Fresh water blues

[lylescott719]

Another question regarding my 93 280 Eagle. Filled fresh water tank and I'm having difficulty purging the lines. There is a valve near the top of the tank with a valve and a clear hose about 16" long coming from it. Does this valve need to be opened or closed when running the pump, because it seems like when it's closed, I get no water out of the faucets.

[Jagiven]

That valve needs to be closed. It is for pumping in antifreeze for winterizing. There should be another valve between the pump and tank that needs to be opened.

[lylescott719]

Yet when it is open, water does come out but very slow. I will look again for more valves, but I didn't see any.

[justinhscott]

May or may not help, but I've used that antifreeze hose to blow air back into my water tank to try to clear air bubbles. You can also hook up to city water to clear most of the lines. There's probably a correct order for doing these steps, but I'm an RV newbie, so I don't know what the correct steps are.

[Jmooney]

Should look like one of these

[lylescott719]

Thanks everyone. I think I may have a blockage somewhere, because when I close the antifreeze line, I get absolutely no flow out of the pump. When I open the antifreeze valve I get a trickle. Took lines off of pump, inlet sucks great, outlet pressure is there. However, it would seem that when I took the inlet side of the pump hose off, water would be coming out, and its not. I blew air into the line and heard bubbles in the tank. Scratching my head crazy now.

[Scoutr2]

Check the pump inlet screen. My sister had that happen - they left water in the lines for too long and algea grew in the screen. They only got a trickle of water - the dealer found the problem. If you get little water from the fresh water tank using the pump, but have plenty of pressure on city water, you either have a valve closed or something blocking the pump inlet. I'd check those valves and the inlet screen first.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by justinhscott

May or may not help, but I've used that antifreeze hose to blow air back into my water tank to try to clear air bubbles. You can also hook up to city water to clear most of the lines. There's probably a correct order for doing these steps, but I'm an RV newbie, so I don't know what the correct steps are.

Welcome to the forum.

[Jagiven]

One more thing check. I believe the pick up hose just passes through a port on the tank, try wiggling the hose, it might just be bottoming out on the tank and there is not enough room for the water cannot pass by.

[lylescott719]

Rough sketch

[lylescott719]

The hose that goes to the pump does go up about 5-6". It does not lay flat whatsoever. Could this also be a problem?

[Subaru297]

Put your antifreeze line in a pail of water and see if you get good pressure. Close the valve going to the fresh tank. Could help to isolate the problem for troubleshooting.

Certainly strange that with your antifreeze line open you get water. You don't have the end of that line in water already do you?

[Subaru297]

Based on your drawing you should have the valve above your supply line closed and the one below it open. Otherwise your pump will just be sucking air.

Is that the "antifreeze line" above the supply line in your picture?

[mike837go]

The valve between the tank and the T must be open
The valve above the T must be closed.


The tank has to be filled to a point above the T in order to get water to the pump. The pump won't prime itself against that much air.


Also check for kinks and other obstructions from the pump to the faucets

[lylescott719]

The antifreeze line goes nowhere, it just lays on top of the tank. I will try and put that end in water and see what happens, but I can say when the valve is open to it, it does have suction on the end. Subaru297, yes the diagram does show the antifreeze line laying on top of the tank. Mike837go, I have the tank full which is above the "t" fitting. I cannot find any kinks in the line. I am starting to wonder if there is a valve that may be broken and not opening up all the way?

[mike837go]

According to your drawings, the valves are 1/4 turn.


If the wide part of the knob is across the line, the valve is closed.


If the wide part is in-line with the line it is open.
If you have suction at the antifreeze line, then the valve to it is open.

[lylescott719]

I didn't mean for the valves to be shown exactly as they are, just for placement of where they were. They are actually what I believe to be "open", except for the antifreeze line valve, which I have tried both open and closed.

[mike837go]

Do a test:
Move the antifreeze valve to one stop and then turn on the pump. If you have suction, the antifreeze valve is open.


Then turn the antifreeze valve to the other stop and test for suction with the pump on again.


If you have suction at both settings, the valve is broken and that is the cause of your problem.


If one of the settings shows no suction, that is the closed position. Leave the antifreeze valve in that position and make sure the other valve is in the opposite position.


The system will never operate with both valves in the same position. They must be opposite each other so that the pump draws from the water tank or an antifreeze bottle. Never both. Never none.

[lylescott719]

Ok..figure this one out. I decided to drain the tank so I could take part the valves and see if their good or not. The tank will NOT drain! Opened up the valves and nothing....

[Paintinfool3]

ok dumb question ... do you have water in he tank