Water pressure low after couple months (pump is ok)

[Morlord]

Hi, I have Coachman Amara 580 (2003) and I'm having some weird water pressure issue. I'll just explain real quick how water is connected.

I'm using custom made aquaroll, that is connected to mains water and then pump is just dropped into that aquaroll. It used to work just fine and pressure was excellent, but then over few months the pump started staying on longer and longer until one day pump didn't even turn off anymore, i had to manually turn it off from switch. I also broke one of those default plastic clips that holds the pump, so I pulled the other one off too and made custom clips out of screws and stronger plastic, so now pump is screwed in place even tighter than the default one, but pressure is still low.

 

I had to reduce the pressure switch to have less pressure in pipes and now pump instantly turns on / off when using / not using water (like it's suppose to be), but pressure is still rather low in general.

 

I disconnected the pump and connected a 12v adapter directly to pump, pressure directly from pump seems perfectly fine and is a lot higher than what I get from tap, so I'm sure pump is fine. I'm thinking there's some kind of blockage somewhere inside caravan, but where and how to check / fix it? Also pressure is low from all taps and shower.  There's no leakage anywhere, pump does not turn on when not using water and pressure doesn't drop either. It just seems like issue with flow.

 

Any ideas / suggestions? Thanks.

Edited November 13, 2020 by Morlord

[Brecon]

Check the filters on the ends of the taps.

As far as pressure is concerned, it should shut off immediately the cold water tap is closed but the hot water should run on for a few seconds to repressurise the hot tank

[Stevan]

Actually sounds like low voltage getting to the pump, rather than a water problem as such.

[WispMan]

My money is on the filters in the end of the taps. Remove them and chuck them away. 

[Morlord]

13 minutes ago, Stevan said:

Actually sounds like low voltage getting to the pump, rather than a water problem as such.

Hmmm .. that actually makes sense, because I remember when pump didn't turn off, I went outside and wiggled it around a bit, as I thought there's a leak due the broken plastic clip, and then it stopped, but in a day or so it started doing it again until wiggling didn't fix it either. You reckon I should clean the contacts? or how would I go about testing / fixing it?

I've checked the analog voltage meter inside and it's at about 13.1v, I have mains power connected and battery charger is on 24/7.

 

@ others, no it's not filters, because it happens on both taps and shower + I did test without the tap filter, i even unscrewed the shower head and no change in pressure.

 

 

[Silversurf]

Try all the suggestions above, there is one other, does your water inlet have a cartridge filter, sometimes these don't get changed for years and can get blocked.

 

I had to reduce the pressure switch to have less pressure in pipes and now pump instantly turns on / off when using / not using water (like it's suppose to be), but pressure is still rather low in general.

 

The pressure switch doesn't alter or vary the pressure in the pipes, it simply switches the pump on and off due to pressure drop when water is flowing.

 

The only things that can  affect the pressure will be the pump, they can wear internally and sometimes become noisy,  as Stevan says low voltage at the pump is one that's easily missed, this can be caused by a flat/low battery when not on EHU, or by poor/corroded terminals in the pump circuit, the favourites being at the water plug/socket connectors, if the pump side is OK then all that remains is some restriction in the pipework from the pump onwards, as suggested by the other posters above.

[Morlord]

3 minutes ago, Silversurf said:

Try all the suggestions above, there is one other, does your water inlet have a cartridge filter, sometimes these don't get changed for years and can get blocked.

 

I had to reduce the pressure switch to have less pressure in pipes and now pump instantly turns on / off when using / not using water (like it's suppose to be), but pressure is still rather low in general.

 

The pressure switch doesn't alter or vary the pressure in the pipes, it simply switches the pump on and off due to pressure drop when water is flowing.

 

The only things that can  affect the pressure will be the pump, they can wear internally and sometimes become noisy,  as Stevan says low voltage at the pump is one that's easily missed, this can be caused by a flat/low battery when not on EHU, or by poor/corroded terminals in the pump circuit, the favourites being at the water plug/socket connectors, if the pump side is OK then all that remains is some restriction in the pipework from the pump onwards, as suggested by the other posters above.

 

What exactly is cartridge filter? Never heard of such thing. Where would it be? I'm thinking I would have noticed one if there was one, but I did notice some kind of filter looking plastic on the caravan's side, but it doesn't seem like i can take it out.

 

I know pressure switch doesn't alter pressure, I just had to reduce it, because pump no longer turned off when tap was off. Now to think of it, it sounds more and more like low voltage issue.

I will check the terminals in few days and see if that's the issue. Thanks again for all the advice. I'll come back and let you know if it was terminal issue.

[WispMan]

The filters are generally in tap end where the water comes out. Sometimes with tiny flats to use a spanner to undo. 

[Silversurf]

It will be something like the photo's below,but there are variations depending on manufacturer.

 

On the top photo the filter is behind the blue cap, on the bottom one it's where the large hole is and is normally transparent.

 

 

[KnausCol]

19 minutes ago, Morlord said:

 

What exactly is cartridge filter? Never heard of such thing. Where would it be?

If not an inlet filter as above, an in line filter will be a sausage shaped plastic casing somewhere close to where the cold water pipe enters the van. If present it will likely either be a holder that can be unscrewed to replace an internal cartridge or the whole unit itself needs replacing by disconnecting the pipe at each end. A blocked up filter will certainly reduce your pressure at the outlets. 

Edited November 13, 2020 by KnausCol
update

[Woodentop]

One item not mentioned. There will be a non-return valve in the pipe somewhere. If you don't have a selectable internal tank, just the Aquaroll, then it will be in the pipe between the inlet and the split for cold and hot water feeds. They can sometimes stick and/or get blocked. They are easily removed albeit probably with some spillage and are not too expensive to replace. Heaven forbid it be fitted reversed (there's an arrow on the casing)!

Edited November 13, 2020 by Woodentop