Our Foretravel’s (’96 U-295) water pump (house, not engine) started leaking so I used the opportunity to replace it with something having a higher flow rate and pressure. Perhaps some of you might find our experience of interest.
The goal was to have a water system more like that of a stick home. The factory-installed pump (probably the best available at the time) just didn’t make the grade. Thus, I was overjoyed when it started leaking and I could “legitimately” replace it. We rarely go more than a few days before connecting to sewer and water, so tank volume issues are of little concern.
The Shurflo Smart Sensor Extreme 5.7 seemed like a good choice. It has twice the flow rate as the old pump and operates at 65 psi. Found one on sale for $179 at Russ Dean RV in Pasco, Wa.
The new pump was not “plug and play” with the original. It is longer and the hose fittings are higher above the mounting surface. No big problem – just went to Home Depot and purchased some high- pressure hose (looks like a clear garden hose with a nylon string wound inside and is rated at 250 psi). Three feet of hose and four clamps were all that was required. Connecting it was simple. The only difficulty was having to work in the confined location of the pump. Plus, it was near 100 degrees and no shade.
Because the Smart Sensor pump is an “on-demand” pump, no accumulator tank is needed. So, I removed mine and put a cap on the connection.
The performance of the pump was as advertised. Lots of flow and great pressure. Showers were like the old days. And the pump was much quieter, not silent, but very quiet. It runs at variable speeds depending on the demand.
However, not all was perfect. We found one situation where the pump did not perform well – when we flushed the toilet. There was a delay of about 2 seconds before getting water to the bowl. Now 2 seconds doesn’t seem like much, but it is. We found that the bowl was not getting washed down after a quick flush. I guess we could have learned to adjust our flush style, but we have such a hectic retired lifestyle (how did we ever find time to work) that increasing flush time by a couple of seconds was just too much to sacrifice.
The solution was to simply reconnect the accumulator tank. Now, ALL is perfect.
Jim McNeece 1996 U295 #15243