Water pump not shutting off

taffallan · Apr 12, 2016

Hello all
Been away for the first caravan weekend, really enjoyed it as did the Mrs which is good as we can do it again
I have a whale water pump which feeds water to the kitchen sink the bathroom sink and the toilet flush, (no flushing separate tank, is this unusual). The pump is switched on by a switch on the electrical panel with an indicator light when running. The pressure is good. The issue I have is it does not shut off, the taps have micro switches how do you test them? The kitchen tap leaks could this cause a problem? Do the micro switches send a signal based on tap position ie closed engages micro switch to send shut signal?
Any help appreciated

Taffallan

Thingy · Apr 12, 2016

Does your system have the adjustable damper? I tend to think its not the microswitches if they are all doing it.

taffallan · Apr 12, 2016

Not sure, my thought was if one micro switch was faulty this would stop the pump switching off. Is this correct? What is the damper? I assume it is to stop pressure fluctuation. Where would it be?

Thingy · Apr 12, 2016

It will look like a white bottle or tube with a hand nut on top. Usual thing is to turn this nut no mre than a quarter of a turn in either direction.

If you google the term caravan surge damper you will see a pic of it.

colin-yorkshire · Apr 12, 2016

Thingy said:
It will look like a white bottle or tube with a hand nut on top. Usual thing is to turn this nut no mre than a quarter of a turn in either direction.

If you google the term caravan surge damper you will see a pic of it.

a surge damper and a pressure regulator is not the same thing, a surge damper only smoothes out the the pulsations from the pump so it gives a smooth flow to the taps.
a pressure regulator, regulates the flow rate and if the pressure rises to a set rate, cuts off the pump. [like when all the taps are off] if the system the OP has uses micro switches at the taps there will not be a pressure cut off valve, there may be flow regulator, but this will not affect the switching of the pump.
sounds like one of the micro switches is faulty. a common fault, and the reason whale went over to the pressure system .

for the OP's information when the tap is closed the switch is off, when the tap is open the switch is on.
a quick test is while all the taps are off,[ pump switch on] if the pump is running go to each tap and pull off one of the terminals the one that stops the pump when disconnected, will be the faulty one, but do them all just in case there is more than one faulty.

taffallan · Apr 12, 2016

so is the pressure controlled system the more popular, reliable option? If so is there an option to convert a M/S system if so are they available easily?

taffallan · Apr 12, 2016

Is there a micro switch on the toilet flush system?

Thingy · Apr 12, 2016

a surge damper and a pressure regulator is not the same thing, a surge damper only smoothes out the the pulsations from the pump so it gives a smooth flow to the taps.
a pressure regulator, regulates the flow rate and if the pressure rises to a set rate, cuts off the pump.

That is quite correct. Apologies for the confusion, its been a while since i had that system and got confused over the name. Must be age creeping in.

swpostie · Apr 12, 2016

On my taps the microswitch is a small black plastic box about half the size of a stamp with a push switch activated by a hinged lever.

This is held in the underside of the tap head (the lever of a lever tap) with a grub screw, and the two wires fed down through the body of the tap.

Whenever I've changed them I've had to trim and adjust the lever on the microswitch.

All the microswitch does is switch the pump on when it's "unpressed" and off when it's "pressed".

If yours has become loose (in the tap head) it may cause the symptoms you're experiencing.

Whenever mine have failed they've always failed to switch the pump on.

The kitchen tap drips sometimes though!

Damian · Apr 12, 2016

If your toilet flush is supplied direct rom the aquaroll then you have a pressurised system which means you do not have microswitches in the system. The toiet flush simply activates a solenoid valve to allow water through.
For the pump to keep rung you have a setting problem with the pressure sensor, which , depending on your system will be in the inlet housing or a separate unit mound , normally, on the floor near the inlet inside the van.
If you can take some pics and post them it would be helpful.

chrisn7 · Apr 12, 2016

My previous old Bessacarr had the system where one pump submerged in the on board tank supplied the whole van including toilet flush (or an outboard pump in the Aquaroll did the same job). Pump selection was made at the control panel as the OPs.

In either case the pressure was controlled by a Whale pressure switch, and taps had NO micro switches, as Damian says.

The clue here is that the 'kitchen tap leaks'. However small a leak, the system pressure will soon drop, which activates the pressure switch, followed by the pump. The system will cycle on/off until the leak is fixed, which must be done prior to adjusting the pressure switch.

The pump will turn more rapidly on 230v than 12v, thus restoring pressure more quickly. To achieve appropriate pump run times, the pressure switch should be adjusted for the chosen voltage. Whichever, adjustment is the same: activate the pump by opening then closing a tap; turn knob on top of pressure switch clockwise till no further turning possible; turn back a/clockwise until pump stops; turn 1/2 a turn more. This is the datum point - a minor adjustment either way should set you up.

WoodlandsCamper · Apr 13, 2016

chrisn7 said:
The pump will turn more rapidly on 230v than 12v, thus restoring pressure more quickly.

???? I thought all caravan pumps were 12v.

Damian · Apr 13, 2016

WoodlandsCamper said:
chrisn7 said:

The pump will turn more rapidly on 230v than 12v, thus restoring pressure more quickly.

Click to expand...

???? I thought all caravan pumps were 12v.

They are.
However when just relying on the battery for power as the pump uses the power it will slow down as the battery discharges.
On EHU the battery is kept at full charge as the PSU is supplying a full 12v.

20170602yuanyuan · Jun 2, 2017

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Water pump not shutting off

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