Using onboard water pump to assist low pressure. - Montana Owners Club

jfaberna · 08-20-2014, 04:02 AM

I bet this has been discussed before, but low bandwidth at this CG isn't helping me research.

If you are at a park with low pressure, should I just turn on the pump to assist, or shut off the park water and just run on my freshwater and the pump?

Speaking of pumps, my 2014 3402RL had a loud pump from the start, now it sounds like a jack hammer. A mounting screw must have come loose.

That brings up the question. Dragging the Monty to a dealer for warranty repair of a loud pump makes little sense to me. Is there a quiet solution, maybe even an accumulator tank and pump combination that would make running off the freshwater quieter and with better pressure??

GreatWhite · 08-20-2014, 04:25 AM

I have the same problem.. dang jackhammer. I've handled this in prior rigs but have not done so with this RV... yet. Probably an off season project.

The idea is to isolate the pump from the house as much as possible. I've done this in the past by making a sandwich of wood and flexible foam. One piece of thicker plywood.. say 1/2" or thicker.. that the pump can be attached to. Another piece of plywood.. slightly larger, that is large enough that the other pump piece can sit on with enough room around it to screw to the RV. Between those two pieces is cemented a piece of flexible foam.. not rigid. The whole idea here is to isolate and eliminate the drumming. I'm sure there are rubber mounts that might be made for this purpose.. but, those mounts might well be made out of hard enough rubber that isolation will be minimal.

Others might have a different solution.

Also, with all the RV's being plumbed with hard plastic tubing, isolating the part of the run nearest to the pump might be advised as well.

Good luck. I will wait to see if some younger brain has a better solution than I came up with.

brenkco · 08-20-2014, 04:40 AM

When at Quartzsite last year, a Shurflo dealer had a pump on display (the least expensive model), running.... it was silent. He explained that it's not the pump, but the pipe hammering.

They sell a kit that is a short piece of hose that forms a loop to try to reduce hammering. From experience, it didn't help much. I tried it along with a mouse pad, rubber spacers underneath the pump. They all helped, marginally.

Recent we purchased a SOB. The pump is virtually silent. The difference is that all of the plumbing in an around the pump is securely fastened to sheets of plywood.

I know how much time I spent trying to quiet the pump with not much success. I was attacking the wrong problem, it's not the pump, it's the pipes!

Hope that helps!

Ken

jlb27537 · 08-20-2014, 04:40 AM

On a previous rig, I connected the pump with a couple of pieces of hose, instead of the pex connected directly to the pump. I unscrewed the mounting screws, used a thick piece of carpet under the pump and then used longer screws to just keep it in place.

Next I installed a 2 gallon well pressure tank in the outlet line from the pump. You had to listen real hard to even hear it.

As for the low pressure in the park, just fill your fresh tank and run off the pump.

Jim

8.1al · 08-20-2014, 06:13 AM

I leave the water and pump on. That way the pump just runs part of the time and I don't have to fill the tank as often.

bigskyjimmy · 08-20-2014, 06:18 AM

Been there done that on my 3402 pump tried everything ,mounted it on rubber and built a sound insulation box etc... then I learned from this forum it is the pex pipe hammering not the pump was going to do that but solved the problem by buying a new Montana

and now I can hardly hear it because of where it is located in the new one

paulinbaja · 08-20-2014, 08:12 AM

The low pressure is a problem in many places. You can just leave the pump on but make certain you don't run out of water in the tank! An accumulator tank helps greatly when on the pump. The noise, those responding above have about covered that! There are new pumps that have a built in by-pass that are much quieter, the are loud on the wallet though.

GOOD LUCK

paulinbaja · 08-20-2014, 08:13 AM

The low pressure is a problem in many places. You can just leave the pump on but make certain you don't run out of water in the tank! An accumulator tank helps greatly when on the pump. The noise, those responding above have about covered that! There are new pumps that have a built in by-pass that are much quieter, the are loud on the wallet though.

GOOD LUCK

HOOK · 08-20-2014, 08:21 AM

Changed mine myself to a quieter one that a tech recommended. Flojet Quiet Quad premium. Much quieter.

jfaberna · 08-21-2014, 01:44 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by HOOK

Changed mine myself to a quieter one that a tech recommended. Flojet Quiet Quad premium. Much quieter.

Is the replacement, just unscrewing the connectors and reconnecting? Or do I need PEX tools?

**DQDick** · 08-21-2014, 02:49 AM

Usually you can just unscrew the old one and screw on the new one. I decided to add the extra hoses to try and be even more quiet, but all I needed was a Pex cutter and a couple of shark bites. With the shark bites you don't need the expensive crimping tools nor to you need room to squeeze them.

Lenny K · 08-21-2014, 04:25 AM

The Flojet that came with the 3400 was really loud. Added on the extra hoses that I had and still really loud. Replaced it with my spare Shurflo pump and the noise and knocking went down by at least three quarters.

Mark N. · 08-22-2014, 05:22 AM

On this topic, where do I even find the pump on my 3400rl? I haven't had a reason to go looking for it yet? Is it hard to access?

**Carl n Susan** · 08-22-2014, 06:00 AM

If you have a "Convenience Center", then the water pump is likely right behind it. The panel surround is easy to remove (just a few screws hold it in) to expose the pump. In older rigs without the CC, the pump tended to move about depending on the model.

jfaberna · 09-15-2014, 05:40 AM

okay, I ordered the Flojet Quad Quiet that Hook recommended and installed it this morning since it was cool for a change. I don't work with it's hot. Against my religion.

My original pump turned out to be a Flojet, but obviously one of their extra loud models. I could not believe how easy it was to replace. The hoses are connected with a snap catch and the new pump had the same mechanism. Cut and crimps the new wires, 4 screws and that was it. The pump is indeed located behind the Convenience Center panel. It's screwed into the floor, so you can't get a more solid surface. I didn't have any water in the fresh water tank, so I could not leak check it, but it runs really quiet compared to the original one.

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