Help with water problem

[Jquillen]

I’m sure the answer may be somewhere on the forum but I am very bad at finding things. I have a Solitude 382wb with the bathroom in back. De winterized for road trip up north. Drove during day with heat, nothing froze (thankfully)..
The water worked well for about 10 min then the pressure went down to almost nothing. We are using the pump from the tank as the water post is shut off. I have checked the lines in all areas I see. They are warm. Basements are heated and at least 60 degrees.
I do not have a filter on the system because the replacement element did not arrive on time.
Any advise on where to start will help tremendously.. thank you
Jeff

 

[D2Reid]

I have read of instances of the water being siphoned out of the fresh water tank while driving. The tank level gauges in RV's are notoriously erroneous. If at all possible you may want to visually inspect the water level in the tank.

Is the pump running?

Does the pump shut off after a few seconds? This indicates the pump is functioning and can create water pressure in the system.

Is there any water coming out at all? Where?

 

[Jquillen]

The pump is running, sounds normal. Pressure is about 1/3 of normal. Tank says 2/3 full. I’ll top off and try that.

 

[Bookumdanno]

You said you winterized before leaving. If you didn't empty water heater first from the drain plug in front of unit, you may have gotten calcium or other crud into your lines. This can block water faucet screens and show low pressure . Can you remove the screen from a faucet and see if it returns to full pressure?

 

[Jquillen]

I’ll check these. I’m going to check the one at the pump too.. it is the entire camper with low pressure. 4 sinks and the shower.
It does work and pressure is there, but just not good... I agree probably something blocking.

I cleaned the hot tank real well when winterizing and I did rinse the hot tank again before plugging and filling but I could have missed some.
Also I don’t have the filter element installed.

 

[Jquillen]

Cleaned the screen going into the pump. There was a little calcium but only like 2 pieces. Pressure is at like 1/2, maybe little more. I’ll check each of the fixtures. Thank you

 

[D2Reid]

There was a little calcium but only like 2 pieces. Thank you

Pieces of calcium indicates there is a lot of calcium. It has built up and broken loose. It's a bear to get fully out of the system. My kitchen sink was such a mess that I RV engineered adapters to hook up to my sink and back flushed my kitchen hoses. It was a mess. It took me three tries before I got all the little chunkies out of the hoses and connectors.

Another helpful solution (ok chemists are going to laugh {vinegar solution}) is to get vinegar into the system. Then let it sit. Vinegar breaks down the calcium deposits without harming the plumbing. Of course it takes a good bit of rinsing to get the vinegar out of the water system. My calcium clogged shower head took about 48 hours in near pure vinegar solution in a bucket to dissolve the chunkies.

If I ever spend another summer at Jordanelle State Park in Park City UT I am going to install a water softener....

 

[GeoffnCheri]

Check you nautilus panel valve settings to make sure you did not leave them in the winterize settings or the fresh tank fill and they are currently in the proper setting for dry camping

 

[OlProfPaul]

Citric acid is commonly used to clean scale from hot water heaters. A google search on RVs and citric acid will show amount/concentration. It's responsible for the tartness of lemons so any residue left in an RV system will not be toxic and not smell like vinegar.

 

[billfisher]

Citric acid is commonly used to clean scale from hot water heaters. A google search on RVs and citric acid will show amount/concentration. It's responsible for the tartness of lemons so any residue left in an RV system will not be toxic and not smell like vinegar.

I agree, citric acid is a very effective remedy!

 

[Keebler]

Another thing to check; even though you have no filter cartridge in place, make sure that the filter canister is filled with water and tightly screwed in place. Any air getting in here will cause issues.