UPGRADE TO BETTER WATER PUMP - Montana Owners Club

CRUZIN 2 · 07-23-2008, 08:41 AM

I would like some help on an upgrade for the water pump, pro's & con's , some are using accumulator tanks, but I think we would like to get a better pump. Throw all suggestions at us.

OntMont · 07-23-2008, 08:47 AM

If by "better" you mean "quieter", I would suggest that you try the pump silencer kit from CW etc. This kits add an electronic flow sensor capability to the stock pump, making it much quieter. The cost is less and and installation is much easier than a pump replacement.

CRUZIN 2 · 07-23-2008, 11:05 AM

John

Yes, I meant to say quieter. Do you mean the one on sale at CW item #32735? Have you seen it work or do you have one? Do you know if the electrical wires are spliced in before the pump motor, just trying to get more info., looks like it is what I'm looking for.

OntMont · 07-24-2008, 04:01 PM

Sorry for the delay in answering. Yes, that is the unit. We have one, and think that it works well. Not absolutely silent, but much better than without it. It was a couple of years ago that I installed it, so I don't remember too much of the detail. (Our trailer is in storage at present,so I can't even go look at it) As I recall, it was a fairly straightforward install. We had considered a different pump, but space considerations made that difficult. This device allowed us to retain the existing pump and plumbing with only minor changes. The present deal at CW seems good. I think we paid almost double that.

CRUZIN 2 · 07-24-2008, 04:12 PM

OntMont

Thanks for the reply, it's on order. Now to find time to install it, we will be on the road for about 2 weeks. THANKS AGAIN!!

Charlie · 07-24-2008, 04:14 PM

Larry-
There's ducks swimming on your campsite in the RGV. LOL!!!!!

CRUZIN 2 · 07-24-2008, 04:18 PM

Charlie

With my new pump setup we can pump it out, and the ducks will have to find a new water hole. HA

Snownyet · 07-28-2008, 07:31 AM

Weve got an 07 Mountaineer 307RKD and can barely hear the pump, it located right under our shower. Our friends have a 2009 cougar and its annoying as can be. To fix that my buddy went to CW and bought the "quietest" pump they have available only to install it and find out it sounds exactly the same. My point is, before you go buy a pump, locate it and isolate the mounts and insulate the area its located first. The sound you hear often resonates thru the trailer making it worse than it needs to be.

Craig A · 07-28-2008, 10:03 AM

Cruzin2, do you know where your existing pump is? In my 2006 344RET, it's located under the drawer in the kitchen. I replaced mine with same pump. Was easy install except standing on my head to get to it. It had a hot and ground wire and input and output water lines.

norm · 08-04-2008, 05:54 AM

My pump in my 3000RK sounds like the trailer is going somewhere.
its awful. Please advise how your system works in making
yours quieter. I would buy new one but not sure what to
purchase that would work.

OntMont · 08-04-2008, 10:58 AM

In its original stock form, the pump always runs at full power, shutting itself on and off as needed to maintain pressure. It is a diaphragm pump that pulsates by its nature. The kit I mentioned attaches to the plumbing and wiring to control the flow by slowing down the pump so that it just matches the demand. This eliminates the on-off cycles at low flow, and reduces the force of the pulses, thus reducing the noise level. At low flows, this almost completely silences the pump, at higher flows the improvement is less, but still noticeably quieter than the stock pump.

In addition to using the flow controller device, you can often make a big improvement by just sorting out the plumbing so that the pipes don't rub against each other or other parts of the trailer. I used the foam plastic pipe insulation held on with plastic tie-wraps. You can also buy an accumulator tank, which is just a small air padded storage tank that accomplishes somewhat the same thing as the flow controller, but in a different way. You will have to use your judgement about your own case based on such things as how easy it is to get at the pump, and the hidden places where the pipes may rattle, as well as the available space to make plumbing changes. In our case, we found the flow controller worked out well.

On a somewhat related problem, I also installed a pressure reducing valve on the toilet supply line, so that the "klunk" associated with the toilet flush valve is much reduced.

hookman · 08-04-2008, 12:48 PM

To get rid of the sound take a 18in to 2ft piece of water hose and place it between the pump in a loop and the plastic pipe going to the sinks, shower and toilet. Personally I don,t like the noise but you develop a leak it will let you know before your unit floods.

stiles watson · 08-04-2008, 02:52 PM

As I understand it, most noise comes from from resonance. To solve the problem the feet need to be mounted on shock absorbing material and the water lines connected to the pump need to be of flexible hose, not rigid hose. This isolates the pump from the surrounding hard materials that resonate sound. Nothing is going to make the pump "silent". A mechanical pump is going to make a mechanical noise.

CRUZIN 2 · 08-04-2008, 04:18 PM

All

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions, sorry for not keeping up with you all. We had the rig out for about 2 weeks, that is why I'm so slow.

OntMont
John
I did order the kit you suggested, and put it in, at the price of $44.74 on sale with shipping. John, now I owe YOU, that was the BEST thing we have done. I can't believe it can be so quiet, and the water pressure stays at a steady stream, no surging. THANKS AGAIN!!

Ramblin Roadrunners · 08-05-2008, 04:55 AM

I have a Alfa Gold now. The pump is in the galley area. It was very loud. I recently after owning the unit for 5 years foamed the water lines where they passed through the floor to keep mice from coming in the trailer. This had a side benifit of cutting the pump noise about 60%.
Jay D.

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