Warwick XL fresh water pump issue

Hi folks,

Bought a Warwick XL 2018 at the weekend and having a few problems with the caravan side water system. On 240v hook up opening a tap or flushing the loo results in the pump switching on fine and water flows fine. Switching tap off or releasing loo flush switch the water stops flowing and the pump switches off sort of fine (as there seem to be a few audible clicks, which seems little odd). Here's the issue - On 12v via leisure battery, pump switches on fine but on closing the tap, or the loo flush, the flow stops..... but the pump keeps running. Plug it into 240v and the pump stops running. The control panel says the leisure battery is at 98%, but plugging into 240v the pump runs noticeably faster, which I guess is normal.

We don't use 240v when touring so not much use as is!

Any ideas / insight appreciated.....

Thanks in advance.

As you have found the pumps are sensitive to voltage and you need to adjust the knob on the white  pressure switch a little at a time to find the sweet spot where it cuts off the pump after a few clicks. Only adjust a little at a time . Should be covered in your user manual .

Thanks! Could you direct me to the location of the white pressure switch please?

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This is it, but I don't know where it is on your van. I would temporarily mark the position of the knob before you twiddle.

They can be very tricky to get right, and as you have discovered, having adjusted it for mains it will probably not be very good on battery.

Having found the proper adjustment for both mains and battery, two more permanent marks would be a good idea.

Dave

You will find it under the bench seat close to your boiler just follow the water pipes.  They can be difficult to find amonsk  other pipes.  Be sure to mark the top knob and base so you can see how far you have adjusted. You will need some patience

Well I have to say the help on this forum is absolutely outstanding. Thanks so much for the replies. We have the manual and read about the valve, but not it’s location, and it states an anti-clockwise then a full 180. So you’re saying the pressure switch has to be adjusted for either mains or battery and can’t deal with both. That’s not exactly progress from our old 2008 Motorhome, which just worked! As the leisure battery voltage drops will it need adjusting again? Thanks again. Will have a play with this tomorrow....!

Once you have time to delve into this forum you'll understand why many owners get rid of the submersible pump with pressure switch and replace it with a Shurflo pump.

Pressure switch is more sensitive on the hot water side, due to I think air in the system. If you can take some time to set up the water system. while near a mains supply fill the main water tank, open each hot tap in turn, starting in the shower sink. Let the pump get a good full flow going for 30 secs, then on hot side move to the kitchen sink and make sure you have pumped out all the air out of the system. Move then back to the shower sink cold side and repeat the proccess . Top up main tank as you go and give yourself at least 15 mins to really get everything running air free. Also flush the toilet several times to prime that. You can now start adjusting the pressure switch knowing the system is fully primed. Try to not let the water tank level get below 25% which on an incline could draw air back into the system and scupper all your adjustments.
When you find the pressure switches' ideal spot 12 v and 240v makes only a small difference. Pressure switch should only run on for 2 to 3 secs after you close a tap.
Good luck, nice van.
pS pressure switch located under rear off side bunk, screwed to floor to the left of Sargent electrical box.

Hi Babian thanks for the detailed procedure. Do I have to repeat this each time I drain the tank? Bleed air out for 15 min? Or just this once to set the pressure switch up?

hi, you will get the hang of the water system with use.
this is what I would do just to make sure you have a good starting point for the pressure switch adjustment, or you could be there a long time trying to get that sweet spot switch position.
in future there should be no problem after draining down water tank as there is a non return valve in the system, just don't try opening a tap until you have filled up again. 
winter drain down empties hot side  
of the system and spring time fill up can take the 15 mins too expel air etc.

Hi, yes if the water tank / whole system has  been drained /  emptied follow filling procedure. Remember you are filling the hot water boiler too so it takes a few minutes from system being completely dry/  empty.   Fifteen minutes is perhaps a bit if a worst case scenario as Babian says. Normally takes me about 5 in total. Once you do it a few times its second nature. You will find in reality you need possibly only 2 marks on the switch,  one for 240v and one for 12v. Even then I have found with 2 different Van's that I rarely if ever touch the switch at all, especially as you say you will mostly use 12v . In extreme cases if you allow battery voltage to fall significantly you may have to adjust slightly but dont stress you should not need to adjust every time you switch on an led light!  Once you find the sweet spot it should only need micro adjustments either way not several turns .

In my experience you really only have to ensure that each time you start using the water system you ensure that water runs through the taps without sputtering. This is to ensure the boiler has filled and that there is little or no air in the system. There are several methods of doing this and I find opening the tap furthest from the tank and setting it on hot gets water travelling into the boiler and hot water system fastest. Once the open tap flows smoothly, then the spurs off to other taps give just a short spurt before flowing smoothly. Then turning the taps to cold usually finds that that's running fine too. If the toilet flush water comes from the fresh water tank you'll find the first couple of presses will be a bit spluttery as the pump forces air out of the pipes with the flow of water.

As others have said, the adjustment between running the pump on mains or battery is minuscule, so mark the position of the adjuster and only move it a tiny tiny amount in any direction at a time. No big 360 deg twists or you'll lose the 'almost right' position you already have. There will be a sweet spot where neither overruns, it just takes some patience. Obvs it will alter if the battery is run down whilst pitched without EHU or solar to keep it topped up.

You might find it a good thing to switch off the pump at night because as the water cools overnight its density reduces and the pump will run occasionally for a second or so to keep the pressure up in the pipes.

Just spoke to Autosleepers who say the water system is sensitive to both pressure and voltage and that this is a pain for customers but is a feature of the Whale system fitted. It can be. bypassed voiding that bit of the warranty. Or they will change it for you for about 300UKP as 75 for a Sureflo pump and 2 to 3 hours labour.
They also said the solution is to adjust the pressure switch as everyone here has said but without the rich detail you folks have shared on the procedure. A drop in voltage will result in an adjustment need, so if the leisure battery drops, the problem will arise. That's helped by the solar panel and, I hope in our case, the fact that we are conservative in our amp usage. Apparently it's important to leave the control panel set to 'smart charge' meaning it will manage both leisure and vehicle batteries from the most appropriate power source (solar, 240 or engine). I'll go read up on how to do that. 

We will have a play with the adjustment procedures people have suggested above for now. Thanks again all.

As many have done and been advised, go for a Shurflo pump. Not knowing your diy skills, have a go, it really is simple and there are posts on here taking you through it.

Did mine, very pleased with the change.

As to warranty, that's a matter of choice, after all they always seem to find a way out.
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Richard