Water pump problem - Adamo 75-4i

[SOA5]

Pump wont work unless water tank showing 70% + full. Anyone had the problem, and the remedy (other than keep filling the tank!!)

 

[TG1971]

We are having similar issues with the same van it’s 4 months old, having major problems with water system, the pump stops working especially when water is lower than 50%,

This weekend at 30% no water at all being pumped so no toilet flush or taps been in several times to dealer and Bailey have done site visit say they have fixed but does same every time we use it, if we fill to 100% works fine until it gets to 50% also water levels don’t work on waste and fresh water.

 

[Googlebot]

I would get it permanently bypassed, it sounds like a pain in the backside!

There must be a way you can remove the interlock.

 

[TG1971]

I’m not that clued up on MH as had camper before this had no tank but It’s a whale 12v submersible pump it pulls water from the bottom filter but ours can be an inch under water and seems to be sucking air, wondering if I can fit external pump to tank but dealer and Bailey are not interested so may have to just get it sorted myself.

 

[donkey]

So what sort of system are we looking at?

Is it an on-board tank?
An outside aqua roll type with submersible pump?
Diaphragm pump?

Please let us know, then we will be in a better position to offer advice.

Geoff

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[TG1971]

I

its An onboard tank with a whale submersible pump

 

[Mike800966]

So the pump shown should be pushing water upwards when it runs, if there is nothing blocking the pump intake (at the bottom) then its probably an air lock in the pipe run, you can get non return valves which make sure the water cannot run back, also you can get an extra inline pump to boost the pressure. also make sure the pump is getting a good voltage off the 12v supply.
Whats the performance like where the pipe leaves the tank, could even be the pump itself not pushing hard enough and not priming properly.
Hope this helps
Mike

 

[TG1971]

So the pump shown should be pushing water upwards when it runs, if there is nothing blocking the pump intake (at the bottom) then its probably an air lock in the pipe run, you can get non return valves which make sure the water cannot run back, also you can get an extra inline pump to boost the pressure. also make sure the pump is getting a good voltage off the 12v supply.
Whats the performance like where the pipe leaves the tank, could even be the pump itself not pushing hard enough and not priming properly.
Hope this helps
Mike

Thanks for this advice the van is only 4 months old so everything is new, when we fill the tank there is no problems at all after the initial bleed of the system until around 40% that is when we have issues with taps not working and pumping running all the time, dealer and bailey fob me off, as we have not owned a MH before just a VW camper.

I have read a lot of forums about Bailey Adamo motorhomes having a lot of issues with the water system and having spoken to Bailey they are aware of it but don't seem to do anything about it .

Tony

 

[denisejoe]

Have you checked how much in in the tank at 40% as the gauges are unreliable

 

[two]

(wish I understood how air can block a pressurised water system)
Is the pump at the bottom of the tank?
Watch it to see what happens as water is drawn.

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[pappajohn]

Sounds like you'll never get satisfaction from the dealer.
Scrap the submersible pump and fit an external diaphragm pump.
Around £70 for a pump and ½hr to fit

 

[L' Hobo]

Thanks for this advice the van is only 4 months old so everything is new, when we fill the tank there is no problems at all after the initial bleed of the system until around 40% that is when we have issues with taps not working and pumping running all the time, dealer and bailey fob me off, as we have not owned a MH before just a VW camper.

I have read a lot of forums about Bailey Adamo motorhomes having a lot of issues with the water system and having spoken to Bailey they are aware of it but don't seem to do anything about it .

Tony

As it seems to work when water is above the pump/pipe connection, is there a hole or something that's allowing air into the system and (if I remember rightly) there is a filter on the suck end that might be blocked or pipe trapped/restricted somewhere? Good Luck!

 

[lynnian]

At 40% full is the top of the pump above the water level, can you look in the tank while the pump is running just before it gets to 40%. if so is water coming out of the top of the pump. there could be a fine split in the pipe where it leaves the pump

 

[TG1971]

Have you checked how much in in the tank at 40% as the gauges are unreliable

yes tip of pump is under water by at least an inch.

 

[Mike800966]

So the connection to the pipe at the top of the pump is an inch underwater, is it?
Assuming its std 1/2" pipe then disconnect at the first available joint above the tank. If no joint then a joiner is readily available ( thats a plastic pipe connector not a carpenter!)
I suspect that you have a leak between there and the top of the pump so the water just goes back ithe easy way into the tank instead of being pushed up the pipe. It could be the impellor slipping but that wouldnt explain the levels being critical. When the tank is full are there any bubbles if you blow back towards the pump?
Presume that you are looking into the tank and not relying on the level guage.
An external pump may be difficult depending on space available but submersibles never give as high a pressure but are less troublesome in my view.
If you have a long horizontal section somewhere and a small air leak on a joint, then it can keep allowing the system to drain back, but again that doesnt for with the 40% business.
Keep at it, bit by bit we will get there
Mike

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[denisejoe]

yes tip of pump is under water by at least an inch.

An inch doesn’t sound like 40% unless your tank Is only 3inches deep

 

[TG1971]

So there’s no confusion with the tank full there is no problems at all the pump is fully submerged, after 40% that’s when the issues start (the exit pipe and wiring are not in the water but the pump is still 50% in the water) when the issue occurs water/air appears blow out of top of pump even though it is half in the water, at 25% the pump tip is still in by an inch but pump makes lots of noise but only dribbles water through taps.

Thanks for your help I’m thinking it is probably the pump but the dealer told me it is normal the pump blows water/air out of the top of pump if half submerged

Regards

Tony

 

[denisejoe]

try a different pump plenty of different ones out there

 

[Mike800966]

The pump should not be blowing air out of the top when partially submerged as there should be no air in it! The pump will find it easier to blow air than water.
Change the pump and carefully check the hose that rises to the top
Mike

 

[jwells]

Do not let the dealer off the hook!
You are under warranty, if they haven't a clue then they have a problem! Suggest they change the pump - before you demand that they fix it!
It seems that a lot of British manufacturers have problems when dealing with new customers, AS dragged some of mine out of the warranty period! Then I fixed them myself of course! Water gauging systems are notoriously unreliable.
Good luck with getting it fixed, they should do it they put the system together, and it's under warranty!

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[pappajohn]

but the dealer told me it is normal the pump blows water/air out of the top of pump if half submerged

What a load of rubbish these dealers spout .
The pump is sealed except the inlet and outlet hole.

 

[TG1971]

Do not let the dealer off the hook!
You are under warranty, if they haven't a clue then they have a problem! Suggest they change the pump - before you demand that they fix it!
It seems that a lot of British manufacturers have problems when dealing with new customers, AS dragged some of mine out of the warranty period! Then I fixed them myself of course! Water gauging systems are notoriously unreliable.
Good luck with getting it fixed, they should do it they put the system together, and it's under warranty!

This is not the only problem we have had with the new MH i will never use this dealer or buy another Bailey van again, here are just a few, paint bubbling on bumper still not been approved by Bailey even though on handover paperwork, seals missing off garage doors, front bed cushions missing, shower door cracked, rear light fell off on handover, rear camera not working, flats on rear wheels as well as shoddy workmanship cupboard doors on angle, so not the best intro to coach built MH, had no issues with VW california in all the years we had it.

thanks for reply

Tony

 

[L' Hobo]

This is not the only problem we have had with the new MH i will never use this dealer or buy another Bailey van again, here are just a few, paint bubbling on bumper still not been approved by Bailey even though on handover paperwork, seals missing off garage doors, front bed cushions missing, shower door cracked, rear light fell off on handover, rear camera not working, flats on rear wheels as well as shoddy workmanship cupboard doors on angle, so not the best intro to coach built MH, had no issues with VW california in all the years we had it.

thanks for reply

Tony

I do so hope you have taken lots of photographs showing the dates on a newspaper, or similar, of all these faults?

I have never bought any vehicle new, do not believe in paying the early depreciation, but can, as has been mentioned in an earlier post, a dealer drag out the repairs until its out of Warranty??? I thought that anything that had been registered in the Warranty period, had to be fixed free of charge??

 

[jwells]

You quite right about the warranty, but if you are away travelling, which is what we bought ours for, it becomes more problematical!
My worst problem was an lpg leak! From the time I bought it, it had a leak. Neither the dealer or manufacturer could find find it so obviously unable to fix it! Warranty checks, annual habitation checks, never sorted it. I could smell the area it was coming from, the lpg tank, but "they" always failed to say I actually had a leak!! Finally had to do something about it myself, using my nose around the the lpg valves, not easy lying under the van, I found the leak, it was coming from the spindle seal on the tank outlet valve! Presumably when they did the gas pressure drops they closed the valve, which meant the spindle stopped leaking!! I was a trained aircraft fitter and was very competent in my time, but not a qualified gas fitter so very wary about rectifying it myself. However enough was enough, replaced the valve myself, not an easy job lying under the van, but successfully completed, no more waste of gas, smell, or danger of explosion.
Don't give up, keep on at them until they fix everything! They certainly won't come back to you to make sure about anything unless you are very lucky. Good luck!! Remember you paid a lot of money for your van!!!!!!!!

 

[TG1971]

Been into the dealer again they said this is normal operation of the pump, you can clearly see water coming out of top of pump,

video is when pump is pumping water fine, if I turn water off again it will not work again, i think this is not right but I am being told by the dealer it is and might fit pump myself or have external fitted getting know we’re with them or Bailey.

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[TheBig1]

This is a problem often seen on caravans with an aquaroll where the pump needs to be fully submerged to work. Replace with a better quality submersible pump and extend the pipework to allow the pump to sit across the bottom of the tank. Not a difficult job to do DiY and not expensive for the pump and some pipe. Can easily be done in under an hour, even with minimal access

 

[TG1971]

This is a problem often seen on caravans with an aquaroll where the pump needs to be fully submerged to work. Replace with a better quality submersible pump and extend the pipework to allow the pump to sit across the bottom of the tank. Not a difficult job to do DiY and not expensive for the pump and some pipe. Can easily be done in under an hour, even with minimal access

Thanks for replying so is it normal for water come out of the top of the pump then like this ?

 

[TheBig1]

Thanks for replying so is it normal for water come out of the top of the pump then like this ?

Some of them do, yes, and to me it is a design fault

 

[TG1971]

Some of them do, yes, and to me it is a design

Some of them do, yes, and to me it is a design fault

Thanks for this think I need to change to something else then.

 

[TheBig1]

Thanks for this think I need to change to something else then.

I would and have always carried a spare. Over the years the spare has been often used and replaced saving somebody else's weekend. One thing seems to be true of carrying a spare, you rarely need it yourself, but without one, you will be certain to need it

Converters like bailey buy these pumps in bulk, so go as cheap as possible, which is good for the profit margin but not the end customer. Even if they sent out a replacement, it will be the same make and model

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