Glen41
North Texas
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Recently while dry camping I needed to add water to the freshwater tank. We topped up an older (2003) puma with a 60 gall barrel and a bilge pump. When we tried to add water to mine (2008) the water pressure from the pump was apparently not enough to push in the water. Also after giving up, My onboard water pump ran all the time without building up water pressure. My freshwater tank still showed 1/2 full. I turned off the pump after about 60 seconds in fear of burning up the pump. Tried a few more times with same result.
What heppened?? Did the pump lose it's prime (a lot of gurgling was heard during the attempt)?? How much pressure does it take to get the water in?? Help. I definitely feel like a lost newbie.
We thought about elevating the barrel to generate pressure, but 100 feet gets 41 psi and that's way too far up in the air for a couple of rednecks out in the woods.
* This post was
edited 02/04/10 10:48am by Glen41 *
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donn0128
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My guess, you have several problems. One, no tank vent or vent closed or blocked.
Two, the tank sensor is not working and the tank is actually empty leading to problem number three.
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kaydeejay
SE Michigan, USA
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Do you have a gravity fill to the tank or does it fill from line pressure?
If gravity then I agree with Donn - either the fill line or the vent is blocked which will prevent water from entering the tank.
It should require NO pressure for a gravity fill - I fill mine from an open hose, ie zero pressure.
Can you SEE the tank? Does it have any water in it?
Has it filled OK before?
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Glen41
North Texas
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Thanks for the reply. The overflow vent worked fine when I filled the tank. I am pretty sure there is water in the tank is water in the tank since I checked with the drain valve a little bit. The trailer is back home and I will try to see how much water is remaining in the tank when it is not raining and cold like it is right now. The trailer has a sealed bottom and I cannot see the tank or the plumbing. I dumped on the way home and hooked up to city water at the dump to flush out the black tank. Pressure came up fine and dandy. I opened the fill valve and could hear water going into the freshwater tank. I didn't add much cause I wanted to observe how much was actually reamining later.
All suggestions will be appreciated.
Yep fill is from citywater side, the fill valve is supposed to be closed when on city pressure and you want to keep your tank empty. You open the valve until water comes out the overflow then shut the valve. My hunting partners Puma has two fills. one for tank and one for citywater hookup. Mine has only one inlet. It worked before...but only on city pressure. This was the first try to refill on site.
* This post was
edited 02/04/10 11:07am by Glen41 *
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Any Rv that has a gravity filled fresh water tank should not take ANY pressure to fill the tank. If it goes through the city water inlet and a diverter valve it certainly CAN be a problem since that system isn't well suited to dry camping without filling at a pressure water system first. Good luck / skip
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alid
Newfield, NJ
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Glen41 wrote:Recently while dry camping I needed to add water to the freshwater tank. We topped up an older (2003) puma with a 60 gall barrel and a bilge pump. When we tried to add water to mine (2008) the water pressure from the pump was apparently not enough to push in the water. Also after giving up, My onboard water pump ran all the time without building up water pressure. My freshwater tank still showed 1/2 full. I turned off the pump after about 60 seconds in fear of burning up the pump. Tried a few more times with same result.
What heppened?? Did the pump lose it's prime (a lot of gurgling was heard during the attempt)?? How much pressure does it take to get the water in?? Help. I definitely feel like a lost newbie.
We thought about elevating the barrel to generate pressure, but 100 feet gets 41 psi and that's way too far up in the air for a couple of rednecks out in the woods.
You talk above about the pump loosing it's prime.. My guess is that you left the valve to fill the tank on "fill tank" rather than "city water" side. This happened to me once. When I turned the pump on it just gurgled and really wouldn't pump anything. I turned the selector back to city water and all worked OK. As far as filling your tank. I guess would be that there is a check valve that you don't have enough pressure to get past.
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Terrydactile
Bessemer, Alabama
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Could it be that the pump your using to fill your tank with through the city water connection does not create enough pressure to force water into the fresh tank. Can you fill the fresh tank from a hose connected to a city water hook up?
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Pipeman
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
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I'm not familiar with the way your trailer's fresh water tank is filled. I have city water connection and a tank fill. Two separate fillers. When I boondock, which is a lot, I have a 50 gal. tank that I pressurize with an air compressor. I installed an air valve to accommodate the compressor. I run a white water hose to the trailer from the external tank. I had installed a garden hose shut off on the tank. If I can remember correctly, I think all you need is 5 PSI to raise water 14 feet. Anyway I use a 2 gallon compressor to do the job. I used to use a 12 volt compressor on a 55 gallon barrel that I used to have. It works just fine for me. I'm thinking that your fresh water tank would have been empty because the pump is self priming. Somehow the water wasn't getting into the tank from your outside source. Are you sure you had your valve in the right position? If you had any water at all going into the fill receptacle, it should have gone into your tank. Mystifying to say the least. I hope you find your problem because it sure can make you angry. Good luck.
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ChainReaction
Maine
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Could also be that your pump simply gave up the ghost!
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Luke Porter
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You tried to fill through the city water (hose screw on) connection? Be much easier to fill at the gravity fill, a place you insert a hose.
Problem number two...you have a city water tank fill valve? This is a on/off valve that fill the fresh tank from the fresh water system. If you have this valve open, water goes into the fresh tank. If you are using the water pump--that is pumping water out of the fresh tank. So, you are actually pumping water out of and back into the tank.
In situation one, on the city water inlet, maybe the tank fill valve was in the closed position?
Yep, actually drove to all of these places---in the last eight years. Missed Rhode Island and New Jersey.
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