R27 low water pressure

[Midwest Jeff]

As we finally got the boat in the water, and are starting to use the systems. The fresh water pressure is not great, especially at sink. Also, pump is extremally loud. Normal? This is a used 2023 with only 45 hours on it. Pump and faucet filters are both clear. Connections look good with no leaks. Pressure starts out decent, but falls off quickly. Not expecting 60 pounds of pressure, but it's little better than a trickle. Next step is to pull the pump and check the impeller. Thanks

 

[Pandion]

If you search past threads on this topic, there are a few that may be of value to you.

In general, a loud pump can mean that your system needs to be purged of air. Low water flow is often caused by small pieces of plastic blocking the flow somewhere, although you say you've checked the obvious places. You can isolate whether you have a blockage upstream or downstream of your pump by disconnecting the inlet fitting and installing a test hose from the inlet to a bucket of water. Once the air is purged, if your flow is still low, your issue is somewhere after the pump (or the pump itself). If it works as it should from the bucket, your issue is between the pump and the water tank. The fact that your "pressure starts out decent and falls off quickly" kind of hints that you may have a partial blockage between your pump and tank. It's unlikely you have an impeller pump; most potable water pumps use a diaphram. If it pumps and shuts off when the pressure builds, it's probably not the pump.

In the case of our R27OB, the blockage was in the 90-degree barbed fitting on top of the tank that connects the dip tube to the pump inlet hose. Hope that helps.

 

[Midwest Jeff]

If you search past threads on this topic, there are a few that may be of value to you.

In general, a loud pump can mean that your system needs to be purged of air. Low water flow is often caused by small pieces of plastic blocking the flow somewhere, although you say you've checked the obvious places. You can isolate whether you have a blockage upstream or downstream of your pump by disconnecting the inlet fitting and installing a test hose from the inlet to a bucket of water. Once the air is purged, if your flow is still low, your issue is somewhere after the pump (or the pump itself). If it works as it should from the bucket, your issue is between the pump and the water tank. The fact that your "pressure starts out decent and falls off quickly" kind of hints that you may have a partial blockage between your pump and tank. It's unlikely you have an impeller pump; most potable water pumps use a diaphram. If it pumps and shuts off when the pressure builds, it's probably not the pump.

In the case of our R27OB, the blockage was in the 90-degree barbed fitting on top of the tank that connects the dip tube to the pump inlet hose. Hope that helps.

I will try your suggestion and post results. How did you get to the top of the tank? What about reversing the flow back into the tank to see if that clears it? Thanks

 

[Pandion]

I will try your suggestion and post results. How did you get to the top of the tank? What about reversing the flow back into the tank to see if that clears it? Thanks

Reversing the flow (or blowing air through the supply line) is a good idea. You may be able to blow any debris back into the tank. The down-side is you'll still have debris in the tank that will likely get sucked up again but at least you'll know where the issue was.

I pulled all of our stuff out of the quarter-berth/cave/dog house/whateveryoucallit and removed the panels from the top of the tank. It's a tight fit but I had clear access to the tank fittings and room to work. Pulled the supply hose off the metal barbed fitting, unthreaded the barb from the fitting, unthreaded the fitting from the plastic tank, and was able to pull out the dip tube. My blockage was plastic debris caught in the metal fitting.