When no faucets are on or leaking my water pump will intermittently make a noise like it's running. A very short burst. Not often but it occurs.
I thought there must be a leak somewhere and that in turn was causing the pressure to drop activating the pump but I cannot find any leaks.
Is there another explanation?
Maybe internal to the pump itself?
When no faucets are on or leaking my water pump will intermittently make a noise like it's running. A very short burst. Not often but it occurs.
I thought there must be a leak somewhere and that in turn was causing the pressure to drop activating the pump but I cannot find any leaks.
Is there another explanation?
Maybe internal to the pump itself?
You have a leak somewhere and are losing water pressure or the pump diaphragm may be bad.
Toilet valve could be leaking.
Swamp cooler shut off valve or the float valve could be leaking.
The valves in the pump could be leaking allowing water to seep back into the Fresh water tank. Does the freash water tank fill up while connected to city water? It is likely the pump valves.
The pump may need a very slight pressure adjustment.
Another thing to try, burp your hot water tank to reestablish the cushion of air it needs if this has not been done recently. ;)
Mine does this occasionally, very infrequently, like once some evenings for less than a second.
I think it happens when I have hot water in the water heater and the water cools after the heater is off for hours. The pressure drops slightly (PV=nRT) and the pump cycles very briefly to bring the pressure back up.
If it happens more than once (a day?), and has nothing to do with the water heater, then you're dealing with something else. We only run our water heater before showers.
Rich
'03 MB in NC
Tedeboy, lots of good responses here.
Based on my own experience, if you shut off your water heater, and after a while it happens once or twice, then not again until after then next time the water heater is on, it might be that you have to re-establish the air cushion in the water heater, and contraction of the cooling water is causing the pressure drop. If it happens more than that, it is not due to thermal cooling. That simply does not change the volume enough to cause repeated pump cycling. If it happens once or twice, Steve recommended re-establishing the air pocket in the heater. I agree.
If the toilet valve is leaking, your bowl will slowly gain water. do a very quick flush to remove most of the water. Check the level after about a minute, so any water in the rinse channel has dropped into the bowl. Note the depth, then check it again in an hour or so to see if the water has gotten deeper.
To check for leaks, open all your access panels and get to the water heater. Put white paper towels everywhere, under every joint, every faucet connection and every faucet end. After several pump cycles, check the paper towels for wet spots. Make sure you are checking the bottom edges of the water heater, the heater drain plug and the heater pressure relief valve as well. If you have a leak, that should reveal it. If not, the likely culprit is the pump.
The Shurflo Revolution pump has a check valve built into it. (I am not sure about the plumbing on older pumps like the Whisper King or the Extreme.) In the Revolution, if the valve does not seat properly, due to being worn or a tiny particle of something on the seal surface, the pump will do just what you are describing. It happens because the check valve allows a tiny trickle to pass when it is supposed to be closed. It may not be enough to fill the fresh water tank when you are hooked up to city water, but it does not take much to let the water pressure in your lines to drop to the point where the pump turns on.
If the pump adjustment is too high, the Revolution is designed to ALLOW some return to the tank. If you have played with the pressure adjustment, or if the pressure seems to be higher than it used to be, that might be the issue. If not, you are going to have to think about a leaking check valve.
Another member here posted a while back about having a leaking check valve. He or she pulled the pump, connected the OUTLET side to a faucet with a hose, and turned on the water. They observed a trickle of water from the INTAKE side, proving the check valve was leaking. So, they reversed the hose, connecting it to the intake side. They used the city water to flush through the pump and apparently dislodged whatever was allowing the check valve to leak. They re-installed the pump with the problem solved.
If you cannot flush the check valve clear, you will have to either replace the check valve or replace the pump. ShurFlo can send you a replacement check valve if you choose to go that route.
Of course, if you do not mind the occasional pump cycling, and you are certain you do not have any leaks, you probably can ignore it, at least for a while. Before choosing this option, be very, very, very sure that there are no leaks anywhere.
Ken F in WY
When no faucets are on or leaking my water pump will intermittently make a noise like it's running. A very short burst. Not often but it occurs.
I thought there must be a leak somewhere and that in turn was causing the pressure to drop activating the pump but I cannot find any leaks.
Choices.
-It could be a real leak.
-Leaking internal check valves, in the pump. Live with it or get a new pump.
-If hot water has been used, such as a shower, once the usage is over, the remaining water in the water line cools and contacts slightly, dropping the water systems pressure below the set point, causing pump to run for a split second to raise the pressure to the set point.
We experience this after taking showers in the evening, usually a single blip, a half hour or so later.
More than one or two blips indicates something else .
Larry
Regarding a potential mystery leak, if you can't find a leak in the coach, check the outside of of your rig with the water pump on. See if there is a slight drip of water coming out of the city water connection. A dislodged O-ring in the city water valve connection could be allowing your pump to cause a drip there.
Good luck,
Steve K.
In the not to distant past I had an issue with grit in the hot water tank pressure release valve (that may not be the correct term). Running water through it for a few seconds cleared the issue. The exercise is best done when the water in the tank has not been heated.