Priming water system on Kingham 2017 - help!

jacktherussell wrote:I’ve asked them to fit a shurflo as i’m sick of trying to adjust the pressure switch every time we aren’t on hookup. We usually resort to switching it on and off on the control panel.
If as many people are getting these fitted as Mark says you’d think AS would be looking at putting them in new vans?

As only the second owner to have a Shurflo fitted I have a long standing involvement with the issue, and as most will be aware I'm a very strong advocate of the Shurflo in preference for the submersible.

Having said that, I don't think there's anything wrong with the submersible pump itself. I'm convinced the problems are due to some factor in it's positioning in the tank. It must be that, since the pump invariably works perfectly once it has been coaxed into life. The major concern is the huge undertaking for an owner if when on holiday it goes wrong or refuses to start working, as replacing it involves dropping the tank. (Replacing a Shurflo (if it were ever necessary) would take no more than half an hour and needs only a screwdriver!)

The fact that it is controlled by a highly voltage sensitive pressure switch adds to the annoyance, as Jack has just stated - and he is by no means alone with that annoying symptom!!

In fairness to A/S I expect the rest of the water system, including the Whale filling via an external submersible pump, (no comment!!!!) is so closely integrated and interconnected that a major re-design would be necessary to accommodate a Shurflo instead of the submersible. I've no real idea of the costs involved, but I guess it would be considerable, and would not make financial sense, when in fact only a fairly small percentage of owners suffer significant problems. (The fact that only a few suffer the uncertainty and irritation does not of course, make it any the less serious for them.)

Don't know if I'm correct in the final paragraph, but if it were easy to revert to fitting a Shurflo one would expect A/S to do it fairly soon after the problems began to arise - if only to safeguard their reputation.

For the reasons set out in this thread, I had a Shuflo fitted at Willersey last week. The thought of a pump failure whilst on a long forthcoming trip to the Hebrides concentrated the mind!
Especial thanks to Gromit for the reasoned recommendation.

cymro

Sorry but I continue to be with Peter Brown on this. I have occasionally had a problem with first prime after a full drain. The issue is invariably that the hot tank has not filled fully causing the pump to not shut off because of insufficient pressure build up. If I am methodical in filling (and most of all if I remember to reset the boiler drain valve!) there is no problem. I have not tried the trick of pump switched off and taps open which sounds helpful.
If there was a SIGNIFICANT problem with the submersible pumps then A/S would indubitably revert to a Shuffling or similar. They seem to have resolved the OP's issue to his satisfaction. I agree that the pressure switch can also be difficult to adjust. But my experience is that a few minutes spent in careful adjustment results in consistent proper operation unless I carelessly move the serrated adjuster by delving for something in the locker. and that consistency is irrespective of connection to EHU or not. Mine ain't broke and I have no intention of spending £250 on an alternative. If of course your pipework has a strange kink then the greater pressure of a Shurflo could be better at driving out a persistent air lock. For me the Whale gives the appropriate splutter reasonably quickly - but I don't think that is just luck.

Just about to ask for help when I saw this thread . At the lakes, water pump not working but thankfully on a site so we have wster

Long post didn’t send

None of my posts are appearing grrrrr angry and scunnered

Lorfal wrote:None of my posts are appearing grrrrr angry and scunnered

I can see this post, so one post (at least) has appeared.

Sorry to hear of your problems, were you priming from empty, or did pump stop working during active use?

Lorfal wrote:None of my posts are appearing grrrrr angry and scunnered

I can see your post also

Sorry was having a rant, anyway.......as we left th3 lakes, and did a bit more driving the air Lock cleared! Phew! Just had a drive farther and faster lol

Digressing slightly from pumps, filled my tank last week after overwintering. I couldn't get any water flow (hot or cold) from the kitchen sink tap although the pump ran to its pressure cut off point.  I then recalled that a filter is fitted within the tap nozzle. I removed it, blew it through. When refitted water flowed successfully.  

Well, I do wonder why folks have so many problems.  First fill of th eseason last week.  Connected my Whale pump hose block to side of van, closed the heater drain valve, closed the taps which had been on all winter and pumped in water with 500gm of citric acid to descale the water level sensors to aboput half full, using the direct hose filler after 30 litres ahd gone in from th epumped connection.  Incidentally, 10 litres of water takes a few seconds over 1 minute to pump in  Left that for a couple of days before pumping some waterinto the hot tank.  It took 1 minute 45 secs for the spluttering to cease at the hot tap in the bathroom and a steady flow to come out and a few seconds more for the kitchen tap to oblige.  Left that for half a day before  draining completely and refilling (including opening the frost valve to drain the heater).  Once again I had to wait just over a minute and a half for the hot water tank to fill and fo rhot and cold taps to run normally.
I will admit to one heart failure moment - the first time I switched on the water pump to fil the hot tank with descaler there was no sound from the pump.  I switched of the electrics, gave the pressure switch adjuster knob a slight move and back again and - BINGO - all was as it should be.
Am I really that lucky that I never have priming or filling difficulties? 

Yes, I think you are Ron (lucky, that is).

As you well know by now, our submersible pump used to take up to half an hour (literally) of fiddling and cajoling before it would settle down and pump properly after a drain down.

I think we have enough reports now to establish beyond doubt that some of them work perfectly well, while others are a pain in the ar$e - to use the technical jargon.

If yours (not you personally Ron) works, that's great - but if you've got a bad 'un you may as well bite the bullet and get a Shurflo.

Is Whale a brand name of Truma?

AutoSleepy_Don wrote:Is Whale a brand name of Truma?

Now who is extractingthe Michael?  Truma is NOT anything to do with Whale.  I do agree with th esecond disadvantage of Truma which also applies to Whale (and possibly Shurflo?) but NOT with the other two. But that is just my experience. I don't know how many Whale submersibles are churned out each year by A/S but I am certain that the number of folk with problems are a very small percentage of the number with those pumps - but they do, quite naturally, make a lot of noise.

Had my habitation done and shurflo pump fitted on the 27th April at Willersley. Spent last weekend wildcamping in the dales,the pump worked perfectly,no more asking the girlfriend to turn the pump off/on while washing hands/flushing loo or showering. It sounds trivial but the whole experience is better. Only those who have had problems will understand how much difference it makes.

jacktherussell wrote:Had my habitation done and shurflo pump fitted on the 27th April at Willersley. Spent last weekend wildcamping in the dales,the pump worked perfectly,no more asking the girlfriend to turn the pump off/on while washing hands/flushing loo or showering. It sounds trivial but the whole experience is better. Only those who have had problems will understand how much difference it makes.

Spot on Jack, and from some of the comments I'm sure some folk don't appreciate how frustrating it is. Trivial it is not!!

I do feel a bit aggrieved when someone suggests that the difficulties are entirely due to operator incompetence, but those of us who have had the problem know better!