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Old 08-30-2016, 05:45 AM   #1
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Water pump shut off

Maybe I'm a little too concerned about water damage, but having read and heard sad stories about it and having done my share of repairs, I know how devastating water in the wrong places in a camper can be.

One thing I can say-every RV owner needs to be super diligent about making sure that no water ever reaches the absorbent ceilings,walls, flooring etc. in their own campers. That means checking roof seals as well as all other possible points of entry and making sure that no plumbing develops leaks that will silently cause rot and mildew under the floor. Most of the time, replacement of water-logged and mildewed wood is very labor intensive and sometimes, not even practical when it involves so much dismantling or ripping out of cabinets and fixtures.

So, thinking about this, I wondered about a way to prevent water entry during say, a day trip while parked at a campsite. Your out enjoying the day and a water connection fails. The pump kicks on and when you get back, your greeted with the sight of water dripping from the bottom of your camper as the entire contents of your fresh water tank finds it's way into your carpeting.

Of course, you could have turned off the pump switch before you left for the day (which I try to remember to do) but that's leaving it up to human error.
Then I thought about a water monitor. Some will send a signal to your smart phone, but what if you're an hour away and you suddenly get an alert? You'll cut short your plans to race back to take care of the situation.

Then, I thought about a timer. I found some inexpensive 12 volt timers that could be wall mounted so that every time you wanted to run the water, you'd dial in the anticipated usage time; for example, 10 minutes to wash some dishes, 20 minutes for a shower etc. The rest of the time, the pump would be inoperable.

Of course this solution only deals with the pump, if your hooked up to city water, it wouldn't work, and having to dial in a minute for a toilet flush could be a problem.

So, just some thoughts and I wonder if anyone has found a better way to deal with this potentially destructive issue.
Rich
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Old 08-30-2016, 08:19 AM   #2
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It's not only water pump to worry about. Leaving city water hooked up and turned. A friends daughter left shower a trickle. When they returned in 2 weeks they were greeted with a foot of water threw out entire trailer (trailer totaled). Moral of story, turn of water at night and every time you leave trailer unattended.

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Old 08-30-2016, 08:54 AM   #3
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DC 12V Electric Solenoid Valve Switch Water Air 1 2" Brass Normally Closed N C | eBay This and this Generic Magnetic Stainless Steel Flow Switch Water Sensor C Type | eBay with a by pass switch so you could have water when you need it.
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Old 08-30-2016, 09:13 AM   #4
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Jim, if they were covered by insurance, it was probably a better outcome than if it was a small leak that saturated a square foot of flooring that the owner would have had to have taken on the chin. Either way, heartbreaking.

Mainah, thanks for those links, I would think the best place to use them would be outside the camper with a wire running inside to a switch, correct?
Thanks,
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Old 08-30-2016, 02:07 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vcrt View Post
Jim, if they were covered by insurance, it was probably a better outcome than if it was a small leak that saturated a square foot of flooring that the owner would have had to have taken on the chin. Either way, heartbreaking.

Rich
They were covered but the point is was you can't turn your back on a charged system.

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Old 08-30-2016, 06:11 PM   #6
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Quote:
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Jim, if they were covered by insurance, it was probably a better outcome than if it was a small leak that saturated a square foot of flooring that the owner would have had to have taken on the chin. Either way, heartbreaking.

Mainah, thanks for those links, I would think the best place to use them would be outside the camper with a wire running inside to a switch, correct?
Thanks,
Rich
I did control systems for 15 years so I tend to go over board what I would do is have the flow sensor control the water supply between the city water and the pump to the camper water system then a switch to by pass the flow sensor so you can run the water. but the burden of responsibility would be on the owner to turn the switch off when you leave. That could be over come with a push button or a timer. Like I say a bit over the top.
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Old 08-30-2016, 06:48 PM   #7
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I did control systems for 15 years so I tend to go over board what I would do is have the flow sensor control the water supply between the city water and the pump to the camper water system then a switch to by pass the flow sensor so you can run the water. but the burden of responsibility would be on the owner to turn the switch off when you leave. That could be over come with a push button or a timer. Like I say a bit over the top.
When using city water and leaving for the day, shutting the valve at the hose connection ensures that any leak inside the camper will not be supplied by a constant flow of water. That's why I thought the best place for the shutoff valve would be outside the camper. I figured any water under under pressure inside the wall of the camper still leaves a place for water to get where it shouldn't be.
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Old 08-31-2016, 06:32 AM   #8
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The bottom line turn every thing off! I stopped one day and used the facilities in my camper turned on the pump switch went in the bath came out to find water running down the counter because the kitchen tap was on so nothing fixes stupid. In my case also I have a 2 gallon accumulator, switch on or not that's a goodly amount of water and my system will hold pressure for months that is why I'm thinking about a valve controlled by the pump switch for me that would work fine because I very seldom use city water and the valve closes with no power of course there would be a short piece of pipe but that would run a very small risk of failure the only true fix is turn off the water and drain the pressure off.
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