Using the whale system to fill the water tank

I have a Nuevo bought in 2019 new. I have noticed now that filling the water tank is taking longer and longer.
Is there a filter in the Whale system that might explain it ?
Fortunately I have a filler on the opposite side of the van that just has a tube into the tank so I can use that but I would still like to use the Whale system
when hooked up on a service pitch. I have not got to far investigating due to the Whale water pipes are buried under piles of electric cables so
I would appreciate some advice before charging in !

Thanks Paul

Yes there's filter by the solenoid at the entry point, common problem of clogging particularly in hard water areas.

If you remove the brown plastic ventilation grill underneath the o/s seat in front of the EC700 you will just be able to access the back of the Whale filler socket and a separate solenoid operated water valve just beneath it.  If you remove the latter you will find a small piece of gauze on the inlet side.  This is needed to keep grit out of the valve.  It is likely that this gauze needs to be cleaned.

Paul beat me to it by seconds

I glad Caraman gave a better description than me, I don't have the system.

Thanks Paul. When you say Solenoid, is that the same as the Whale inline pressure switch ?

No, directly behind where you attach the whale power/water plug . Under a bench but not to be confused with the pressure switch.

Just to add to what Paul has said, the Whale system has two pressure switches.  One is ahead of the non return valve (NRV) that is ahead of the submersible pump that's inside the fresh water tank.  The pressure switch and NRV are one unit.  The second pressure switch is inside the Whale inlet socket.  When water pressure is applied to the outside of the inlet socket, the switch closes a circuit with the solenoid which opens the valve allowing water to flow into the fresh water tank.  When the tank is full a float switch at the top of the fresh water tank cuts the power to the Whale inlet socket and its pressure switch and therefore to the solenoid which causes the valve to shut.

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t14279-problems-with-whale-water-system#115955

In that thread you'll see reference to small gauze filter on inlet to solenoid.

Paul & CARAMAN, many thanks for your input. I managed to clean the filter this morning, not without a lot of difficulty. I used a small hand mirror to see the components and it was extremely difficult to undo the different bits and pieces hoping that I was playing with the right bits. As you suggested the filter was very badly clogged and dirty. I would say that this part of the van must have been built for the manufactures benefits and not for the owners !!
Thanks again.

It is a little tricky to get at.  There is better access by removing the top of the EC700 but that’s more scary.  I replaced the solenoid valve with a short section of pipe to remove a point of failure.  It means the tank can be filled with a hose through the whale inlet socket without 12v and it does so until the tank overflows.  The water roll method of filling is unchanged and will still cut off when the tank is full.  I didn’t push one of the quick fit connectors home fully so had a little leak.  Worth checking that yours doesn’t leak.

Paul Heyes wrote: As you suggested the filter was very badly clogged and dirty. I would say that this part of the van must have been built for the manufactures benefits and not for the owners !!
Thanks again.

My OH fitted a small Karcher pressure washer filter in the filler hose between the tap and the van. It is clear plastic so you can see what you have collected. Quite revealing : it has even included an earwig and soil. Certainly earns its keep in making sure the in-van filter is clean.

Hi All. This might be a daft question…..if I want to fill the onboard water tank from an Aqua Roll instead of from a mains water supply, what kind of connections/pump do I need? I’ve got a 2013 Broadway with an external port that takes my Whale connector when filling from mains. Thanks.

You need one of these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153743605540?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=7101533165274578&mkcid=2&itemid=153743605540&targetid=4584826055637459&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=412354546&mkgroupid=1299623041023876&rlsatarget=pla-4584826055637459&abcId=9300541&merchantid=87779&msclkid=64ac9abea7851867ccc9f8db20b37962

It plugs into the Whale inlet socket and gets its power from the two brass contacts in the socket.

Caraman wrote:You need one of these:

And very fast and efficient they are too whether you are using an Aquaroll or, as we do, a bucket.

Be aware however that, once they have sucked up the water in the container they do NOT switch off. They carry on sucking up air and, from expensive experience, this does not do the pump any good at all. Stay with it when you are filling your onboard tank this way and unplug it when finished.

Thanks both

If the water fill system is working properly, the pump will turn off as soon as the fresh water tank is full but not as Quilter points out when the aqua roll is empty.  It's not a good idea to leave the pump connected when the fresh water tank is full because it will start running again as soon as you draw water.  This may then result in the aqua roll emptying leaving the pump still running which will damage it.

So there are two scenarios here. Aqua roll empties before onboard tank is full - in which case I monitor the Aquaroll and stop the external pump before it tries to suck too much air. If the onboard tank reaches full before the Aquaroll empties…does the power to the external pump get cut automatically?
I’ll look forward to buying and having a play.

BigBertha wrote:So there are two scenarios here. Aqua roll empties before onboard tank is full - in which case I monitor the Aquaroll and stop the external pump before it tries to suck too much air. If the onboard tank reaches full before the Aquaroll empties…does the power to the external pump get cut automatically?
I’ll look forward to buying and having a play.

Yes - the power to the Whale inlet socket is cut as soon as the fresh water tank is full.  This has two effects:  

One - the power to the solenoid water valve beneath the Whale inlet socket is cut causing the valve to shut thereby stopping any further flow of water into the fresh water tank.  This is needed when the Whale inlet socket is connected to a mains water supply.

Two - the power to the brass contacts on the outside of the Whale inlet socket is cut which stops the external pump motor from running.  This is just as well or else the motor would be trying to pump water through a closed solenoid valve which would cause the motor to burn out just as it burns out if it is left pumping air.