Water-Pump Maintenance

Your RV's fresh-water-pump requires little maintenance, however it is one of the most important items on a motorhome. The fresh water pump pumps fresh water from the water tank to all of the faucets in the coach. If one goes out for any reason it will make for a miserable experience. For that reason, I always carry a spare fresh water pump with me. Incidentally, the spare water pump should be the exact model that comes standard with the coach, so that it can be interchanged without having to modify any of the already existing fittings and can be changed if necessary with the least amount of hassle.

The only thing that needs to be inspected on a regular basis is the screen that is positioned just before the intake of the pump that catches any particles or debris preventing them from entering the pump itself. Should this screen become clogged the amount of water going into the pump will be restricted. If it becomes completely clogged, no water will be allowed to enter the pump from the intake and this can cause the pump to burn up.

The easiest way to check to see if the screen is clogged is to take off the intake hose and check the water flow. If it is flowing normally, then most likely the screen is not clogged. Obviously the best way to check is to physically look at the screen, however this requires the pump fitting to be removed and the screen housing to be unscrewed. It is usually screwed on tightly so this job will require some muscle to remove the screen from the housing.

When a coach is new, this is the time when it is most likely to become clogged due to the abundance of excess plastic shavings that will have been produced when all of the fittings have been installed in the water tank. These excess shavings will eventually work themselves into the fresh water lines and then get lodged in the fresh water pump screen, where if enough of them get caught in there it will eventually completely clog the screen and ruin the water pump.

If a coach is new this screen should be checked every couple of weeks for the first few months of use. After that it should be checked every six months or if a low water flowed is noticed from any of the faucets.

Additionally, all of the screens at each water faucet should be periodically checked for particulate matter or sand if restricted water flow is noticed. It is always a good idea to check all of the electrical and water fittings as well as the mounting screws of the water pump to make sure that nothing has come loose when you have the compartment open to check the water pump screen. From time to time some of these items will work themselves loose from the constant movement of the coach. Get into the habit of looking around in a compartment that you don't normally see all of the time to both familiarize yourself with what's inside as well as to see if anything looks out of place, such as the compartment that usually houses the water pump and is normally accessed by removing four screws that hold the access panel in place."

Legal Disclaimer & Caution: Before using any advice, and/or performing any maintenance procedures recommended on this website you should consult with your RV dealer, and/or a professional Motorhome or RV mechanic. The recommendations and advice given on this website are intended as general guidelines ONLY, and may not pertain to your particular make and/or model of RV or Motorhome. Use these suggestions, repair tips, and/or maintenance advice AT YOUR OWN RISK. Under no circumstances will this website, or any of its officers or employees be liable for any consequential, incidental, special or exemplary damages even if appraised of the likelihood of such damages occurring. The owners of this website do not warrant the information against errors, omissions or deficiencies of any kind.

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