Water pump constantly on

[AlunandFelicie]

We have a weird problem with our pump ,it turns itself on at random times even if we don’t open a tap ,at first I thought it was the washroom sink so disconnected that and the pump stopped , reconnected pump starts ok microswitch short I think.Switch panel off reconnect tap ,switch panel on pump stayed off ! flush toilet pump stays on?? Switch off and on panel pump still running ,switch off and on again pump stopped ,turn on and off kitchen tap pump continues to run few minutes later pump stops ,scratch head , shrug shoulders off to bed few hours later pump turns itself on again!! And this has been the story for a few days now.
any ideas??

 

[Stealaway]

A micro switch in one of your tap's?

 

[NicM]

If pressure switch pump, then maybe a leak somewhere.

 

[AlunandFelicie]

A micro switch in one of your tap's?

If pressure switch pump, then maybe a leak somewhere.

If a micro switch I can’t understand why it comes on regardless of which tap or flush I use and sometimes not till hours later??I’m stumped

how can I tell if it’s a pressure switch pump? The van is a Burstner

 

[Richard n Ann]

how can I tell if it’s a pressure switch pump? The van is a Burstner

Open a tap so it's just dribbling and if it's a pressure switch system the pump will cycle on and off.
If a microswitch system the pump will either run continuously or not at all.

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[AlunandFelicie]

Open a tap so it's just dribbling and if it's a pressure switch system the pump will cycle on and off.
If a microswitch system the pump will either run continuously or not at all.

Worth a shot but as I said the pump runs continuously without a tap open most of the time so I don’t think it will give me a clue

 

[Stealaway]

The micro switch on my Burstner can be very sensitive. You need to get to and adjust it. You may need a new one

 

[AlunandFelicie]

The micro switch on my Burstner can be very sensitive. You need to get to and adjust it. You may need a new one

Is there one master microswitch or individual ones on each tap toilet

 

[The Old Man]

The hot water tap of my kitchen sink does not switch off completely, unless I apply a lot of pressure, and will drip one drop about every five minutes, so not at all noticable.

However after a period of time enough water has dripped out of the hot water tank to register that is not full and send a message to the pump to top up the tank, so the pump comes on for a couple of seconds to top off the tank and thenback to sleep.

During the day I don't notice but at night, the pump is under the bed, I hear the pump activate for a short moment and then back to sleep.

 

[pappajohn]

Is there one master microswitch or individual ones on each tap toilet

Individual switches.
To check if there's a faulty one, open the suspect tap. If no water runs turn on another tap leaving the suspected one open.
If water flows from both you have a faulty switch

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[Stealaway]

Is there one master microswitch or individual ones on each tap toilet

Every one has a separate switch. You'll have to check them all

 

[Gill263]

The hot water tap of my kitchen sink does not switch off completely, unless I apply a lot of pressure, and will drip one drop about every five minutes, so not at all noticable.

However after a period of time enough water has dripped out of the hot water tank to register that is not full and send a message to the pump to top up the tank, so the pump comes on for a couple of seconds to top off the tank and thenback to sleep.

During the day I don't notice but at night, the pump is under the bed, I hear the pump activate for a short moment and then back to sleep.

The last couple of days away this was happening to me (my bed has the pump underneath) couldn’t work it out until we found everything wet on the shower floor, somehow we had knocked the tap slightly so you couldn’t witness the drip, but every so often it must have.

 

[NicM]

If a micro switch I can’t understand why it comes on regardless of which tap or flush I use and sometimes not till hours later??I’m stumped

how can I tell if it’s a pressure switch pump? The van is a Burstner

Is the pump a submersible one? Or outside the tank?

 

[AlunandFelicie]

Is the pump a submersible one? Or outside the tank?

Submersible

 

[AlunandFelicie]

Do tap micro switches tend to be the same make/type,the tap in the toilet and kitchen are different so am I likely to need different switches and where is the best place to buy them.

cheers everyone

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[autorouter]

It's best to get the type of switch supplied with the tap. There are so many types of microswitch it's easy to buy something that's almost but not quite right, unless you know what you are doing or are extremely patient and thorough.

The microswitches themselves are very reliable. However they are located inside the tap mechanism, and the usual failure mode is that a wire breaks due to the constant turning and stretching. In your case maybe the wires are occasionally shorting together, so that the microswitch is bypassed.

It may be possible to repair the broken wire, but sometimes it's impossible because it breaks off just as it enters the microswitch

 

[AlunandFelicie]

The microswitches themselves are very reliable. However they are located inside the tap mechanism, and the usual failure mode is that a wire breaks due to the constant turning and stretching. In your case maybe the wires are occasionally shorting together, so that the microswitch is bypassed.

Watched a video about that and how to change the switch but can’t understand how it happens sometimes when I flush the toilet as well or when nothing has been used for an hour or more.

 

[The Old Man]

The last couple of days away this was happening to me (my bed has the pump underneath) couldn’t work it out until we found everything wet on the shower floor, somehow we had knocked the tap slightly so you couldn’t witness the drip, but every so often it must have.

That's how I spotted it, the Kitchen sink was always wet!

I thought it would just need a new washer fitted to the tap, but know it has been suggested that the whole tap set needs replacing!

So I'm careful that I make sure that the tap is 'firmly' off, but I suspect this will only compress the tap washer more, over time.

But for now I can live with it.

 

[WillH]

There is a chance it could be a cable going to earth somewhere.

 

[AlunandFelicie]

There is a chance it could be a cable going to earth somewhere.

Would that cause the pump to switch on and not blow a fuse?

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[WillH]

Would that cause the pump to switch on and not blow a fuse?

It could, just one of the live wires going to earth intermmitently, devil of a job to find it though. The fuse wouldn't blow because the current draw would be as normal for the pump when running.

 

[AlunandFelicie]

It could, just one of the live wires going to earth intermmitently, devil of a job to find it though. The fuse wouldn't blow because the current draw would be as normal for the pump when running.

Hope that’s not it I don’t like the sound ‘devil of a job’

 

[Soots]

My hot water tank drips when the water is hot,
And then the pump comes on for a jiffy when the pressure drops ,a couple of times a night.
Emailed Whale pumps about it some months ago........ still waiting for a reply?

 

[Cush]

My hot water tank drips when the water is hot,
And then the pump comes on for a jiffy when the pressure drops ,a couple of times a night.
Emailed Whale pumps about it some months ago........ still waiting for a reply?

Could be the boiler dump valve. Mine started like this and progressively got worst. Temp plugged the outflow while waiting for new bits.

 

[Gromett]

Not sure if you have resolved this yet. But there are different answers depending on whether your system is pressure switched or has switches on each tap.

The quickest way I can think of to tell if you don't know is to look underneath the sinks and see if there are any wires coming out of the taps. If there are then it is microswitch and the cause will be one of them playing up.
If there aren't then it is likely a pressure switched system. The 3 most common causes for pump activation without request is
1) Leak - look for water around the van where it shouldn't be, check everywhere.
2) faulty dump valve - look underneath the van to see if there is any drips near the dump valve.
3) non return valve in pump or after pump has failed allowing the water to return to the tank causing the pump to trigger again.

Hope this helps. If not let us know if you have a switch or pressure triggered one please.

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[AlunandFelicie]

Switch system, working okay at the moment but going away tomorrow so no doubt it’ll play up after a day or two

 

[Soots]

Switch system, working okay at the moment but going away tomorrow so no doubt it’ll play up after a day or two

Good luck and have a great time.

 

[AlunandFelicie]

Good luck and have a great time.

I will if the water pump plays up I’ll manage with beer

 

[Richard n Ann]

I will if the water pump plays up I’ll manage with beer

Can be a bit sticky for washing, use Bud Light I've been told it's very similar to water

 

[AlunandFelicie]

Can be a bit sticky for washing, use Bud Light I've been told it's very similar to water

Washing? Who does that I’m on holiday

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