Water Pumps in 2007's quieter? - Montana Owners Club

campbud · 12-19-2006, 02:06 PM

Just wondering if Keystone made these quieter? Ours is so noisey! Sure would be nice to make it quieter.

dsprik · 12-19-2006, 02:16 PM

Yes they did, Campbud. The day we took our tour - May 16th - was the first day the sale rep giving the tour was taken by surprise as we went by an installed pump and he did a double take. He was genuinely surprised as he informed us that they must have just changed to a new pump that day, as he had never seen this new model before.

Our pump is VERY quiet (July 17 build date). I have been in RVs for years and I am very pleased with how smooth and quiet ours is. We have had to use ours extensively for about 8 weeks off and on since last July.

campbud · 12-19-2006, 02:42 PM

Dave and Cheryl, that is good news! I just hate how loud ours is. We even tried the mouse pad and it gave very little improvement.

ols1932 · 12-19-2006, 04:01 PM

We changed ours to the Extreme Series Smart Sensor 5.7. It's a lot quieter.

Orv

JH Sechelt · 12-19-2006, 07:55 PM

Good to hear the newer one's are better. that's one thing I will do this Spring, Get the water pump to quiet down a little.

J&D

dsprik · 12-20-2006, 06:08 AM

I am not sure what the brand of the one I have is. I have had the bulkhead cover off, but I was not checking on the pump on that particular project. I was in CW yesterday and I was looking at their new smart sensor pumps. The top of the line was $167. Not sure if that was the 5.7 that Orv has, or if there was one more with a higher volume...

Cat320 · 12-20-2006, 07:16 AM

We bought our first RV (of many) in 1973, and this water pump in our 07 3400 is the loudest of any of them. It is a Flojet.

Illini Trekker · 12-20-2006, 08:23 AM

Campbud this really worked for me three foot vinyl tubing, foam on the floor, little insulation, and build sound box under cabinet.

campbud · 12-20-2006, 09:59 AM

Illini Trekker, That looks like it would sure quite it down. I am putting on my to do list this spring. I will invest in a better one when this one quits.

sreigle · 12-20-2006, 11:44 AM

Ours sounds about as noisy as the one in our 2003 Montana did. I wonder what's the difference since ours was built later than Dsprik's?

Other members have reported it helps to rubber mount the pump and to replace the rigid lines with flex piping for a few inches, connected to the pump. We don't use ours very often so I've not tried this but I think I will one of these days. I like the idea of an insulated box, too.

What size is the oem line? Half inch inside diameter? Anyone know?

Illini Trekker · 12-20-2006, 03:20 PM

campbud don't go to crazy with the box it has to come apart to winterize camper in the winter. I put foam under the pump and where the value it winterize lied against the floor. When we run water at the kitchen sink I have to lesson to hear it run.

Steve the tubing in ours is 1/2" Tuffex. To measure it, it looks like 7/16" I.D.

dsprik · 12-20-2006, 05:08 PM

I DID have a noise problem with my pump. It began while I was at the Rally in Goshen. One of the things on my list for the service dept was this sudden increase in noise. I noticed it right after I unintentionally threw on the pump switch while I had the CG water still on and pressured up on the backside of the pump. I wouldn't do that BTW... I've done this twice and both times casued problems. Bad rattle machine gun noise when running it.

The first time was at Goshen. The tech beat on it - not hard, I presume - and a valve came unstuck (his explanation). Noise went away immediately and back to it's whisper quiet mode. The 2nd time, I pulled the bulkhead away from the pump and it must have seen my determination to beat on it. After a half hour of wrestling that cover off, the valve (or whatever was causing this loud operation noise) saw me coming and immediately became unstuck and began behaving. Puzzled that it fixed itself before I could beat on it, I put the cover back on and it has minded ever since.

The sound of the pump is quiet to the point that if I am sitting in the LR (3400) watching TV at a nominal volume, and Cheryl runs water in the BR vanity. I can barely pick up the sound, and I have missed it totally at times. Now I consider THAT quiet.

So maybe if your new pump is loud, there may be a valve problem? Just a thought.

campbud · 12-21-2006, 08:52 AM

Dave, there is no missing the loudness of our water pump! I to would consider yours quiet if you can watch tv and hardly hear it, unlike ours...I always thing everyone behind and in front of us can hear whenevery ours is on.

JimF · 12-21-2006, 10:14 AM

Glad we are not alone in the noisy pump department. I have heard quiter jackhammers and ours is an 07 build completion date October 26th..

sreigle · 12-21-2006, 12:28 PM

Dennis, thanks.

Dave, question for you. When that valve was stuck was there any other symptom other than increased noise? Was there a serious change in water flow, for example? Reason I ask is twofold... First, ours is noisy. Second, when starting to break camp I routinely turn the pump on before I go outside to start my breakdown procedures. I do that so Vicki will have an uninterrupted water supply. When she finishes breaking down inside she starts getting herself prettied up and needs water. I go outside and eventually shut off the city water connection. Before then the pump is still on and water has been run. So I'm wondering if the noise in our pump is a stuck valve. When running the pump and not connected to city water the water flow seems to be "normal" for a water pump.

dsprik · 12-21-2006, 01:07 PM

Steve, I agree that leaving back pressure on the pump should not cause problems, but it sure did with us. Noise level jumped about 5 to 10 fold. The tech in Goshen told me it was a stuck valve. He didn't have any reason for why it stuck, but it has only happened twice to us and both times it happened when the city water line was turned on.

As a matter of fact, if I accidentally leave the pump switch on, then connect and turn on the CG water, it will start forcing the pump to run loudly - no faucets on (must have a bypass). I then either run quickly and shut off the water or if I am closer, I can make it to wall switch and quickly knock it off. This stuck the valve the second time, and wouldn't stop until I pulled off that shield in the basement...

I am curious, does anyone else's pump automatically allow this "bypass" that sounds like it is actually running (loudly) if they have the city water and internal pump on at the same time?

JimF · 12-21-2006, 02:35 PM

Strange you should mention that, I turned on the city water while the pump was on and it started running very loudly, we also did not have any water flow, city or pump. I turned the pump off and the water city water flow started. I went and turned off the city water and turned on the pump and it acted normally, but loud. We have noticed something else. We have better water flow with the pump than we do with city water. I tried the city water with and without the pressure regulator and no difference. The flow was sorta marginal until we went back to the pump. Anyone experience this??

dsprik · 12-21-2006, 02:50 PM

Now that you mention it, Jim, our water flow is quite low also - as you said, lower than with our onboard pump. I turn on the water at the CG faucet and it seems much stronger. I just wrote that off, but now I'm really wondering. Sometimes CG water press coming out at our showerhead is barely enough to keep the shower plunger up.

Great... don't tell me I have to dig into those water lines. Maybe a restriction somewhere??? At the pump??? Sounds like this may be a phone call to a Keystone tech... Anyone else with a 2007 unit having similar problems?

dsprik · 12-21-2006, 02:51 PM

Now that you mention it, Jim, our water flow is quite low also - as you said, lower than with our onboard pump. I turn on the water at the CG faucet and it seems much stronger. I just wrote that off, but now I'm really wondering. Sometimes CG water press coming out at our showerhead is barely enough to keep the shower plunger up.

Great... don't tell me I have to dig into those water lines. Maybe a restriction somewhere??? At the pump??? Sounds like this may be a phone call to a Keystone tech... Anyone else with a 2007 unit having similar problems?

JimF · 12-21-2006, 02:57 PM

I have been thinking it is the one way valve at the water inlet, am going to pull that and check for obstructions.

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