water pump switch in the convenience center

[Mark N.]

Do I recall someone here that has done this? I am really getting tired of running in an out of the trailer to turn the pump on and off when flushing. How do you route a switch? Is it hard to get to the pump wiring?

[jlb27537]

Mark,

I do not know the location of your pump, on my '14 3150 it is behind the plastic panel by the convenience center. The pump will have 2 wires hot and ground. Cut the hot wire, insert switch in this wire.

The pump will work as normal with the added switch in the ON position. Mount the new switch where you want and use the new switch to turn the pump on or off. The inside switch will have to be ON for the pump to run.

Jim

[Mark N.]

quote:Originally posted by jlb27537

Mark,

I do not know the location of your pump, on my '14 3150 it is behind the plastic panel by the convenience center. The pump will have 2 wires hot and ground. Cut the hot wire, insert switch in this wire.

The pump will work as normal with the added switch in the ON position. Mount the new switch where you want and use the new switch to turn the pump on or off. The inside switch will have to be ON for the pump to run.

Jim

Thanks Jim! I did it today, and it works great! Boy, that was a pain to have to keep running around the trailer and up and inside to control the pump.

[PackerFan]

Great idea, will have to do this one. Wish they would put a second Tank Level gauge in the convenience panel too!

[WeBeFulltime]

Please educate me with this. We have owned 2 Montanas over an eight year period and have never had to use our pump to flush our tank. We are full time and flush every other dump so it has been done many times. What am I missing here?

[Mark N.]

My routine is this: I put a teaspoon of sodium dichlor (used to sanitize hot tubs and pools) into my hose and then turn on the water to fill the fresh tank. (Before this, I have dumped the hot water tank). I open the temperature & pressure relief valve on the hot water tank and that's when I had to run up and turn on the pump inside the trailer, to fill the hot water tank with the treated water. Once the tank fills and starts to come out the T&P valve, I close it and let the system pressurize. I go into the trailer and open each valve to draw treated water into each line. I then go back out to open the outside valves (shower, etc.) for a minute for the same reason. That is where it is nice to shut it off form the convenience center; I'm already out there and wanted a shut-off out where I'm working. Then, ditto for all of these again when I flush the treated water out of the system. Twice I flush it.
Also, when I winterize, I wanted the pump switch outside where I am working to introduce the anti-freeze into the system. I have to turn the pump on to pull the anti-freeze into the pipes.
For the $3.99 toggle switch, a few feet of wire and a couple connectors, it was worth the 30 minutes of work to add the switch into the convenience center.

[Mark N.]

For anyone considering this: Be aware that the wood on the convenience center (On my Montana at least) is too thick to be able to drill through with a 1/2" bit and then have most normal toggle switches reach through far enough to then be secured from the front. I hope that made sense.
The threaded part of most switches is too short for the wall thickness. Instead, I drilled a small hole to pass the 2 switch wires through, and then mounted the switch to metal "L" shaped bracket I made out of galvanized metal. I screwed this to the inside top up near the light. I sure wish I could post pics. here...

[dieselguy]

I take it you're sanitizing where you don't have a city water hookup ... for those of us that do have a city water hookup available ... we just pour a cup Clorox in the freshwater hose, hook it back to the convenience center and wash it back to the tank with the city water via the fill valve. I sure wish Keystone hadn't done away with the exterior fill port.

[Mark N.]

quote:Originally posted by dieselguy

I take it you're sanitizing where you don't have a city water hookup ... for those of us that do have a city water hookup available ... we just pour a cup Clorox in the freshwater hose, hook it back to the convenience center and wash it back to the tank with the city water via the fill valve. I sure wish Keystone hadn't done away with the exterior fill port.

Yes, I do have city water. Sorry, I probably didn't explain it very well. This is at my house, and there is a hose bib right next to my RV pad. I put the sodium dichlor in the garden hose as you do the bleach. I use it instead of bleach, because it has about 62% available chlorine vs. the bleach at 6% or 8.25% and the sodium dichlor isn't nearly as hard on plastics as sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is. I use it to sanitize my hot tub, so I always have it around. It's a white powder, and much easier to store and work with than bleach. My procedure is the same as you described, with the exception of the sodium dichlor powder in my hose vs. the bleach in yours to start with.
I wanted the switch mainly while waiting for the hot water tank to fill to shut off the pump from right there. Also during the winterizing procedure as I mentioned.