Why Does My RV Water Pump Pulsate? Fixing RV Water Pump

To have a good trip in your RV, you need to be able to store water and pump it to your sinks, toilet, and shower. Still, there are a few common problems with RV water pumps that you should be aware of.

A water pump that pulses in an RV is not always a sign that something is wrong with the system. When the system is in use, the pump will pulse as it tries to keep the water pressure steady. Pulsing just means that the pressure in the system is going up and down.

Even though an RV water pump that pulses isn’t always a problem that needs to be fixed, it is still something that can be fixed. But before you decide if you need to fix the problem or not, you might want to find out why it’s happening.

Why Does My RV Water Pump Pulsate?

Changes in water pressure cause an RV water pump to pulse. But there are a few less common signs that could point to a serious system problem. One of them might be in the system itself, and a simple check for valve leakage might be all that’s needed to find it.

Most leaks in an RV water pump come from the check valve. Check to see if the main water flow through the valves can be controlled by the water pump. It lets water from the city go into the water tank of the RV. Then, if necessary, turn it off. If the check valve breaks, this can also happen.

This is because if your system has a leak, it could be hard for your pump to keep the pressure in the system steady. Even if the leak isn’t big enough to let out enough water for you to notice, it will still cause the pressure in the system to drop.

If you think this is the case, you’ll need to look for the leak in the whole system, including the pump, filters, and pipes. You can also look for leaks in the pump if it makes noises as it draws water in. Reason

Your water pump might also be pulsing if there isn’t enough water in the tank. When the water tank is too low, which is a problem that RV owners often say happens, your water pump might have trouble getting water out of it. This could cause it to pulse as it tries to make up for what it thinks is low pressure.

This is because your water pump might pulse if your water tank is low. The pump is trying to make up for what it thinks is low water pressure. The same thing happens if the RV water pump is left on without water or if there is no water in the tank and it is below a certain temperature.

Another thing that could be making your water pump pulse is a blockage in the system, most likely in the filter. If the filters in your RV’s water system get clogged, the water won’t flow less steadily through the system and confuse the water pump about what it should be doing.

The water filters in your system can be checked and cleaned to fix this. This is because if the water pump in your RV is pulsing, it could mean something is wrong. Having the water filters checked and cleaned should take care of it. Filters that get clogged can’t make the water flow less, but they can make the pump go crazy.

Above all, since the job of your RV’s water pump is to keep the water pressure in the pipes, if you run water through the kitchen sink, the pump is working to make sure the water gets to where it needs to go. Because of this, the pump is only supposed to run when water is running.

When you turn on the water in your RV, you probably hear the pump turn on to make up for the loss of pressure. If you run the sink at full draw, the pump will run all the time because it needs to keep up high pressure.

If your RV’s water flow is less than full draw, the water pump might start to pulse. Since there isn’t a high demand for pressure in the system all the time, your water pump may turn on and off as the demand changes.

This going on and off, again and again, can make a pulsing effect. Again, this happens quite often and doesn’t always mean there’s something wrong with the system. For many RV owners, this is just one of the strange things about living in an RV, and it just blends in with the background noise.

Tips on How To Fix a Pulsing RV Water Pump

In order to fix an RV’s pulsating pump, you have to start where the problem started, just like you would with any other problem.

So, if the problem is with the check valve, it’s good to know that fixing a broken check valve may seem hard because you have to take the RV’s water line clamps off before you can fix the check valve.

Here is a list of the step-by-step instructions you’ll need to fix this problem.

• First, turn off the water at the main source. If you don’t, the water could get into the electrical wires and cause a dangerous situation. Cover the areas around the pump with dry towels, and stay away from the electrical wires so you don’t get electrocuted.
• You will need to disconnect the electrical lines first, then move them as far away from the pump as you can. You will also need to disconnect the two water pipes that go to the pump. Be careful when you take them off so that the lines or seats don’t break. Then you can take the check valve out of its place and take the pump out. If you need to, use a screwdriver.
• Make sure the old check valve is taken off and a new one is put in its place. Be careful not to use too much force. That could also make the new valve stop working. When I did this, After that, set up the pump and the water lines. Teflon tape can be used to seal the seats of the water lines. These help the water pump make a vacuum inside of it.
• Lastly, connect the motor to the electrical lines and wrap the wires in electrical tape so they are not visible. Now you can turn on the switch to test the pump. If the suction is strong, you’ll know right away. If this fix doesn’t work, you should get a new check valve right away.
• Also, if you’ve seen that the problem is with the pump pressure and you’re using water from a campground, you should check to see if the filter screen on the pressure regulator is clogged.

Note that the water filter needs to be changed at least once a year. If you don’t have access to a water supply at the campground, make sure the pump is on. You would also have to check how much water is coming out of the hose that is attached to the hose spigot at the campground.

Then use it to fill the fresh water tank in the RV. If the flow is low, disconnect it and turn on the pump. If you just put the RV away for the winter, you need to make sure all the valves are back on.

Still, if the problem is a clog, it needs to be cleaned, and to do that, Remember to add a cup of bleach for every 15 gallons the container can hold to clean it. Then, pour water into it. This is because the water in your RV could get worse over time.

There is also a chance that the tanks will smell bad. Clean and sanitize the fresh water tank on a regular basis. After that, turn on the pump and open every faucet in the RV until you can smell bleach. For this step, you can try out the best RV hand pump faucet. Drain the water system and run fresh water through the faucets until there is no smell of bleach left.

If these reasons and fixes don’t make your RV water pump stop pulsing, you’ll need to buy a new one.

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Conclusion

In the end, I know that an RV with a pulsating water pump can be both annoying and inconvenient. This can be especially true if it’s making your pipes rattle. Some RVs have pipes that are too close to each other or to a wall. This pulsing can make the pipes shake when it happens.

The pulsing sound you may hear from your RV’s water pump is normal and not dangerous. Even though it makes a pretty annoying sound and the water flow isn’t consistent when the tap isn’t at full draw, these are just surface problems that won’t lead to bigger problems.

I hope I was able to help you understand what could be wrong with your RV water pump and what you can do to fix it.