Water system won't fill ??

[artymar]

Hello to you all and thanks for having me !
I've recently bought a 2001 Bailey 460/2, my first return to a touring caravan for many years.
Its a tidy and dry little van and I found everything working...until i tried filling the water system.
It's a carver system, with the submersible pump in the outside barrel.
I set everything up, opened a tap and waited for the system to fill...but it didn't !
After 3-4 minutes, I went around to the barrel , to find water gushing from a small port, which sits alongside where the pump plugs in ??.
By this time, the pump had completely emptied the barrel and burnt out.
Has anyone else experienced this problem or can anyone experienced with these systems, point me in the right direction, before I begin pulling things apart.
Many thanks for your help, Arthur

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello to you all and thanks for having me !
I've recently bought a 2001 Bailey 460/2, my first return to a touring caravan for many years.
Its a tidy and dry little van and I found everything working...until i tried filling the water system.
It's a carver system, with the submersible pump in the outside barrel.
I set everything up, opened a tap and waited for the system to fill...but it didn't !
After 3-4 minutes, I went around to the barrel , to find water gushing from a small port, which sits alongside where the pump plugs in ??.
By this time, the pump had completely emptied the barrel and burnt out.
Has anyone else experienced this problem or can anyone experienced with these systems, point me in the right direction, before I begin pulling things apart.
Many thanks for your help, Arthur

Hello Artymar,

From your description it's most likely you will have a Carver Crystal water inlet system. The standard system was normally supplied with a plug in filter, and teh fact you tell us water was pouring from another hole in the wall fitting suggests the filter may not have been fitted, thus allowing all thE water to flow outside.

However the pump burning out after only 3-4 minutes is unlikely, unless it has already been run dry fairly extensively previously.

The solution will include replacing the submersible pump, which does not have to be a Carver, it can be any make that will go inside your water container. And finding a replacement filter.

Alternatively it may mean replacing the entire Carver Crystal unit..

 

[artymar]

Thanks so much for that, could you give me an idea of what the filter looks like an where it should live please?.
Thanks very much for your help.
Arthur

 

[ProfJohnL]

Thanks so much for that, could you give me an idea of what the filter looks like an where it should live please?.
Thanks very much for your help.
Arthur

Its best to google
"Carver Crystal" then click the Images tab. That will display a lot of pictures of these type of products, from which you should be able to identify yours.

Just another note, you will see a tab at teh bottom of each posting on this forum marked "Thank You" you can click this if you feel you have been well served by a posting - Cheers

 

[artymar]

Hi again and thanks for your advice and help, unfortunately I've scoured all the carver water system images, but can't find one matching mine!.
It's definitely a carver, as it's embossed onto the flip-up lid, the plug-in looks pretty standard, but there's no plug-in filter, just the plug-in socket and a few small ports to the left of the plug-in socket as you look at it, one of which gushes water out , when the pump is turned on.
I've taken a few pictures of it, but don't know how to upload them to the site?
Thanks again for your time and patience.
Arthur

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I've taken a few pictures of it, but don't know how to upload them to the site?

Click here

 

[artymar]

Hi, is there another method of uploading pictures, rather than photobucket please?, as, I've found it awful to use.
It's taken me over 30 minutes to open an account, now it doesn't recognize me, It's also like a pinball game, trying to dodge the pop-up adverts!
Thank you
Arthur

 

[artymar]

Ah!, I think the penny has eventually dropped ! :dry:
On closer inspection of the occupiers handbook that came with the van, It looks like there is a filter , which is square in shape and "piggy backs" over the water feed plug-in and plugs the two ports, one of which was gushing the water out.
Problem is, it's obviously been lost somewhere and i'm unable to find a replacement, due to it's age.
I'd appreciate It , if anyone could recommend the best fix, or complete replacement..
Many thanks again to everyone.
Arthur.

 

[Dustydog]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/whale-water-inlet
Arthur.
see above example. Whale make a range of pumps and wall water intake sockets that can easily replace your current set up.
Also chuck the filter. They need constant replacing and have to be removed before sterilisation of the water systems. Well that's my view.
Good luck.

 

[artymar]

Thanks for your link, but i'd like to do a fix on the original if possible, due to the apparent difficulty in replacing with one of the correct size and layout.
I just wondered if anyone out there had a van with the same system as mine, to see if i can bypass / block off the 2 holes that the missing filter box plugs into and operate the system without the filter?, but i presume that blocking the 2 holes will block the flow?.
I really don't know enough about it.
Thanks again for your help
Arthur

 

[ProfJohnL]

You have the Carver Crystal Mk3. Unfortunately the filters for the MK3 are entirely different to the older Mk1/2 filters which are still quite widely available.

Carver had only just introduced the Crystal Mk3 when the company sold its touring caravan leisure product line to Truma in 1999. Truma continued to make the product for a short while. It did continue to supply spare filters for some time after but by 2007 the supplies have virtually dried up. So its highly unlikely you will find any Mk3 filters on general sale.

It would make more sense to replace the unit. Ironically you can easily fit the older MK2 version into the same hole, for which the housing parts and spare filters or refills are still available at a far more reasonable price. But I suspect that before long even these will start to dry up.

You can also look to fit a different make, such as the Whale, which are currently still made so spares will be readily available for several years to come.

Filter or not to Filter that is the question.

If you only intend to caravan in the UK, then the quality of water available at all proper sites should be perfectly satisfactory adn does not strictly need to be filtered. But if you are using water from less well regulated sources then filtering can be helpful, but the normal caravan filters cannot be relied on to turn rough water into potable water, so all it can do is to remove certain tastes and smells.

Many caravanners do not trust the water in teh caravans tanks and pipes and prefer to use bottled water or have a separate cold water container used for drinks.

Under these circumstances you could choose to fit a an inlet system that does not include a filter.

 

[artymar]

Wow!, thanks so much for your professional and comprehensive reply, you truly are a caravan guru!.
Your reply now explains why there are no filters available for my system.
I only plan using the van in the UK, I've taken a few measurements and I'm looking to make a "U" shaped bypass pipe, from some copper tube, to replace the filter, hoping I can just push fit or even glue it in place, thereby doing away with the filter altogether.
I'm sure It's not the first time something like this has been done?, here's hoping it works!
Thank you so much again, for the time and trouble you've gone to giving such a great help.
Arthur

 

[ProfJohnL]

Its a good idea from time to time (once a year usually before the first outing) to flush the caravans water system with some form of steriliser. Many people will use something like a baby bottle solution (e.g Milton) or perhaps a brewers steriliser.

Always follow the manufacturers dilution instructions, and a word of warning, do not leave the solution in the system for longer than recommended, as some solutions whilst very good a clearing the bugs etc will start to attack some of the metal fittings and appliances.

If a filter is fitted, then it must be removed before cleaning, because the aggressive cleaning solutions will destroy the active element of the filter. To facilitate this there was an empty filter cartridge available for the Mk3 which could be clipped into place whilst you cleaned the system. Your suggestion of a copper pipe may well work, but it might interfere with the pumps plug arrangement.

However there may be another solution: The Crystal units were moulded with two internal water pipe connections: one filtered usually destined for the cold taps and one unfiltered for the hot water system. The unfiltered spigot was supplied sealed, but was designed to be easily opened to allow water to flow.

If yours is unused then you could open it, and transfer the internal pipe to it. You will need to seal the old connection to prevent possible leaks or spider ingress paths. Also If you do not have a filter cartridge, you will need to seal the two cartridge connection points on the outside.

If your unfiltered spigot is already used, then you will need to obtain a Tee piece to couple the two water pipes together, and seal the other ports as above.

 

[artymar]

Thanks very much for your very helpful post yet again!.
The fix with the bypass tube has done the trick, I even managed to put a double bend into it, to avoid the plug-in water pump and managed to fill and sterilize the system, thankfully, all works as it should.
Having read your last reply, the method you suggest appears the neater, more permanent fix, so I think I'll take a look at this.
Thank you again for sharing your time and expertise.
Arthur.