciate you've probably sorted the pressure switch, they're quite a sensitive device and as such I'd suspect this to still be your likely candidate for your woes and recommend complete replacement (they're cheap enough). Also double check any 'o' rings on the water inlet connector of the pump and replace as necessary.
To set-up the pressure switch, proceed as follows:
With the system properly primed, close all taps and showers.
With the system properly primed, close all taps.
Leave the pump power supply switch on.
Turn the adjusting screw (clockwise). The pump should now be running.
Partly open one cold tap to allow water to flow slowly.
Now gradually loosen the adjusting screw until the pressure switch starts to click.
The switch should then be properly set.
This might need to be repeated if the battery voltage varies (maybe on a non-EHU site)
One final consideration (although unlikely) is to check the housing to make absolutely certain there's no hairline cracks that could be inducing pressure loss in the system.
If the water runs ok then the pump is ok, if the pump switches off pretty soon after closing the tap then the pressure switch is set correctly, if the pump then comes back on say after 30secs to 1min then runs for a short time and switches off again then the system is losing pressure somewhere, either through a leak or a dripping tap, or maybe a pump that's allowing the pressure to leak back to the water butt.
The system is simple, the pump runs until the pressure builds, once the pressure is high enough it operates the pressure switch that cuts the power to the pump, this switch is adjustable and sometimes needs adjusting to cope with (as mentioned above) low battery states when not on EHU, simply because the pump will run slower with low voltage and not create as much pressure.
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Topic: Water pump problem
