Water trouble

n0ukf · 04-24-2018, 02:11 PM

We're living in Bizarro World.

Filling and testing my 'new' RV's water system, all the cold and most of the hot water has very poor flow, just a trickle. The only one that has good flow is the bathroom vanity hot water... which has a kinked line!

Any thoughts on what's wrong and how to fix? I'm thinking maybe somehow backflush the lines but I need to figure out how I'm going to connect water pressure to the kitchen (then maybe bathroom) faucet

'96 (chassis, '97 body) Adventurer 34WA

Ranger Smith · 04-24-2018, 02:38 PM

Remove the aerators on the faucets and clean them. Common problem they get plugged with sand and dirt. Also there is a little plastic cartrige on the pump with a screen in it. That could be plugged too

n0ukf · 04-24-2018, 03:07 PM

But why would the vanity hot water run faster than the cold if it was plugged aerators and pump screen? (Checking those shortly)

Is there any more readable plumbing diagram for the water heater area than the one at Winnebago?

n0ukf · 04-24-2018, 07:03 PM

Not sand in the aerators, scale, cleaned out. But that still doesn't explain why the vanity hot water with a kinked line was flowing much better than the cold. Getting parts to fix the kink before testing again.

n0ukf · 04-27-2018, 09:20 PM

Okay, I have an explanation to that now, there was scale in the supply lines that blocked the screen under the valve cartridge on the way in. The kink was apparently stopping scale while letting water by. Fixing the kink (cutting in an actual elbow) actually made the flow worse until I removed and cleaned the screens and flushed out the lines coming up.

BobC · 04-30-2018, 09:54 AM

I know you found your problem but, for others, here's another potential cause. In California, and I assume other states, current regs require low-flow faucets and showers. This means that, if your faucets and/or shower fixtures have been replaced with residential units, the flow will be restricted in comparison to a bathroom faucet that hadn't been upgraded.

Stoflyer · 05-09-2018, 07:05 PM

Did you close your tank fill valve?

n0ukf · 05-11-2018, 06:21 PM

What tank fill valve? It's just a door over the filler port.

Jim_HiTek · 05-11-2018, 08:07 PM

I had a strange problem where the kitchen faucet would 'pulse' and slowly decrease volume until it was just a trickle. If I then turned on the bathroom faucet, the kitchen faucet flow would increase to normal. Scratched my head on that one, did all the stuff recommended here to no avail. No scale anywhere. Someone here asked how my pressure reducer was? So tried a different one and that improved the situation at this park where we have 115 PSI. But didn't totally fix it, just improved flow.

Finally bought a flow regulator from Amazon...something I've always planned on doing anyway. Connected it to the shore water faucet, set it for 50 PSI, and darned if it didn't totally fix the water flow problem. Home Depot has a brand of flow regulators that's highly regarded too.

Not sure those brass pressure reducers really do that great of a job when there's high RV park water pressure.

So wouldn't hurt to check your system, especially at the RVs shore water inlet in your water compartment, for any pressure reducers the PO's may have installed. I know the one that came with my RV when I bought it gave me many weeks of water flow problems that changed as I moved from park to park before I noticed it and removed it. Wish I'd gotten a better pressure reducer to replace it then instead of another regular brass one. Had another 20 odd months of weirdness with the water.

Pretty happy with how it's working now.

BobC · 05-11-2018, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n0ukf

What tank fill valve? It's just a door over the filler port.

Your's may not have one. If you look at page 85 of the following link, you'll see what the tank fill valve is. The purpose of this is to divert the city water either to the interior plumbing or to the tank.

http://winnebagoind.com/resources/ma...Suncruiser.pdf

Check your operating manual (section 7).

n0ukf · 05-11-2018, 10:59 PM

Not a Suncruiser (see original post), not connecting to "city" water. We're lucky if our well pump builds up 50 PSI.

BobC · 05-12-2018, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n0ukf

Not a Suncruiser (see original post), not connecting to "city" water. We're lucky if our well pump builds up 50 PSI.

I used the Suncruiser as an example because that's what I have and, it's essentially identical to an Adventurer of the same year.