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Topic: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem (Read 18 times) previous topic - next topic
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Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Yahoo Message Number: 56803
Had a nice weekend camping but halfway through, the water pump started acting up in that it doesn't shut off once the faucet, stool, whatever is used. It keeps on running at a very low rate. It still works fine but we have to turn it on and off before and after use.
 I checked the troubleshooting tips in the paperwork and the ones that I understood what they were saying, I tried {tightened down all screws [that I could find], checked for a leak somewhere in the lines.

Anyone have any ideas from here?

Thanks,

Dave

Ruby the red 04 RK
Dave

2017 TK
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56907
This is dejevu all over again.  We had the same symptoms you describe with our 5.7 - then it eventually just stopped cold.  I put that pump
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56914
"This is dejevu all over again. We had the same symptoms you describe with our 5.7 - then it eventually just stopped cold."
 I originally was very enthused about the variable speed Shurflo. Our 2003 LD came with a Whisper King pump. It was quiet but lack adequate flow to flush the toilet. When the Shurflo 5.7 became available, we installed one. It had the flow and pressure we were looking for but it lasted just 13 months before developing ed a significant leak,  due to a defective pump diaphragm.
The replacement is still working fine after a year but I'm still not really satisfied with it. It is very noisy on startup. It has been soundproofed but is still is annoying. The initial burst of speed is very pronounced, although it does quiet down quickly.
I'm now thinking of removing the Shurflo and reinstalling the Whisper King. To increase the flow, a second pump would be added. It would be energized by either a separate panel switch or by a micro switch, mounted on the toilet's pedal.
I had used a Shurflo accumulator before the 5.7 (variable speed pumps do not use  accumulators).
It would be reused by mounting it next to the toilet, to help keep the pressure and flow more consistent.

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56942
"I'm now thinking of removing the Shurflo and reinstalling the Whisper King. To increase the flow, a second pump would be added."

Larry, I still have the Whisper King pump that came with our coach.
We lived in the coach perhaps 35 days before I replaced it.  Any interest?
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56944
"I'm now thinking of removing the Shurflo and reinstalling the Whisper King. To increase the flow, a second pump would be added."
 Are you sure this is doable? Seems to me that since an RV water pump is switched on by demand using an internal low-pressure sensor, once one pump turns on, the other will sense the pressure and refuse to switch on.
 Double-pump issues aside, let me offer a few words about the ShurFlo Whisper King pump based on my experience in the past three years. I know a number of people have complained about inadequate water flow with this pump. The most common complaints seem to be insufficient shower pressure and incomplete toilet flushing.
 I solved the shower pressure problem very simply by blocking half the holes in the showerhead with a bead of epoxy (see http://www.andybaird.com/travels/gertie/ showerhead-glued.jpg>). This doubled the pressure, so the spray is much more vigorous...and the flow from the remaining 18 holes is plenty good enough to shower and wash my hair with. It's worth trying this ten cent fix before you replace an $80 water pump.
 With regard to the toilet, I've had no problems with flushing--but then I don't have the SeaLand model that Lazy Daze currently installs. Gertie came with an old Thetford Aqua Magic II, which I had replaced a year ago with a Thetford Bravura. This toilet works just fine with the Whisper King water pump.
 Bottom line: the shower problem is easily fixed at next to no cost. Once that's done, if all that's bothering you is the way your toilet flushes, then maybe you should look at the toilet as the problem. Instead of putting in a noisy water pump, why not consider replacing the toilet with a Thetford Bravura? You'll end up with a quiet pump plus lower water consumption. It works for me! :-)

Andy Baird

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56946
Quote
Double-pump issues aside, let me offer a few words about the ShurFlo
Whisper King pump
 
Quote
based on my experience in the past three years. I know a number of
people have
 
Quote
complained about inadequate water flow with this pump. The most
common complaints
 
Quote
seem to be insufficient shower pressure and incomplete toilet
flushing.
 Points well made.  I replaced my Whisper King for the very reasons you cite.  I would have reconsidered had I seen your comments at the time (January, 2004).
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56962
"Are you sure this is doable? Seems to me that since an RV water pump is switched on by demand using an internal low-pressure sensor, once one pump turns on, the other will sense the pressure and refuse to switch on."

Andy
 Sure, it can be done. A switch, on the toilet pedal, will energize a relay or two that bypasses the pressure control switches in the pumps.
Release the pedal and everything goes back to normal. The second pump would probably have the pressure control switch permanently disconnected. It would only operate when the increased flow is needed.

"With regard to the toilet, I've had no problems with flushing--but then I don't have the SeaLand model that Lazy Daze currently installs.
Gertie came with an old Thetford Aqua Magic II, which I had replaced a year ago with a Thetford Bravura. This toilet works just fine with the Whisper King water pump. "
 The toilet's low water flow is the main problem. You are right about the differences between the models. Our 83 LD FL had the Aqua Magic and did not suffer from this problem.
Too bad LD chose the `luxury'  water-wasting model over a more efficient model.  I guess the plastic Bravura doesn't look as nice.
My wife noticed the porcelain model as soon as she saw it in the showroom, nodding with approval. A plastic replacement may not be `wife approved'.
You single guys have it made.

"Instead of putting in a noisy water pump, why not consider replacing the toilet with a Thetford Bravura? You'll end up with a quiet pump plus lower water consumption. It works for me! J"

Oh Andy, where is the challenge in changing the toilet to a more appropriate model!! I have the pumps and most of the parts needed to perform this little experiment, with the exception of a few plumbing fittings, so the out of pocket cost is almost nothing, except for the time used.
A new toilet would cost $200 plus the installation time.
I need to save up for the dual battery pack and additional solar panels anyway. Running out of power is a bigger problem than water usage, especially in the winter.

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56968
Quote
A new toilet would cost $200 plus the installation time.
I need to save up for the dual battery pack and additional solar panels anyway. Running out of power is a bigger problem than water usage, especially in the winter.

Larry
We were so glad to get the Sealand toilet in our 98 Mid-Bath, which was our fifth motor home in maybe 30 years; it cleans so much easier than the plastic ones and seldom jams the seal as they do - besides, it looks better and is a bit larger.  If, by "poor flushing", people mean the water spill does not fully cover the front, then we see that too, but we always use the spray attachment when flushing "number 1".
We love the whisper king because our water lasts five days when boondocking.

Gus Weber
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56969
"If, by "poor flushing", people mean the water spill does not fully cover the front, then we see that too, but we always use the spray attachment when flushing "number 1".
We love the whisper king because our water lasts five days when boondocking."

Gus

Maybe its just the plumbing
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56970
"A switch, on the toilet pedal, will energize a relay or two that bypasses the pressure control switches in the pumps. Release the pedal and everything goes back to normal. The second pump would probably have the pressure control switch permanently disconnected. It would only operate when the increased flow is needed. I have the pumps and most of the parts needed to perform this little experiment, with the exception of a few plumbing fittings..."
 Sorry, I misunderstood. I was looking for easy solutions; you were looking for a challenge! ;-)

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Toilets: plastic vs. porcelain
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56971
"I guess the plastic Bravura doesn't look as nice. My wife noticed the porcelain model as soon as she saw it in the showroom, nodding with approval."
 Maybe it's just me, but I think the Bravura looks very attractive and modern, whereas the Sealand looks more like an old-style Victorian "crapper." Also, I prefer the Bravura's wide, front-mounted pedal to the Sealand's small side pedal.
 But about the material: I've seen nothing to indicate that plastic toilets don't wear as well as porcelain. Nor are they any harder to clean (and I clean my own, needless to say!).
 What I do know is this: a porcelain toilet weighs about 40 pounds more than a plastic one.
That's forty pounds of useful payload being sacrificed. No thanks!

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56973
"Sorry, I misunderstood. I was looking for easy solutions; you were looking for a challenge! ;-)"

Andy

It is cheaper and easier for ME to try this and certainly more interesting than to R&R a perfectly good toilet that my wife wants to keep. YMMV
 I came up with another, simpler approach at about 4:30 this morning.
The hand sprayer operates only when the pedal is pushed. The toilet uses so much of the flow, that the sprayer issues just a trickle.
Re-plumbing it so that the water supply to the sprayer is available for use without pressing the pedal should eliminate the major cleaning problem. This will give the sprayer the full flow of the pump. Problem solved.
Our '83 LD did not have a sprayer so I used a kitchen sink type of spray head and hose. It was plumbed so that the full flow of the pump was available to just the sprayer.

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Toilets: plastic vs. porcelain
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 56974
"What I do know is this: a porcelain toilet weighs about 40 pounds more than a plastic one.
That's forty pounds of useful payload being sacrificed. No thanks!

Andy
 I'm in 100% agreement with you but I'm only half of a two member team and the "Captain' wants to keep the heavy-weight porcelain one.

I wonder if I could use your shower fix. Epoxy the holes, under the rim and then drill them out to a much smaller size. I think a Dremmel tool or small angle drill might fit.

I will give the sprayer fix a chance first before attempting a more involved enhancement.

First Mate Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57710
Quote
Maybe its just the plumbing in our 23.5 FL. The flush and/or spray
is  very weak, when using the Whisper King. My wife was unhappey with the > situation and that was the main reason we switched to the Shurflo 5.7.
 
Quote
I suspect that the weak flush was the reason why LD replaced the Whisper King with the 5.7.
Larry
Hi gang, sorry to bring up an old discussion; we were on the road when this topic was a "hot topic".

Larry, about a year and a half ago, when I was having problems with my Shurflo Whisper King pump and I inguired about your change to a better pump, you told me in message #37278 that you had installed a Flo-Jet VSD water pump; now you report problems with the Shurflo Sensor 5.7 pump too. Can you clarify which water pump you are using and what the nature of the problem you are now having?
 Steve K. (Alas, reports I was eaten by a grizzly bear in Alaska were premature!;-)
Steve K

2003 Mid-bath
Bear attack on LD owner!
Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57712
Quote
Steve K. (Alas, reports I was eaten by a grizzly bear in Alaska were premature!;-)
Bear Alert!!

Over the past several weeks, there has been a higher than normal incidence of bear attacks. This has caused several states to issue "bear allerts" for those going into the back woods or living where bear encounters may be expected.

In the back woods, it is important to make noise, clap your hands, wear bells or other noise makers so you don't surprise a bear.
 Always carry Bear spray (pepper spray in larger cans) available at REI and other outdoor supply places.

It is important that outdoor types learn to recognize the different bear sign or "scat". Smaller black bear scat can be recognized by the small animal bones, berries, seeds etc. Brown or grizzly bear scat is easily recognized as it contains small bells and smells like pepper.

be careful out there!

bumper
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57713
"Larry, about a year and a half ago, when I was having problems with my Shurflo Whisper King pump and I inguired about your change to a better pump, you told me in message #37278 that you had installed a Flo-Jet VSD water pump; now you report problems with the Shurflo Sensor 5.7 pump too. Can you clarify which water pump you are using and what the nature of the problem you are now having?"

Steve
 The original 5.7 lasted less than a year before developing a leak in the pump diaphragm. I was lucky to have noticed  the pump slowly cycling in the middle of the night .
The second pump is doing fine. I still have not been able to insulate the pump enough to eliminate the annoying startup noise. I am satisfied with the flow of it.

Another product that seems to have been put on the market without adequate long-term testing.

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Shurflo 5.7 water pump problem
Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57716
Larry,

I'm assuming this is the same pump that's installed
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: Bear attack on LD owner!
Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57718
Bumper,

And if we find a "Quiet Birdmen" pin in cougar scat on the trail above the Kingsbury Grade, we'll know why you didn't make it home for dinner!

Actually, bear attack is no laughing matter.  I have a friend who was attacked by a grizzly in Glacier National Park.  She was hiking with her boyfriend, and got ahead of him going up a steep section of trail.
Without warning, a bear crashed out of the bushes and charged.  The bear knocked my friend down, and swiped at her head, opening a huge gash in her scalp.  Just then, the boyfriend arrived on the scene.   He started shouting, and threw a rock.  The bear withdrew into the bushes.  My friend, with face covered in blood, staggered down the trail.  The bear followed for a quarter mile, making noises in the bushes.  After what seemed like an eternity, they encountered other hikers on the trail, and descended as a group without seeing or hearing the bear again.

The good news is that my friend made a full recovery, and continues to enjoy hiking.

--oryoki
Re: Bear attack on LD owner!
Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57719
Quote
Bumper,

And if we find a "Quiet Birdmen" pin in cougar scat on the trail above the Kingsbury Grade, we'll know why you didn't make it home for dinner!

Actually, bear attack is no laughing matter.
Oryoki,

Agreed. The humor part was not meant to offend. The serious part is that it really is a good idea to carry bear spray. Where legal to do so, I always carry a gun (it's an ex-cop thing, I guess).

The cougar thing is serious too. There, your chances may not be so good, as 90% of victims don't see it coming. Cougars stalk their prey. It's often a young 2 year old male, cut loose from mama and hungry. Best chance to survive is to fight back.

bumper
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: Bear attacks
Reply #19 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57720
Oryoki:  What a frightening encounter!  I often think of bears when I'm hiking the woods with my friend, in the forested areas of which I am so fond.  I've been told that if you do come upon one, to lay flat on your face-side, with your hands clasped over the back of your head and neck.  Like dead.  If you are near a downed trunk, get right alongside it.
Not to move away from them, as they will follow; not to look them in the eye, as they consider that a challenge.  They say, if you are scared to death and can't flop down, to run at them waving a branch, your arms, etc to scare them off.
 We have blacks here in E. Tennessee.  A couple in the Smokies were fishing.  The man left to get something from the car parked some ways away; When he got back he found the woman had been savagely attacked and killed.  Scary things, these critters.  Too big to fool with!  Bye.  Francey

, "oryoki2000"  wrote:
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Bear attacks
Reply #20 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57730
Talk about a frightening encounter.  Our friends from Eugene Oregon were RV'ing up in Alaska a couple of years ago.  They stopped at one of the areas where you can walk out on the tundra on wooden pathways.  My friend got out to the end of one, and when he turned around to come back, a grizzly was on the walkway between him and the RV.  Fortunately, the bear decided to go the other way.  Could have been really bad.

Dick
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Bear attacks
Reply #21 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57733
Quote
They stopped at one of the areas where you can walk out on the tundra on wooden pathways.  My friend got out to the end of one, and when he turned around to come back, a grizzly was on the walkway between him and the RV.

 Would that, by any chance, have been at Liard Hot Springs in Yukon?  When we went to Alaska in 2001, we'd heard reports of bears in that area.

Linda Hylton

2004 Red 23.5' TK

From Cascade Meadows RV Resort
La Pine, OR

See where we are: http://map.datastormusers.com/user2.cfm?user=1167
Linda Hylton
Re: Bear attacks and mosquito repellant
Reply #22 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57739
I just remembered something that everyone should know.  From a TV program some time ago..they showed by example, how the bears were attracted... .
 Many, many people wear mosquito repellant like Neet, etc.  Bears LOVE the smell of mosquito repellant....They will go out of their way to find who,  or whatever,  is wearing it.
Must smell like honey to them.  I never wear it for fear of the chemicals in it, but many people do.
 Can  you imagine sitting by a beautiful trout stream, with the ever present mosquitos, and sloshing Neet all over your exposed parts, not knowing you are actually attracting the very thing you don't want to meet up with?  Maybe that's what that poor woman had on when she was attacked and killed up in the Smokies, 45 minutes from me.  Bye.  Frances
Re: Bear attacks and mosquito repellant
Reply #23 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57742
Frances,

It is DEET, not Neet, and considering the dangers from disease that mosquitoes bring it is a very good thing to always wear it when they are around.  There have been 20+ year studies that have not shown any danger from using it yet the rumor that it is toxic persists.  Since Malaria, Dengue, West Nile are just a few of the things you can catch from a mosquito bite, it is not a hard choice.
 I'm dubious about the bear's attraction to Deet story as well, it is not a sweet smell at all.

Jonna
Re: Bear attacks and mosquito repellant
Reply #24 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57744
"fms8"  wrote: "...sloshing Neet all over your exposed parts, not knowing you are actually attracting the very thing you don't want to meet up with?" --- Well, I'm pretty sure you mean "DEET".  Not sure just *what* you'd attract if you slathered your "exposed parts" with "Neet" and found yourself bald in short order! (Neet is a depilatory!) ;-)

Joan
2003 TK has a new home