I see quite a difference in pressure when I'm hooked up to city water compared to using the water tank and pump. I've removed the city inlet to check the regulator and the water goes thru quite fine. Something else must be restraining the flow. I'm assuming that the pump is only used when I'm unhooked from city water, right? In other word, I don;t need the pump to pressurize the city water.

Any ideas?

Real

hi Ray,

Restriction is one thing to look at. Just in side of the city inlet there is a little valve to keep the water from pour out and to maintain pressure when using the pump. Make sure that isn't stuck. Look for valves open in the toilet, or the valve that lets water into your water tanks. When ever someone has suffered from water pressure problems is seems like it's more likely a leak rather than a restriction.

My water pressure fell off badly last year while on vacation. I disassembled the water pressure regulator (that should be set at 40lbs) and found it had just died.

I fortunately had access to a home depot and bypassed the whole shebang with an inline regulator replacement and a couple fittings.

I found a direct replacement when I got home, and problem solved.

Your pressure regulator could be bad, even though it is passing water. If your pump is giving you adequate flow, the likelihood is that your regulator is just given up the ghost.

If it was a restriction elsewhere, the 12v pump would be similarly affected.

Windsor brings up a good point - a regulator that's lost its "set" will pass water through freely when there's no back pressure. But it may regulate at 5 psi...

I've never had a pressure regulator that didn't also restrict the flow, but in most cases even the restricted flow was at least as good as what the pump provided.

Backflow preventers can also slow things down, & city water supplies often have backflow preventers built-in. Combine that with a pressure regulator, or an internal backflow preventer that restricts flow. & you're down to a trickle.

I replaced my water inlet because it was too restrictive. I don't know if it was the backflow preventer or the pressure regulator, but it obviously sufferred from old age.

Thanks for the replies. I didn't realize that the regulator could allow water to flow when unhooked but could restrict the flow when there is a back pressure. I would like to remove it totally (since I usually have a regulator at the end of my hose), but it is a one-piece molded unit. That means that the inlet plate and the regulator are one piece of chromed plastic. The brass regulator is inside this. How do you remove this? do you replace the inlet plate with a new one that doesn't have a regulator?

Thanks
Real

Many people change to the adjustable type of pressure regulator. this one is one they sell at Camping World. This particular one has received some horrible reviews for endurance but you can put one together with parts from the hardware store.

This brings up another discussion. The purchased regulators like the one you have is governed at 40 psd I believe. People I have talked to with the home made unites run regularly at 50-60 psi.

Barth must have used the KISS theory of design during the late '70's....

My city connection is merely Tee'd into the water lines...no pressure regulator, no check valves, no auto-fill, etc. The exterior threaded plastic plug for the city connection is the only thing that keeps that line sealed when I'm on the house pump. (Ya need to bleed-off house pressure before hooking up the city line if ya don't want to get wet)....An adjustable external regulator goes on the city tap, protecting both coach system and my supply hose.

Two gate valves allow me to isolate the pump discharge and/or backfill the tank with city water.

Not a cutting edge design, but for very little extra effort I get a goof-proof system. (Unless one forgets the regulator at a high pressure site - I learned that the hard way