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faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 4:53 pm
by katem1303
Help- I am not technical ! So far I have always used portable water bottles with my Bongo but i'm going abroad in 4 weeks- for a 2 month road trip and want to use the on board water tank. I had never used the tap. over winter I had the internal electrics and water tank checked, and as i drove off , the tap 'worked' ( was in on position apparently) and poured out some water-I switched it off. Since then it doesn't work at all - I can hear the micro switch click, but thats all- fuse seems ok. The places I have tried to get it looked at are booked til mid may - can anyone advise/explain how i could check what may be wrong and put it right? thanks from a single female wants to be practical and clean, camper! :)

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 5:54 pm
by Gasy
Do you have a on board water tank ?
If so is there a switch for the tap
Sounds like the pumps seized

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 6:34 pm
by Bob
Don't take this as patronising, please, but there is water in the tank?

That can catch any of us. :wink:

If you're coming down the M5 at the start of the trip I'll take a look. Close to J19/20 and could fit in with a stop over.

Things to check also include is there power to the pump and the earth good? Is there a pressure switch in the system which needs adjustment, has the pipe come off somewhere and dumping water where its not wanted?

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 7:05 pm
by katem1303
When theres water in the on-board tank ( sits under the floor) the tap doesnt work - as far as I am aware it should work when master switch is on?
ie rear circuits/fridge etc?

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 7:08 pm
by katem1303
Bob wrote:Don't take this as patronising, please, but there is water in the tank?

That can catch any of us. :wink:

If you're coming down the M5 at the start of the trip I'll take a look. Close to J19/20 and could fit in with a stop over.

Things to check also include is there power to the pump and the earth good? Is there a pressure switch in the system which needs adjustment, has the pipe come off somewhere and dumping water where its not wanted?

Thanks Bob I may well take you up on that - in fact I am coming down the M5 over Easter weekend too (saturday)- driving back up Easter Monday- tho I appreciate you may well be away yourself!

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 7:11 pm
by katem1303
Bob wrote:Don't take this as patronising, please, but there is water in the tank?

That can catch any of us. :wink:

If you're coming down the M5 at the start of the trip I'll take a look. Close to J19/20 and could fit in with a stop over.

Things to check also include is there power to the pump and the earth good? Is there a pressure switch in the system which needs adjustment, has the pipe come off somewhere and dumping water where its not wanted?

pump... umm.... Im not sure its a pressurised/pump system - patronise away .... i dont know where to look - everythings hidden /screwed panels ..

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 7:13 pm
by Bob
We're home, just back from Softies then we have Wonderwool Wales in a couple of weeks.

Not having children the Easter traffic is enough to keep us home, I'll PM you contact details.

Happy to take a look for you. :)

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 3:39 pm
by Katka
It must be an Spring thing. The tap on ours stopped working. Microswitch clicked and seemed ok but it turned out that a wire had come unsoldered at the switch. If you have a multi-meter, test if a current is actually going to the tap and when 'on' the switch passes current. It was a darn fiddly job to fix.

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 5:14 pm
by Bob
Thing with a lot of camping gear is it doesn't get used for a few months over winter, problems develop then we discover them (all together) when we start using the gear in the new season.

So yes, a spring thing. :D

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 10:27 am
by Kelvyn
My whale pump has stopped working too!
getting power - and tap/switch is working, so i guess i'll have to replace it.

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:42 am
by g8dhe
If the pump is failing to turn itself, before replacing it check to see if you can manually turn the impellor around a few times with say a long thin screwdriver. On mine I replaced it only to find that a quick spin with a screwdriver caused a thin little "stick" of something had got into the water and simply jammed it no need to replace at all !

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:22 pm
by Bob
We've had a good look, power at micro switch and interior lights dim when tap lifted.

This seems to indicate the pump is getting power but not turning, so, does anyone know how to access the pump on a Wellhouse side conversion, please?

The scamp is well hidden, for sure, and I don't want to strip out more of the conversion than necessary.

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:00 pm
by Tessie
I have a Wellhouse side conversion but it was done in 2005 so may be older than yours. On mine the pump is an inline one and is only a few inches away from the outlet pipe of the water tank, which is underneath the Bongo where the side door is. If yours is the same [-o< it is very easy to get to \:D/

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:06 pm
by Bob
Thanks, more looking then. :D

Re: faulty tap

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 3:49 pm
by Bob
Good news, Wellhouse have confirmed the pump is accessed from underneath the vehicle.

Just a case of getting a pump then any garage with a lift/pit should be able to sort it. 8)