Hello everybody. I finally got round to fitting a Crystal winter kit to my Elddis Crusader Sirocco today, so I can use the van in winter by having the water barrel in the shower enclosure to prevent freezing. It was a fairly simple job-there were excellent installation instructions in the pack-and with a bit of careful measuring ("measure twice, cut once" I can hear my dad saying) and push-fit pipe fittings, the kit was in place and no leaks. I was careful to make sure that the wiring was consistent on each housing-the brown wires definitely run to the positive terminal on each housing, and the blue to the negative. I joined the two sets of wires to the existing caravan 12v wiring using a terminal block in what I thought was the right way. The caravan 12v supply at the main filter housing has a brown/green wire and and white/green. I believe the brown/green is the positive and the white/green the negative. On turning the water supply on, everything runs OK from either housing, but the pressure is less than I remember before the installation. The installation instructions refer to a possiblity of reduced pump performance if the pump wires are reversed, but I am pretty sure I've not done this. I removed the pump from the barrel and opened a tap to check the direction of rotation of the pump impeller-it rotates in the direction shown by the arrow on the bottom of the pump casing, and I guess it would spin the wrong way if the wires were reversed? Does anyone know for sure if the caravan 12v supply for the water pump is brown/green positive, and white/green negative? I don't have a wiring diagram for the Crusader. The other possibility is the extended pipe work may simply have reduced the pressure in the system-has anynoe had this experience after fitting a winter kit? Thanks.
Reduced pressure on water pump after fitting Crystal winter kit
- Thread starter Stuckinthemud
- Start date
hi, a couple of things spring to mind from the last time I fitted the winter kit. the extra pipe work can reduce the overall pressure but this can be increased by re adjusting the pressure switch and if nessesary using a higher capacity pump I assume the fitting on both housings are the same so the pump can be dual function so make sure the blanking plug is fitted to the housing not being used. and checks are made for air leaks in the housing that the pump is not attached to because.
if the pipes were empty when the pump is attached the unused pipe work to the housing will be full of air not water this compresses when the pump in turned on and acts like a surge damper reducing the overall pressure.
as for the wiring I think you are correct?? because on mobile wiring white usually goes to earth eventually plain directly and trace wires through a component like a pump. you can double check this with the aid of a test lamp or meter.
hope this helps,
colin
if the pipes were empty when the pump is attached the unused pipe work to the housing will be full of air not water this compresses when the pump in turned on and acts like a surge damper reducing the overall pressure.
as for the wiring I think you are correct?? because on mobile wiring white usually goes to earth eventually plain directly and trace wires through a component like a pump. you can double check this with the aid of a test lamp or meter.
hope this helps,
colin
In addition to Colin's words of wisdom I can tell you there is a pressure drop on my Wyoming if I use the external aquaroll rather than the on board tank. The reason is clearly the extra pipe run and in my case the fact the water has to sucked up a few feet.
A higher pressure, greater volume pump should help.
A higher pressure, greater volume pump should help.
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