Your RV is essentially a mobile home. It also includes a 12-volt pump that circulates water throughout the system.
When you wash your hands, take a bath, or use the kitchen, that pump virtually guarantees that the water flows efficiently.
The pump must be serviced regularly because mineral accumulation can lessen the quantity of water pressure in your system.
If you have recently done RV servicing on your water pump or if you have finally replaced your RV water pump, you will need to prime the pump before it will function properly again.
The term “priming” may be unfamiliar to most people. It is the way of obtaining water into the pump so that it can do the rest of the pumping on its own.
Fortunately, this can be accomplished in a few simple steps!
In this article, you’ll learn how to effectively prime your RV water pump in 2022, as well as some help desk/troubleshooting tips if your water pump somehow doesn’t pump water.
How To Tell If You Need To Prime Your Water Pump
Water pumps are designed to operate smoothly even with a low level of water pressure inside the pump. The pump cannot use differential pressure to push water from your storage tank to your washbasin if there is no water. Any RV owner needs to understand how to prime a water pump.
There will be no water in the chamber after you remove and replace your RV water pump. If you try to turn it on right now, it simply will not pump water.
That means your water pump needs to be primed. You should also prime your water pump when powder coating your RV and again in the spring. Because this isn’t a job for just one person, you should have a friend or family member on hand before starting the job.
Preparation: How to Find Your RV Water Pump
It can be difficult to locate where your RV water pump is. Your RV water pump should flip on whenever anyone opens a nozzle inside the RV.
To prime the pump, you need to add water to it while the pump is on. Before you can do this, you must first locate your water pump and obtain the necessary equipment. A bucket of water, a screwdriver, a funnel, and a clean hose are all required.
There is no universal location for an RV water pump. Many producers position the pump beneath one of the beds. Others stored the pump in a kitchen cabinet. In some cases, it is hidden beneath one of the vehicle’s sofa seats.
In most cases, the pump will be only a few meters away from your RV’s freshwater tank. The owner’s handbook should be read for you to know where the Rv pump is located. In the handbook, there’s also a diagram for a better understanding.
How To Prime An RV Water Pump For Better Performance.
Follow these step-by-step guidelines to ensure efficient priming of the pump
- Firstly you have to unplug your pump from your RV’s clean water tank or the city line.
- Request that your companion stand inside the RV and flip on a water tap. While the pump is running, slowly pour water into it with the funnel. Water should begin to flow out of the faucet progressively.
- Turn off the pump, close the faucet, and reconnect the RV’s water intake line to the freshwater tank or the local supply line.
- Turn on the supply to guarantee that water pressure is fed into the pump, and it should function properly from there. The pump has been successfully primed.
- Turn on more water taps and allow the system to push out all the air accumulated during the priming procedure to test your RV’s water pumping functionality. This will energise the water system and ensure that it runs smoothly in the future.
Important Tip: Use A Clean Hose for The Priming Process
Your RV’s freshwater tank should have a sufficient provision of safe freshwater. When priming the pump, use a clean hose to avoid the possibility of introducing microbes or other toxins into your water supply.
I strongly advise purchasing a new hose for this purpose. If you don’t have a new hose on hand, thoroughly sanitise the one you’re using.
Troubleshooting: What If The RV Water Pump Won’t Prime?
While priming an RV water pump is a simple process, it does not always produce predictable results. Numerous factors could prevent you from properly priming your pump. Check out some of these common issues to address the problem of an RV water pump not priming:
Check for blockages and leakages if the pump sounds like it’s working but no water is flowing. Start from the freshwater tank or the metropolitan supply line. Every pipe and fitting between the water supply and your faucet must be checked.
Deactivate installations to check if water rushes through them. If water flows successfully up to the pump but there is still no water, a new pump is required.
If your RV’s water pump does not work after you winterize it, double-check your connections and power generation.
Check that you left the drain open while filling the freshwater tank and that you successfully configured everything after pumping RV antifreeze through the drain pipe.
Check your pump’s power supply as well. It must be grounded and supplied with 12 volts. Using a voltmeter, check to see if the pump is receiving enough power.
Inspect for leaks and double-check winterization if the pump cycles on and off even when the faucets are closed. When your RV’s water pump identifies a pressure change, it will activate.
This is usually caused by spills somewhere along the supply line, but it can also happen if the pump is not properly winterized.
The vast majority of RV water pump not priming cases are caused by leaks. Leaks can happen anywhere around the supply route, such as in difficult-to-reach areas concealed behind the panelling of your RV’s inner surface, making them difficult to reach. Take your time and search methodically.
Conclusion
Even the best RV water pump will eventually fail due to water pressure issues, improper winterization, and general wear and tear. If you’ve done it all right but your pump still won’t prime, it’s necessary to replace it.
Water pump repairs are generally avoided by RV maintenance professionals because they are more expensive than simply installing a new pump. You can save a lot of time and effort by purchasing a new pump, placing it yourself, and properly priming it.
