Whale Water Pump

MightyGem
MightyGem Forum Participant Posts: 22
edited July 2019 in Caravans #1

My water pump(the sort you use with an Aqua Roll) failed last week. The flow of water reduced slowly during the day, and then stopped altogether. However, the pump was still running.

Luckily, I had a spare which worked fine.

Any ideas what could be wrong with the first one, and could it be fixed?

Comments

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,684 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #2

    I would check the "O" rings on the plug that goes into the van. Sounds like they might have gone hard and therefore allowing air to be sucked in. Either replace or try some silicone grease/spray.  I always carry a box of assorted "O" rings that I bought from Aldi for about £5.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #3

    I very much doubt it’s repairable as I think they are sealed units. It would probably cost more to repair than to replace even if it is fixable. 

  • MightyGem
    MightyGem Forum Participant Posts: 22
    edited July 2019 #4

    Thanks. I'll have a look.

  • MightyGem
    MightyGem Forum Participant Posts: 22
    edited July 2019 #5

    Thanks. Yes, I appreciate that. I was thinking of simple DIY stuff as suggested by richardandros.

  • Freedom a whitebox
    Freedom a whitebox Club Member Posts: 296 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #6

    It’s highly unlikely that’s it the o rings as they are on the pressure side of the pump and would generally allow water to escape than let air in.

    The fact that the pump is running proves the electrical connection. I would check the pipe from the pump to look for damage/ split and the connection to the pump for leakage as it could just be circulating. Try it in a bucket of water as that would be easier to see when operating than in an aquaroll. Check that the inlet side of the pump is clear and spins when the pump is operated. Also that the pipe is clear - could try blowing through the pump.

     

     

  • JohnM20
    JohnM20 Forum Participant Posts: 1,416
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2019 #7

    I had a similar problem with my Truma pump. The slow delivery was due to the pipe being kinked. Truma pipes are far less flexible than Whale pump pipes but kink easier. This may not be relevant but worth checking. Because of this inflexibility I have changed to a Whale pump now.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,310 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #8

    When we had a similar problem there was a split in the pipe. Some tape worked as a temporary fix, but it was unfortunately not reparable.

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,684 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #9

    It’s highly unlikely that’s it the o rings as they are on the pressure side of the pump and would generally allow water to escape than let air in.

    But it is possible that the water flowing through the pipe could be causing a vortex thereby sucking air in through the faulty o rings.  I suggested it because it's the easiest and simplest thing to fix. Whilst the OP hasn't said what sort of system he has, the next thing I'd be checking is the pressure switch if it has one - on the basis there might be a pressure difference between the two pumps. If that is suspect, it's a simple job to change.  I had an identical problem with our last Barcelona and that's what it turned out to be.

    I agree with JohnM20 - the Whale Highflo is a far better pump in many ways than the Truma and I changed both pumps on our Starclass and it transformed both pressure and volume of flow.

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