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Topic: Water Pump Wacky (Read 560 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: Water Pump Wacky
Reply #25 –
John, you have been getting some contradictory information here.  I will make a last effort to clear it up.

You said in your original post that the strainer had frozen and cracked, causing a leak.  You replaced the strainer.  Since then, you see no evidence of leaks, your shower works, but the sinks have no flow.  There are two separate concerns from your post and from later info.  One is, whether the freeze caused any other damage or leaks.  The other is why the faucets are not flowing.  Let's look at them separately.

First, the faucet flow... 

If ANY part of your system has flow, your problem is not in the pump or any plumbing before the pump.  Your shower works.  So, we take the pump out of it. 

Given the small apertures in the pump, there is no way for anything large enough to block the lines to get into the lines.  For a line blockage to happen, fine sediment would have to get past the screener and pump, accumulate in large quantities at one point, then later harden enough to block flow.  The chances of a line blockage being the issue are infinitesimal.  So, we take the lines out of it.

As several have pointed out,  the fixtures have screens at the connection to the lines, have tiny passages in the cartridge, and have screens in the aerator.  The kitchen faucet has a tiny passage where the extendable hose connects to the faucet, and may have another in the faucet head.  Any or all of these can and will collect sediment.  THIS IS WHERE YOUR FAUCET FLOW ISSUE IS.  If you need guidance on checking each of these points, I would be happy to give you step by step guidance for testing and cleaning.  If you have the money to throw away on replacing your faucets because your screens have accumulated sediment, you are certainly more wealthy than I, and you have the money to hire a RV pro to replace the faucets for you.

Once you have solved the issue of the low flow, it would be reasonable to check for any leaks that might have been created by the freeze.  There is a very simple way to do this.  First, make sure your water heater has the air bubble it is supposed to have.  Next. close all the faucets snugly.  Turn the pump on and let it come up to pressure.  Turn the pump off.  Wait a day, then open a faucet - any faucet.  If you have no leaks, you will get a brief flow of water, as the air bubble that is (supposed to be) in the water heater pushes the water out from residual pressure.  If you have a leak, when you open the faucet, you will get no flow.  You then need search for the leak.  Again, if you need step by step guidance on this, or on restoring the air bubble to your water heater, let me know.

Good luck.

Ken F in NM
'08 MB