... and yet another Duetto water pump query .

Dear all - we have just come home from our first three night trip in our 95 Duetto. Mostly fine and we are really loving having our first auto-sleeper. We do seem to have a problem with the water pump though. I have read the queries from other people but not sure our problem is def the same ...

The pump came on 'on its own' two or three times in the night on our second night (first night was fine). I got up and turned it off after the third time. We assumed that the water level was too low (even though we couldn't understand how we could have used anywhere near 70lts!!) so we put some more water in and all seemed fine for a few hours with hot and cold water working fine. Then, after about an hour the pump came on again but we were nowhere near the taps or the loo.

We decided to err on side of caution and turned the pump off and used the site loos and water carriers for our last day and night. Today before we set off we emptied the clean water as well as the grey to see if we had actually run out of water - we discovered that there was probably still half a tank of clean water so an empty water tank doesn't seem to have been the problem.

Please can anyone shed light on our problem? Air lock? Something wrong with the pump? Or is it supposed to come on briefly from time to time?

Also - I noticed someone had said they 'accidentally' left the pump on overnight and thought oh heck, are you supposed to turn it off at night?

We are neither of us very technically minded but very willing to learn ... but 'fools guide' level suggestions might be best

Thanks in anticipation - finding answers to lots of our questions from other people's posts - amazing site!

Hi Den and Colin.
I am sure that a Duetto expert will be along shortly to give you a definitive explanation. However, my amateur two pennorth is that the water system is pressurised and any slight leak, i.e. a drip or something similar causes the pressure to drop. When this happens the water pump automatically comes on to replenish the lost water. In most cases I would expect the pump to come on only for two or three seconds. If the 'leak' is sufficient the pump could come on every few minutes. With previous vans I have switched the pump off overnight to save the disturbance. It will very quickly replenish the loss when switched back on in the morning.
Mick.

My experience of an almost identical system is that the water pump on my van would often run for a few seconds during the night. I'm fairly sure it's because the pump turns itself off at a pre-set pressure, and as the temperature drops during the night the water contracts slightly, allowing the pressure to drop and the pump to run briefly.

It tends to be worse if you have air anywhere in the system, and this includes the water heater tank which, if you don't purge it fully using the vent at the top on the outside, will typically have a small amount air at the top of the tank.

Hi there,

As far as I know, there are only three reasons for the pump to start in the night:

1) You have a leak downstream of the pump. This may be a dripping tap or a loose connection. The discharge pressure drops and the pumps kicks in to bring the pressure back up again.

2) You have a faulty check-valve or a cracked pump diaphragm. Water is allowed to flow back through the pump. The discharge pressure drops and the pumps kicks in to bring the pressure back up again.

3) The heater has been turned off and the water in the heater contracts as it cools. The discharge pressure drops and the pumps kicks in to bring the pressure back up again.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Hi all, thank you so much for the replies - as I said on someone else's thread about the same issue it is great to have access to the help and advice from so many helpful people. We now have a plan - fill up with water and run all the taps to hopefully push out any trapped air and also have a good hunt for any signs of a leak. Then, next time we are away in a couple of weeks we'll cross our fingers but at least now with the knowledge that this seems to happen to quite a few people and isn't the end of the world! We've also got the place we bought it from on alert in case it turns out to be a bigger problem with the pump!

Wish us luck and thanks again - I need to start making a list of all the useful info I'm finding - beats doing the ironing!!

Regards to all, Denise

Den and Colin wrote:...........

............... beats doing the ironing!!

Regards to all, Denise

I'm surprised that you don't have an Ironing Fairy.

Mine does everything including folding them up and putting them in the wrong place; but I hardly like to complain!

Enjoy your next trip!

Best regards,

Ian

Update - Hi all - did the check for air locks and as a result discovered that the tap in wash basin was dripping - took it to place we bought it from and they put new tap unit in under warranty.  Went off for three night and all was well  with the pump so hopefully, that is sorted now.  Thanks for all the help - def pointed us in the right direction.  Cheers