Taps not running, but they do if we flush the loo.
We would really appreciate someone's input on this. We are away on hols in Wales and we found that the taps didnt run, so assumed we needed a new pump, took old pump with us to the local dealership and they tested it on a 12v for us and said it was working fine. so we took it back and put in into the water tank and it happily filled our onboard tank. However the taps still wont work. None of them. HOWEVER.....if we open the taps and flush the loo, then the taps run for as long as we hold the flush button down. What the heck is going on?? WE have today, just for the sake of it and the fact that it needed doing, changed the water filter. It's very frustrating not having any water coming out of taps.......please anyone got any ideas? If you think microswitches then surely they wouldnt all go at once would they? and if it is that - where do we find them? and could it be a fuse? and if so, where do I find the fuses? I know the road light ones are in the locker at front of the van. Help please. I wanna go home 
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What kind of caravan do you have and what year? Someone may have the same make and model and be able to offer some advice about this - as it seems very strange.
Our caravan water system and caravan flush are run on two completely separate systems, so there is no connection between the two, but obviously yours is very different.
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I would start by checking the electrical fuses as the micro switches may be on their own fuse.
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As Valda says it is hard to help not knowing your caravan so we can only offer general guesses.
We just had a water system failure with no water supply from the taps/ shower, ( toilet flush tank is separate system ).
It turned out to be " smart" switch by the water tank which was broken in our case.
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We have an avondale avocet...........about 1992 I think. It's very odd. the local dealer says that they (loo and taps) run off different systems, but it seems odd that if we open the taps, and push the flush, we can get the water to run (dribble) out of
the taps....so we are sure we dont have an air block in the pipes..........we have searched for micro switches, but we cant find one. Honestly we cant. We have laid on the floor with a torch and shone it up under the sink towards the taps, but we cannot find
anything that looks like a micro switch....0 -
David and Mary - whre is the smart switch? And how do we access it? Also where do we find the fuses for the water system? We have found the ones for the road lights etc in the front locker, and one for the battery charger in the opposite locker, but there's none to be found anywhere else............
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The taps on our lunar don't, use micro switches. The pump is
Switched on by a pressure switch which recognises when a tap is opened. The pressure switch is under the front bunk near to the water inlet. It is adjusted by a small nob on the top of it. Our water flush is completely separate.
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It sounds as though the flow through your taps is initiated by a pressure switch which may be faulty or needs adjustment. The flow to the loo flush will be via a simple 'on/off' switch for the pump and an in-line valve that opens when you press the loo flush
button. Try to find the pressure switch and adjust or replace it.0 -
If you can't see wires going to your taps then you haven't got micro switches. Check the pressure switch especially if it is located adjacent to the filter you have changed. It seems a bit of a coincidence....
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An original Avondale Avocet from 1992 won't have anything like an electric flush on the toilet, nor any connection between the toilet and the taps. Somewhere something sounds very wrong here!
I would pop out, chat to your neighbours, and say 'I'm new to caravanning and we have a problem, I wonder if you might be able to offer any advice?' and get someone in to have a look.
The toilet flush tank in an Avondale from 1992 is a completely separate entity to the water system. The tank has to be filled separately and is not even connected to the water system. Somehow there is something very wrong!! A picture of the Avondale Avocet from 1992 shows a loo with a 'twisting action' flush - what sort does yours have?
Can you take some photos of your taps and your toilet flush? Is it possible that there has been some strange DIY additions by a previous owner 'tweaking' the system?
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If only one pump is fitted to the van and water is at the taps when the loo is truned on the pump & pressure switch if fitted are ok . And when you open the taps this lowers the water pressuse to work the pressure switch to turn on the pump .As this not the case it would seem that no pressuse switch is fitted and the pump is turned on with .micro switches.Does the water pressure to the loo go up & down when the taps are open & closed. this would confirm the same pump for loo and taps.
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My toughts are similar to Val's.
Did the original spec include an on-board water tank?
If there is an on-board tank then there must be a second pump, either near or actually in the water tank, and possibly valves to set to decide how to use the water (on-board or direct from outside). The pump in the barrel cannot possibly deliver water from an on-board tank.
If there are 2 pumps then there must also be a control system to choose which pump to use.
OP, does your toilet have a separate flush tank that you have to fill?
Is the flush electrically operated?
Can you find any adjustment knob for a pressure switch near the water inlet? Or near the water tank.
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I would start at the pump and follow the wiring from there. (This is what we did) we found a unit which had more than one set of electrical connections and also a water pipe connected.
This is what I our manual was referred to as a smart switch but other posters have referred to as a pressure switch. It was by detecting a drop in water pressure and switching the current from the live leads on to the pump until the water pressure is back
to the set standard.I cannot be more specific as I do not know the layout for your particular caravan.
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I would suspect wiring here including corroded terminals. When one thing works through something else, its often because the second item has a good earth and the other doesn't. You sometimes see this on older cars, when the driver indicates and the brake
lights flash instead, or some other weird combination lights up.0
