Water pump not turning off...

[Tombo46]

Hi everyone, me again!

I've been nearly 2 weeks living in this caravan now and I was expecting to find a few problems along the way. For the most part she's giving me absolutely no grief at all however yesterday I noticed that the water pump was on constantly. Does anyone know what the likely cause of this is? My guess would be something to do with the micro switches in the taps not disengaging? I wanted to see if anyone agree'd with me on this before I go dismantling anything. For reference, these are the taps in question...

https://www.google.com/search?q=Comet Novo Mixer Tap&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB822GB822&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjx3YnMu7PfAhWqsqQKHUfWCxcQ_AUIDygC&biw=1366&bih=656#imgrc=PSRBvDWZGqBSoM:
All the best,

Tom

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tom

Many caravan taps have micro-switches, but not all caravans use them - preferring to use a pressure switch system,

But on the assumption that your system uses the switches, then if the pump is running, then one or more of the switches has either been accidentally left on ( Check all the taps are fully turned off, including shower mixer taps) or one of teh switch has indeed become faulty. Its difficult to prove which switch may be faulty as they are all connected in parallel. You may be able to listen carefully as you turn each tap off, if one does not click then its likely that is the faulty one, but sometimes you can still hear a click but the actual contacts remain closed powering the pump.

If you do find the faulty one, the simply look underneath and disconnect its wires. It means that particular tap wont start the pump, but if you just crack open another tap that will get you through the holiday season.

If by chance the caravan does not use the micro-switches, then you will have a pressurised system. This uses a a single pressure switch fitted just inside the caravan by the water inlet point. These sometimes need to be readjusted by the knurled knob on top to account for changes in supply voltage, or as the pump ages and is less able to achieve top pressure to trip the switch.

 

[Tombo46]

Thanks as always John. It was really easy to remove the bathroom sink and the problem became pretty obvious when I saw behind it. One of the tap seals has broken and has been dripping. and creating condensation within the whole area behind the sink. This has made it so the block connectors where the micro switches were connected has become damp. I suspect this is bridging the connection at the connector rather than the micro switches themself. Either way I think the taps will need replacing so that solves any possible micro switch problems as well as the leaking. I think it's worth replacing the whole assembly as it's not a lot of money and saves any further troubleshooting. For now though, I have removed and sealed the wires that go to the water pump and I'm now looking for a way to cap off the existing water supply to those taps. Since disconnecting the wires the pump has now stopped =]

To say it's an old caravan I'm pretty happy that this is the only thing that's gone wrong so far. It's been a good learning experience too.

Thanks again!

Tom

 

[Hutch]

Tom , I think by the time you give back your sisters van and get your own , maybe think about buying it from your sister after so much work, or do you think maybe you need a slightly bigger one, and remember what someone said about getting your name down with local council , not easy I know from my son, he has to afford a rent which means he cannot save for a mortage.
Anyway try and enjoy Xmas and a Happy New Year.
Hutch.

 

[Tombo46]

I have definitely considered asking if she would sell me this carvan. While I would like something a bit bigger I'm finding this size is a lot more liveable than first expected. The only real challenges are keeping the place clean due to living on a farm and having a rather large dog. If I was to stay in this 'van for any length of time I think an awning would be a logical next step. Possibly even just a small porch awning would do as somewhere to take boots off etc before entering the main "home". The other big problem is that this caravan has horrific damp. The floor is absolutely solid but everything else is rotting away. It's a huge shame too because aside from that it is a great caravan.

In terms of getting my name down with a local council. I'm a lot happier in this little caravan than I would be in most council houses to be honest. While ever that is the case I see no reason not to stick around here and let someone else fill a house who probably needs it more.

I'm quite happy working on the caravan for my sister anyway. It would be nice to return it in a state she can use it in as she's letting me stay on the farm for free for the time being. I've not spent a great deal of money either, it's mostly just been my time and materials I already had laying around anyway. It's been a good learning experience too and will have prepared me a great deal for if/when I do buy my own.

All the best and have a great Christmas & New year Hutch