Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: Bangorbob on August 27, 2020, 10:19:35 pm
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Next project in the works is insulating the knocking water pipes. Did all that, but the water pump is still REALLY noisy. Is the below a good tank to use?
SEAFLO Pre-Pressurized Accumulator Tank (2 Gallon)
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Next project in the works is insulating the knocking water pipes. Did all that, but the water pump is still REALLY noisy. Is the below a good tank to use?
SEAFLO Pre-Pressurized Accumulator Tank (2 Gallon)
I had accumulator tank installed during the build. I have considered having it removed. I must admit that in 2 years, I have not checked the air pressure nor do I know what the proper pressure should be. My pipes chatter like the dickens.
I would not have it installed again.
Cheers
Barry T
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I initially tried a 2 gallon tank and couldn't get it to fit where I wanted it ..under the bathroom sink of our 2552. Went with the smaller sea flow tank. I was hoping it would reduce the cycling of the pump but didn't notice a change. So, for me wasn't worth it. The larger tank may have made a difference but no room for it for us.
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Thanks for the replies. I had to take the bed apart and go in and use 1/2 foam pipe insulation around the pex piping. 1st thing I noticed was how dirty it was in there. Stuff from the factory. But this ain't the 1st RV that the factory took about 10 to vacuum. Anyway, the pipes basically are so loose and not secured that they rattle bad. After I corrected the pipe problem, the pump is still noisy, therefore inquiring about the accumulator.
What problems did/are you having that you wouldn't have installed an accumulator?
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I added a 2 gallon tank 2 years back. Cost is about $40 give or take a few dollars. I get absolutely no knocking and I don’t believe it causes any. It definitely reduced the amount of pump cycling as I timed the run time before and after install. I did need to play with the air pressure a bit in the beginning. Growing up we always had a well with a pressure tank. Rattling pipes in homes is not caused by a pressure tank, city water or well system and I doubt it can cause it in an RV. In the home the banging pipes is caused by air in the lines. My rig is a 2011 and I’m looking to upgrade my pump this coming year.
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I wonder if any pump out there would be much quieter considering it’s location. It’s right next to the vent so no sound insulating factor to speak of.
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I had only a small space under the curb side bed in our 2551 to put one so I got this small one. You have to pressurize it (mine is 50psi) occasionally for it to work. You don't want pressure in the water lines when you do this. It is not hard to do. It does a great job of eliminating rattles and reduces the frequency of the pump running.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MVA6GCC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I have the same model (2350) as Ron has, therefore bunches of room do things under the bed. I have also read that 12-18 inch flexible hose looped also works.
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For what it's worth, I do not and have not had an accumulator. Yes, on occasion, in particular after being hooked to City water and then back on the pump, the pipes behind the toilet would rattle a lot. I have found getting the air out of the external AND internal shower head helps a lot.
I also had a problem with the low point drains not sealing properly and so the pressure would leak off. I replaced the low point drains with brass 1/4 turn ball valves. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to be on the road since I did that. Gopher has been in the shop getting the hail damage fixed. A lot of waiting for parts due to covid
Don
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The pump running quieter with less on/off frequency is the benefit I found. And even my small one works well. I imagine a larger one would only do a better job.
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Thanks for all the replies. Just because I could I cut 2 pieces of white drinking water hose and made loops on the water pump after fixing the rattling lines. Holy smokes, after the water ran all over and my butt was soaking wet I turned the pump on. Had to be really quite to hear the pump running when it was. Guess I will go that route for now.
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Owning a motorhome is like buying a motorcycle. They sell you a starter kit; Then we add the necessary bling!
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Owning a motorhome is like buying a motorcycle. They sell you a starter kit; Then we add the necessary bling!
I know. I just sold a motorcycle and have a can am spyder rt. Gotta a couple more things to do to it.
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As long as I gotta drain the water from the tank I am thinking of putting in a shut off valve between the tank and pump. Anyone do this? What valve did you use?
Thanks
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On my past RV's, I have put a blow-out T connection so I can blow out the water lines for winterizing. Similar to this:
https://parts.unitedrv.com/products/pump-converter-winterizing-kit-kit-36543?variant=30756771004504¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6OCIsOnA6wIVdSCtBh1-1wFaEAQYFSABEgLKs_D_BwE
It has a two way valve, goes on the suction side of the pump and switches from drawing from the tank or drawing from the plastic hose. I just put an air line adapter on the plastic line, set my air compressor to 40 psi, opened the faucets one at a time and blew out the lines.
Anyway, setting it to draw from the plastic line shuts off drawing from the water tank. Otherwise, I am not sure what the benefit would be of just a shutoff valve.
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Of all the improvement projects I've done on my '08 2350 PC, installing an accumulator tank was by far the most disappointing. After spending over a hundred dollars on the best tank made by the hand of man, and experimenting with half a dozen ways to install it, the only thing it eliminated was the water hammer. I discovered that the pump itself was more than half the noise. Wish I'd never bothered. If you search you can find the pics of my debacle, if you still insist on doing it. I think one of those little cheap plastic tanks would have done just as much good as my expensive chrome beauty, and saved much money and space.
I guess if you actually boondock enough to justify it, eliminating the water hammer might ward off a leak somewhere someday, but it won't eliminate the noise.
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For anyone who decides the want one don’t spend money on anything fancy. Home Depot has a 2 gallon tank for under $50 and watch for sales like Labor Day to save even more. The pressure tank does not change the sound of the noisy water pump and is not designed to. It will, when set correctly allow you to go longer between the pumps run start time. It works the same in an RV as a home well system so think of it as your water tank being the well and rather than having a pressure switch separate from the pump the pressure switch settings are set within the pump already.
For us the upside is both of us could get up during the night and use the bathroom and the pressure tank holds enough that the pump will not turn on waking the other.
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Bangobob, saw a few of those rigs in the Eureka Springs area on this trip. Very nice looking rides.
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For anyone who decides they want one don’t spend money on anything fancy. Home Depot has a 2 gallon tank for under $50 and watch for sales like Labor Day to save even more. The pressure tank does not change the sound of the noisy water pump and is not designed to. It will, when set correctly allow you to go longer between the pumps run start time. It works the same in an RV as a home well system so think of it as your water tank being the well and rather than having a pressure switch separate from the pump the pressure switch settings are set within the pump already.
For us the upside is both of us could get up during the night and use the bathroom and the pressure tank holds enough that the pump will not turn on waking the other.
I installed the Home Depot tank back in 2008. Unlike BlueBlaze, it continues to be one of my "best" additions. Unlike his, our tank makes the pump operate at a gentle hum that is hardly noticed. And the intervals between fills is awesome.
It must be the variation in the installation. I have a stainless steel braided hose between the pump and tank via 180 degrees worth of heavy brass elbows to a brass "T" under the tank, and the direct hard line connection from the house to the other port of that same brass "T".
(https://live.staticflickr.com/3630/3507693131_74b69ef2f2_z.jpg)
So there there you have it. a big thumbs up 2o2 and a big thumbs down pyho What a confidence builder. :)
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Here's what I wound up doing. It works. Very little pump noise. I will be putting insulation along the wiring and pipes tomorrow, then covering it up. BTW, I took a picture of the water tank. It is written that it was checked 9-10-73. This is in my 2008. ???????
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It is written that it was checked 9-10-73. This is in my 2008. ???????
THATS why it was so loud. Done on a monday. All tank inspections done on a monday are suspect.
I wouldnt put a lot of money on that bet. roflol
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So the loop in the flexible hose solved the water hammer noise. Not surprised.
Ron -- my installation is functionally identical to yours, except I used PEX instead of brass plumbing, and my fancy stainless tank is too large to mount upright (the pamphlet it came with said it didn't matter). I tried it upright, and it . didn't help.
Maybe my pump is just noisier than everyone else's. I will admit that the large tank means I can get a couple of flushes in the middle of the night before the pump comes on and shakes the wife out of bed. So that's a good thing.
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I changed both inlet and outlet to flex and insulated pipes. But I believe the biggest help was the flex hose with a loop.
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I’ve never had a hammer noise , just a noisy pump and with it located right next to the vent there’s no sound barrier. With the pressure tank it’s a nine issue with the time between pump runs.
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When you remove the high pressure line from the pump outlet , either replace the Shurflo female fitting on that line with a 1/2” barb, or buy a Shurflo pump silencer kit p/n 94-591-01.
The silencer kit includes 2 proprietary Shurflo 1/2” pipe nipples with beveled ends to seal the connections, similar to flare fittings. Using garden variety 1/2” NPT-M or NPS-M pipe nipples could create disastrous hidden long term consequences.
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When you remove the high pressure line from the pump outlet , either replace the Shurflo female fitting on that line with a 1/2” barb, or buy a Shurflo pump silencer kit p/n 94-591-01.
The silencer kit includes 2 proprietary Shurflo 1/2” pipe nipples with beveled ends to seal the connections, similar to flare fittings. Using garden variety 1/2” NPT-M or NPS-M pipe nipples could create disastrous hidden long term consequences.
Hmmm. I used a typical household braided stainless steel flex line off the high pressure side of the Shurflo pump. My installation was around 12 years ago and it has been trouble-free to this day. As I recall, household flex lines have black rubber grommets inserted into the ends to create a reliable seal. As I recall, Phoenix's original installation used something identical but in PEX, not flex.
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I bought 2 90 degree swivel 1/2 connectors and 1/2 flex potable water line. This allowed me to configure the lines with the pex lines already installed. Less than $20 and my time. Swivel connectors have washers already installed. They are 1/2 the price than I could get on line.
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I bought 2 90 degree swivel 1/2 connectors and 1/2 flex potable water line. This allowed me to configure the lines with the pex lines already installed. Less than $20 and my time. Swivel connectors have washers already installed. They are 1/2 the price than I could get on line.
The water pump input and output lines should always be flexible lines like Ron D. used. The pump itself should be mounted on rubber grommets. All of which will help isolate any noise caused by the pump running. My 2015 2551 has almost zero noise from the pump itself. I do get noise if there's air in the bathroom lines, but that noise is from behind the toilet area, not from the pump itself.
Don
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I'd only rate this mod a single thumb up for the 21 ounce Shurflo 182-200 accumulator.
Running flex hose from the accumulator to the pex connection reduced the lawn mower sound to a less obnoxious hum.
With a faucet fully open the 21 ounce tank changes the constant rapid on-off pump cycling to 6 second intervals. Get the 2 gallon model if you have room to spare.
The accumulator must be charged to 30 psi after first switching the pump power off and leaving a faucet open. The instructions say to check the pressure after long periods of non-use, such as winterization (or Chinese bat virus lockdowns).
I made this partition to keep my Coleman Roadtrip Grill away from the plumbing. It allows for air pressure adjustments without removing the bed again.