Log In | Register
Skip to main content
Topic: A new line of Shuflo water pumps.... a field test report (Read 2 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
A new line of Shuflo water pumps.... a field test report
Yahoo Message Number: 108015
Hi group,
 After I left a message for my Shuflo contact about my latest Sensor pump failure, I got a return call from one of the Shuflo reps in Ca. He was going to send me a new pump to evaluate.
 Shuflo's new pump is known as the "4088" series. It is rated to flow water at 3 gallons per minute. It also has a built in "check valve"; something the Sensor pumps did not have (from speaking with another Shurflo rep. in Indiana,  said he too wondered why they didn't have one built in). It also has an "internal by-pass" engineered in the head. The "internal by-pass" is supposed to eliminate cycling of the pump during high pressure conditions and should eliminate the need for any sort of accumulator tank.
 This new pump is much smaller than the Sensor 5.7 and uses a much smaller strainer. And of course, the holes in the feet do not line up with previous mounting holes. It is connected to the water lines with threaded connections unlike the connector fittings that the Sensor 5.7 used.
 I installed it, tested that it worked and we headed out for a two week trip. I was carrying a back up Whisper King, just in case.
 This new pump worked really, really well. It flows plenty of water for showers. We are using the standard LD supplied shower head and I don't think either of us could tell the difference in water flow between the Sensor 5.7 and the new "4088" pump. I don't think there was any noticable pulsing. And perhaps one of the biggest surprises was that when I used the shower head to stop the water flow to conserve water and would turn the water back on, we didn't get the temperature fluctuation we used to get with the old Whisper King.
 Our original Sensor pump (verison 1.0) gave us nice steady pressure when we opened a faucet; most of the replacement Sensor pumps would make two or more pulses before water would flow smoothly if at all. This new pump would give us a nice steady flow right from the start. I think we will probably use less water with it.
 The toilet flushed just the same as the Sensor 5.7 too. We had complete bowl wash down, unlike the original Whisper King.
 It is not a quiet pump, but then again, I didn't think the Whisper King was quiet either. At low water flow, it is not as quiet as our first Sensor pump. It makes about as much noise as the Sensor pumps did at moderate flow.
 I called Shurflo to tell them what I thought. I told them that I thought "it was a Whisper King on steroids"
 How durable it will be is anybody's guess. Apparently, Shurlfo is going to issue a two year warranty. Whisper Kings have a 5 year warranty and Sensors have 3 years. When I questioned the Shuflo Rep. about that they told me they have had over 500 of them in the field since April with excellent results and that they they expect it to last for many years. (For what it is worth, my experiences with them over the years has been positive, they readily acknowledge problems and have made sincere efforts to try to make me happy, so I have no reason to doubt them.) They told me that they had hundreds in service and results were positive.
 There is no information about this new "4088" pump on Shuflo's website as of early this week. They expect to have an updated site with information soon. The pump will be known as "The Revolution". It is being released for sale this month.
 Pricing? It will be less, probably quite a bit less than many of us paid for the Sensor 5.7 pump. Is it a fair exchange to get one as a replacement for an expensive Sensor? I don't know how to answer that one. IF it lasts and continues to run like it did for the first two weeks, I'll be satisfied. But we've winterized our rig, put the cover on it (with a fresh coat of snow too!) and I'll have my fingers crossed in 2010 that I have replace my last water pump. Any bets?
 As a disclaimer, I have no vested interest in Shuflo and have received nothing other than a "4088" as replacement for my probably 7th Sensor pump.

Steve K.
Steve K

2003 Mid-bath
 
A new line of Shuflo water pumps.... a field test report
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108020
Thanks, Steve.  We will all be watching.  Meanwhile I have a Shurflo 2088 with a flow rate of 3.4 on order.  I got tired of the struggle with the Extreme series.
Ken F in Sedona, AZ
'08 MB