Spluttering taps (1 Viewer)

[Diggerdi]

I've tried searching for this problem but can't seem to find a definitive answer. Since we've had the moho (6 weeks now) the taps have spluttered and the water is full of air bubbles. It's so bad that it actually looks like soap suds, but does quickly settle. I realise this is air in the system but would have thought by now it would have worked it's way through. We don't carry a lot of water at the moment, until the threat of frost is over I don't want to leave water in the tank (although there is usually a liitle in). I have read somewhere that you need to run the taps and shower one at a time until the spluttering stops but haven't been able to try this due to (a) not having much fresh water on board and (b) not being somewhere where we can easily dump the waste, ie drive over dump point, and emptying with a bucket is a real pain.

We are at the moment on a site with drive over dump with adjacent drinking water tap. If I empty grey water (currently about half full), fill fresh, run taps one at a time whilst still over waste dump (hence not filling grey tank again), then refill fresh if necessary, will this work? Sorry for sounding so thick.

 

[denisejoe]

It should work it's just air in pipes,is your fresh tank inside the van if so whilst your in the van it should not freeze ,just empty it when you're finished you holiday

Joe

 

[Figaro]

It shouldn't take so long to clear air that you need to park over a dump to do it.
Just have a decent amount of fresh water in the tank and run taps as you described.
If it's still got air in after a few minutes then it might be pulling air in from somewhere in the system.

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[Allanm]

Sounds like it should. Are you filling the boiler too? Try as you suggested, open taps one at a time till the water runs smoothly, you might have to do it a couple of times and use a lot of water.
Were is your pump? Can you hear it running with the taps on, does it stop when you turn the taps off?
If the pump is in the tank, it is generally self priming, but it may take a good few litres passing through it to get all the air purged out.

 

[JackieP]

Yes. This is the ideal time to bleed the whole system. You've got the best of both worlds - water coming in and water going out.

Fill up your system and go around the taps. I do cold first then hot but I've also heard advice to do it then other way around.

What I do is keep running the water in with the taps open until it's all running without air.

Good luck.

 

[Lenny HB]

Have you got micro switched taps or a pressure switched system?
I suspect a pressure switch probably air getting into the pump/switch. Probably a Sureflow pump with built in pressure switch may be repairable.

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[Diggerdi]

Thanks @denisejoe and @Figaro. One problem we have is that there is nowhere to dump our fresh or grey water when we get back to our storage so, at the moment, we are keeping it low. I'm not worried about it freezing whilst we're in it, but when it's in storage. Unfortunately, we have no ehu there.

I would think that back in the urban suburbs of Manchester the threat of frost will be over now, and as we're using it at least every other weekend, will do no harm leaving fresh water in.

 

[old-mo]

"Air in the system"....

Run the taps furthest away from the Pump first... then the next one and so on..

If the toilet is drawn from the water tank, take that into the equation as well..

Might have to do it a couple of times to purge the air out...

 

[Diggerdi]

Were is your pump? Can you hear it running with the taps on, does it stop when you turn the taps off?
If the pump is in the tank, it is generally self priming, but it may take a good few litres passing through it to get all the air purged out.

Yes the pump is running fine, comes on when tap turned on, off a few seconds after turned off.

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[Diggerdi]

Have you got micro switched taps or a pressure switched system?
I suspect a pressure switch probably air getting into the pump/switch. Probably a Sureflow pump with built in pressure switch may be repairable.

Haven't got a clue! New motorhome though so shouldn't be faulty.

 

[Diggerdi]

"Air in the system"....

Run the taps furthest away from the Pump first... then the next one and so on..

If the toilet is drawn from the water tank, take that into the equation as well..

Might have to do it a couple of times to purge the air out...

So, presuming the pump is in the tank, and we have mixer taps, kitchen cold, kitchen hot, toilet, cold then hot shower room, shower. Also need to empty toilet cassette too then

 

[Fletton]

Yes the pump is running fine, comes on when tap turned on, off a few seconds after turned off.

Last part of sentence suggests - no switches on taps.. else pump stops ( or should at least) immediately..

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[old-mo]

Doubt the pump will be in the tank !!!

 

[Lenny HB]

Yes the pump is running fine, comes on when tap turned on, off a few seconds after turned off.

That's a pressure switched system as its a new van new pump should cure it.

I always drain down chlorine is only effective in water for a few days also drain the waste or it gets very smelly.

 

[Diggerdi]

Doubt the pump will be in the tank !!!

Oh, thought someone said it could be. Must admit to being a little confused as when we had handover, Bill at Hayes took out one of the bottom kitchen drawers, which has a 'snowflake' label on the bottom of it, and I'm sure he said that was the pump but also the boiler dump control, but the boiler is under the seat on the other side of the van. Most people seem to say the boiler dump switch is near the boiler. * confused *

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[denisejoe]

Thanks @denisejoe and @Figaro. One problem we have is that there is nowhere to dump our fresh or grey water when we get back to our storage so, at the moment, we are keeping it low. I'm not worried about it freezing whilst we're in it, but when it's in storage. Unfortunately, we have no ehu there.

I would think that back in the urban suburbs of Manchester the threat of frost will be over now, and as we're using it at least every other weekend, will do no harm leaving fresh water in.

You can dump the fresh water on the road if necessary as it is clean water no pollution

Joe

 

[berni109]

Reading through this thread I would hope that u are now sorted but just in case u'r not.
What type of pump or switching system u have is a bit immaterial until u establish if u actually have a problem that needs fixing.
Fill the fresh water tank and empty the grey tank.
Turn a hot tap on which should fill the boiler (check that water is not running out under the van from the boilers dump valve).
On most boilers cold water enters at the bottom hot comes out of the top with the boiler on but u don't need the boiler on to expel the air. It takes a few minutes to fill the boiler (on mine) which seems like a very long time when all u can hear is gurgling.
When u get a flow of water from that hot tap move on to the next hot one.
Then just purge the air from the cold taps.
If that don't fix it then the pump is sucking in air from somewhere.
Hth

 

[Diggerdi]

Right, have now discovered that it is just the cold at the kitchen that is spluttering, everything else seems to be ok. Before we leave the site tomorrow morning I will run this tap for a while to see if it improves, as this will get rid of some of the fresh water before our journey home and we will be emptying the grey. Many thanks for all your suggestions. I think I'll still be a newbie in 12 months!

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[old-mo]

Definately sounds like air in the system...

Not being silly... but..... are you sure you have enough water in the tank...

 

[berni109]

Can u see into your fresh water tank to verify that the gauge is showing roughly the correct contents as @old-mo just said above.
Because when I have run out of water in the past its the cold that starts to splitter first.

 

[Diggerdi]

This morning the gauge was showing empty, but water still coming out of the taps. As we are not near a tap, I put in 4 x 10 l watering cans. The gauge then showed 50 %! (130 l tank). When we went over to the service point, I emptied the grey and started filling the fresh, leaving Mike holding the hosepipe and told him to let me know when it started overflowing. After about 8 - 10 mins it still wasn't full (it wasn't coming out anywhere else either). As there were 2 caravans waiting to get out and we were blocking their exit, we came back to our pitch. On checking, it was still only 75% full. The van is perfectly level.

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[berni109]

Gauges are notoriously inaccurate even when new but 5 mins with a mains hose in the filler should certainly be sufficient.
Try the other cold taps for a few minutes each to make sure they don't have air in the pipes now then run the kitchen tap for at least 10 mins or until running properly.

 

[pappajohn]

Start with the furthest tap from the tank until it runs clear then move to the next closest tap and repeat.....dont forget the shower.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Haven't got a clue! New motorhome though so shouldn't be faulty.

We had a faulty submersible pump from new, a small crack in the side caused cavitation. Lots of air bubbles from the sink tap. New pump fixed the problem, I now carry a spare