aptruncata Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 So we took our rig out for our maiden voyage and had a wonderful time. I've noticed the following things: -water pump is good but faulty and will not respond to the switch on the control panel. -water hose was connected with a brass pressure regulator to the city water inlet and noticed a bit of leak from the inlet connector. -faucets, toilets sink all work with water connected (without the pump functioning) -noticed a leak under the sink at a T- coupling on the pex piping. questions: -does the water pump need to be functioning in order for me to use water at the campsites? (seems to be working) -inlet connector appears like the original and could use a replacement, how difficult is it to replace? I've noticed the part itself is around $10. -Should i replace just the leaky couplings or redo the plumbing altogether? Anyone with experience? Thanks a bunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 You don't need the water pump if your connected to city water, you can leave it turned OFF. Your running city water thru a regulator, so that good. Inlet connector (I assume your talking about city water connection) are fairly standard, make sure it has a garden hose gasket up inside it. (I keep several in the drawer as I always seem to loose them). Depending on your Toyhouse,you may need to pull the couch out to get to the water fittings. You should be able to get push on PEX connectors at most major hardware stores. Cut off the old connector, clean the whiskers off the pipe, push the new connector fitting on. The push on fittings use an o-ring so they shouldn't leak. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thanks John. I've read good things about sharkbite fittings, do you have any experience with them or recommend a brand? btw...i don't want to purchase expensive crimp tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 ^ what he said AND check behind your pump switch panel for disconnected wire(s)... I had one pop off a connector and thought my pump was dead too till i check the panel. of course you could always touch + and - 12 volt to your pump directly to test also. The other thing to watch out for on the pump... if your coach battery is too low it wont pump at all as its in protected mode from the converter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 The other thing to watch out for on the pump... if your coach battery is too low it wont pump at all as its in protected mode from the converter... You're probably right on this one. I accidentally left the switch on "ON" position and drove about an hour. When i stopped by at a mall, waddayaknow? the pump was working....but there was no water in the tank so it just turning and turning. Afraid of possible burnout, i switched it "OFF". Assuming the pump was good and that once i'm plugged into AC it should work; but it didn't. i think i should just rewire from the beginning. Does anyone have a circuit diagram for the waterpump the way "it's supoosed to be" connected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 i have used sharkbite fittings no tools required cut clean and push together work great use in toyhouse and moble home. no crimping can be removed and reinstalled can get a little plastic one dolor tool to push in on fitting neatst thing you will ever use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90toydolphin Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 ac connection shouldn't effect the water pump at all. it's strictly 12v. maybe you battery was too dead to operate it but charged some when you were driving? do all the 12 volt items work? maybe power for the pump comes from the battery and not the converter? some older converters don't charge the battery at all, had a tent trailer that was that way. maybe just a loose connection to the pump that got a better connection bouncing down the road? some questions i would answer in trying to figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 fridge works, roof top air cond. blows ice cold, all the outlets work. Few questions please.. -if the pump is strictly 12v; what does it have to do with the converter? Shouldn't it be just wired to the house battery with a fuse and a switch? -if i rewire the pump, would it be a bad idea to wire it without going through the converter? I would like to keep things simple and functional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Yeah that's what we keep telling you; it's wired into the 12 volt panel and switch controller not the converter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 wait, i'm confused. isn't the "converter" the panel located under the sink with a metal cover with fuses inside? ( i have a rear kitchen) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Everything 12v is wired to the power panel. The lights, pump, heater, converter AND the battery. When your plugged in to 110v AC the converter makes 12v and sends it to the panel powering everything AND charging the battery. Not plugged in?? Then the battery powers everything thru the panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 I would discourage use of crimp style PEX connectors. When water gets cold (close to freezing) it expands. as the water freezes (turns to a ice) it expands a little more. As the ice expands inside the pipe, it pushed the plastic fitting apart just a tiny bit, which tends to loosen up the crimp fitting a little bit. Next summer when you turn the water on, the crimp is a tiny bit loose and the fitting leaks. As mentioned, the "Converter" is just a cheap 12 volt power supply / battery charger, when you plug into shore power, it supply's the 12 volts and charges (over charges) you battery. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 The fuses as mentioned are 12 volt. the converter should have breaker switches. They are often in the same enclosure panel. Keep in mind that the stock converter is only a crappy float charger at best and EVEN with it on shore power its not going to put out enough juice to run the pump if the battery is dead...not until the battery recharges above the cut off voltage. The only reason I can think of to use the pump when on shore power would be if you don't have water hooked up... The trends we see with respect to battery voltage and charge are usually universal. If your battery bank is deeply discharged basically nothing 12 volt will function properly. you will have furnace ignition issues, pump issues, heck your 12 volt cigarette lighter sockets may not even get juice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 Understood. Everything 12V goes through the panel first. -Can't i just wire the pump directly to the house battery using a inline fuse and a separate toggle switch? Afterall, if the house battery doesn't have enough juice, the pump won't work. -has anyone replaced their stock converters? I would really like it to charge the house battery when i'm hooked up to on shore power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 yeah you could put the pump on its own circuit and switch.. I know a guy that put a true inverter charger into his RV; it was a magnificent 2000 watt inverter for a boat; cant remember the brand name but it was heavy duty and awesome. I still use my old crummy stock converter and I even plug my 12 volt to 110 VAC 450 watt inverter looped back into the converter while drving or boondocking to make use of the outlets etc... this of course drives people in the forum crazy because they say Oh that's wasting energy in a charge back to the battery etc. I cant say I care much; because it will run for hours on end and I didnt have to rewire anything. I also have independent voltmeters on each battery and they show just fine when i do this.. Basically I just plug the 30 amp into a 110 pigtail and then plug that into the inverter which I have hardwired into the 12 volt "accessory" fuse in the 12 volt panel. It does what i need it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 After the first year, almost every upgrades their converter. For all of your reasons and more. Just go to Ebay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html;jsessionid=2C7748DBFA887099C572B7B4B968E32E?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=rv+power+converter&_nkwusc=rv+poer+converter&_rdc=1 Again MOST folks like the Progressive converters. WME -has anyone replaced their stock converters? I would really like it to charge the house battery when i'm hooked up to on shore power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 thanks for sharing your ideas and experiences this place is full of info!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 When you are hooked up to city water your pump most likely would not run even if you turned it on because the city water pressure would be greater then the pump cutoff pressure. I'm lost as to why you want to put it on a switch when it all ready has one that has power supplied by the battery and the converter all ready. Your stock charger will charge your battery all be it poorly and at the same time provide your MH with 12 volt power. A really good upgrade would be a modern converter/charger but if the pump does not work with the old one it won't with a new one either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted November 29, 2012 Author Share Posted November 29, 2012 @Maineah, I've purchased this vehicle with quite a few modifications in the interior as well as the electricals. I currently have a toggle switch near the steering wheel with a ground that is taped up and hanging. I don't know what the switch is for other than the fact that i know it's somehow connected to the main control panel. However switching the toggle on or off seems to do nothing that is noticeable to me. The mysterious pump has been caught turning on on its own from time to time so i know it's good and it is connected to the non-lighting main control panel "pump switch" because when i turned it off, it stopped. When i checked the pump visually, i only expected one red (positive wire) and one ground but noticed three red wires running to different parts of the pump and couldn't verify the ground. After looking at the shurflo circuit layout online.....what i have seems to me a whole lot compicated than what it's supposed to be. So i thought rather than go through the mess in trying to figure out an open circuit somewhere, what's belongs there and not....why not just gut the useless wires and go direct with the power source with a fuse and a switch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 i cant tell you ther but you can shure fix that tee with a push on sharkbite fitting i use them in mobile homes with the same gray pipe on city water never had a problem tool only if you need to take it back off and reinstall it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.wolfie Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Lowe's has a store version of the sharkbite (which I've only seen at Home Depot) for about 2/3 the cost, but if you have extra money to spend people like the sharkbite brand more for some reason. I personally rebel against the sharkbite brand because they print the instructions INSIDE the package, so you have to tear it apart to read it, which deters people from trying to return it, IMHO... but then again I'm from Wisconsin, so you already know I'm crazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 THANKS FOR THE INFO AND WELCOME have used some others also another one is the quest compression type. fixing mobile homes myn , kids frends etc gave me a head start on rv plumbing. I will look for that one you mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron 'n Sue Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Is "sharkbite" a brand name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YAFYAS Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Yes, it is a brand name. You'll find them in the plumbing section of most diy stores. I combined a few different brands to do this project. I also combined a fixed coupling system with a push fit system. In the image the brass colored T's are push fit. They are easy to remove and reuse. The tubing where you see the dark copper rings is the fixed part of system, these require special tools to install and have to be cut to be replaced. The push fit was a lot easier to install. Either way, no more leaks. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 the new pex tubing is said to be very freze resistent to splitting dont know about the fittings tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Good RV stores have compression fittings for the PB tubing they are a good bit longer then the shark bits and often better for repair of a broken fitting due to length that stuff is hard to stretch. (the fittings are the reason they quit using PB) Noting wrong with the shark bites they work super and will except both sizes. The PB is slightly smaller then pex. If you are doing an overhaul of the plumbing pex is the way to go with the proper clamps (don't use gear clamps it will leak) it can freeze without damage but I not sure the connections will so I'm afraid you will still have to drain the plumbing come winter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 THOSE white compression fittings work very well on p b cant rember the brand my d w house has them on the gray p b never had any trouble at all. yes the crimp rings were very bad there where federal lawsuits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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