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water pump shut off

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2017 1:09 pm
by dpfinnigan
I would welcome any help: When I turn on city water my water pump shuts off. I have a 12 gal water tank -> water pump -> sink which works just fine...I am using a pressure regulator at the city water spigot. My city water line connects on the outlet side of my water pump. Water pump works fine until I turn on city water.....

Important note: I have an Eccotemp propane water heater between the water pump and sink

Any thoughts?

Re: water pump shut off

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2017 1:32 pm
by Aguyfromohio
Not much detail to go on here, but I am willing to guess.
My guess is that your trailer system has a pressure switch in it somewhere, and when city water pressure is present, that pressure switch trips and turns off your pump. Some SHURFlo pumps have a pressure switch built into the pump.

Re: water pump shut off

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2017 2:09 pm
by MtnDon
dpfinnigan wrote:I would welcome any help: When I turn on city water my water pump shuts off. I have a 12 gal water tank -> water pump -> sink which works just fine...I am using a pressure regulator at the city water spigot. My city water line connects on the outlet side of my water pump. Water pump works fine until I turn on city water.....

Important note: I have an Eccotemp propane water heater between the water pump and sink

Any thoughts?



Is there a problem when you go to use water; turn on a faucet or flush the toilet?

When hooked to an external pressurized water supply the RV is set up to use the city water, not the water in the RV water supply tank. Hooked up with water pressure at the inlet water should flow from any faucet when it is opened. That is the way it is meant to operate, saving any water in the RV internal tank for use when you are not connected to outside water.

Re: water pump shut off

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2017 3:29 pm
by lrrowe
Also could another explanation be that many pumps are designed to work using a pressure valve. When you open a facuet w/o outside water pressure, the pump runs til the inline pressure rises to a specified limit (as when you turn a facuet off). But when outside water pressure is live, the line pressure is higher then the pump switch limiter and therefore has no reason to start?

Re: water pump shut off

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2017 4:49 pm
by MtnDon
When a pressurized city or campground water supply is connected to the inlet on a regular RV, that water enters the RV system after the pump, as was stated. That water does not enter the RV fresh water storage tank. (IF you have a recent RV there may be a valve that permits filling the storage tank from the pressurized water connector.) The water in the storage tank is only drawn by the RV water pump when there is no pressurized water connected to the outside pressure inlet. So when connected to a pressurized supply there is no need to run the pump as the water in the storage tank is not being used.

I do not know what minimum pressure is required for the outside water to trip the RV water pump into "off" mode.

So that's it. The water system is designed to work with or without hookups with minimal intervention from the (sometimes clueless) owner.

Re: water pump shut off

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2017 6:09 pm
by lrrowe
I guess that is the way I did it. I have valves in place that work for either method. If I did not, and let the outside water pressure flow into the storage tank, I would either blow my overflow plug or budge the water tank. Ask me how I know.