First trip out in our beautiful Barth and first time hooking the Barth up to campsite water via hose connection to city water. The water pump runs when water is drawn. Is it supposed to? In our previous rv, the pump did not run when we hooked up to the hose.

Also, now that I'm writing, there is a switch and red light on the left side above the driver's left shoulder. If we turn the switch on, the red light goes on -- does it do anything else?

Thank you.

Betsy Feren
92 30' Breakaway
Husband, three dogs, one cat

"Is it supposed to?" Answer: No.
Why? I don't know, BUT:
1) Pressure is dropping and the pump compensates (?)
2) Shore water pressure is less than pump's setting, causing pump to compensate (?)
2-B) RV faucet draws more than the shore line is supplying (?)
Okay; send the A-Team in. Rusty (Canoe U class of 60something) should know about water.

Betsy, Turn the water pump off when you are connected to city water. It is usually not needed unless you are where water pressure is very low. The switches on our 94 Breakaway are in the bathroom and over the entrance door.
The red light & switch over the driver in our Barth is for the engine pre-heat (glow plugs?) for starting in extremely cold weather. We've never needed to use it.
Hope this helps.
Stu Allen

quote:

Okay; send the A-Team in. Rusty (Canoe U class of 60something) should know about water.

"I never drink water because fish (never mind) in it" W. C. Fields

Canoe U. (A/K/A "Anchor Clanker Tech") '64...

With city water hooked up, the pump shouldn't run. There's a check valve to prevent back pressure. Make sure you have the Autofill switch off.

My Breakaway also has the switch for preheat - it sends power to the engine block heater, not the glow plugs. The block heater shouldn't be necessary above 35°F. On mine, it sent power to the block heater 120VAC outlet (It never was hooked up on the original engine - now it is).

Autofill switch & water pump switch should both be off when you're on city water.

Thank you all so very much. I knew you would have good information.

All switches off; water pressure turned up at the hose end -- voila!

And we're off again...

Betsy

Something not mentioned yet. Before connecting any water source to the coach, be sure to install a pressure regulator, which is a small brass thingy that costs about 12 bucks and you put between the intake hose and the "city water" connection on your coach. I have no horror stories to relate, but I bet some of you folks do.

When I first bought my Barth it took me a good month to understand the principal that for the water supply plumbing to work, (faucets etc.) there had to be water pressure.

Water pressure comes from only two places, city water or the pump. For either to work it has to be a sealed system. I know this wasn't you case but if in the future, (and this will happen to you) you are not hooked up to city water and a faucet is not open and you pump keeps running you are letting air in somewhere.

Also, I assume you are using a regulator and a white hose. Camp water pressure can hurt your plastic plumbing. A regulator keeps that from happening and you will get sick if you drink continuously from a green hose, especially if the sun is shinning on it and it gets warm.

My Breakaway has a regulator integral with the city water fitting.

No pressure regulator here because I just installed a reverse osmosis system and you need at least 60 pounds of pressure for it to operate properly. Also in the process of changing to an aquajet water pump as it provides the needed pressure. If I have a problem with this pressure I fix the problem.

Any water system should be able to handle a minimum of 80 pounds, not sure of the maximum.

Most pressure regulators are set in the vicinity of 50 psi. I don't know what the onboard pump can produce, but I'd guess most are around 40 psi. If it were I, I'd replace the piping from the pressure source to the R-O system with sked 40 PVC just to be safe, and test the onboard pump to see what pressure it can produce; the R-O system may not work with it without a booster pump (which you may need anyway, as many RV parks are around 50 psi if they source water from a well).