Upgrade your RV water pump

A couple of years ago I decided to upgrade the water pump in my motorhome.  I did this for a couple of reasons.  First, I wanted to be able to take a nice, hot, shower with lots of water pressure.  Second, I can’t resist tinkering with the RV!  I did some research and decided on the Shurflo Extreme series, 5.7 because at the time, it was the state of the art in RV water pumps.  I was really looking forward to the increased water pressure and flow at my shower head. As with any RV project, this one was not simple.  And as with most RV projects, there wasn’t enough room to do the conversion.  However, with a lot of maneuvering and manipulating I was able to mount the new Shurflo into the same area as my old OEM pump.  One thing I did do was check out and upgrade my electrical supply system for the pump.  My original OEM pump was fused with a 10 amp fuse which was adequate for the OEM pump.  However, the new Shurflo is designed to do more work, and thus pulls more amps than the original one.  For this reason, Shurflo recommends a 15 amp fuse for the 5.7.  Before installing a larger fuse, I checked to verify that the wire feeding the new pump was large enough to carry the additional amps, which it was. The next problem was that the OEM Intellitec water pump controller, P/N 00-00145-100 was rated for a max of 10 amps and Shurflo recommends changing to the larger Part Number:00-00776-200 that is designed to handle 15 amps. After I got the new pump installed and plumbed,... Read more

California Set to Make RVers Criminals

By Brian Brawdy This stinks – literally. Once again, politicians busy themselves pandering to constituencies all the while ignoring scientific facts. The latest proposal comes from the State of California and Assemblyman Bill Monning, a Democrat from Santa Cruz. The legislation, AB 1824, would ban the use of holding tank products containing bronopol, dowicil, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, paraformaldehyde and para-dichlorobenzene, according to the proposed bill. Read more  Read More →

Are there creepy crawlies in your water tank?

By Bob Difley Most of us do not think much about water. We Americans and Canadians are so used to hooking up the hose to any available tap and filling our water tanks that we don’t let bugs like typhoid, diarrhea, pathogenic microorganisms, and intestinal parasites to even enter our consciousness. And that sometimes causes us to become careless. You may be one that doesn’t drink actual, unadulterated water, preferring wine, beer, coffee, or tea for instance. As explorer Owen Lattimore noted while traveling the ancient Asian Silk Road in camel caravans, “Water alone, unboiled, is never drunk. There is a superstition that it causes blisters on the feet.” But if water in any way–ice cubes, washing vegetables, brushing teeth–comes in contact with your insides, you might want to consider these extra firewall precautions between you and the microscopic creepy crawlies. • Fill your water tank only from water supplies that are confirmed potable sources, such as municipal, campground, and tested well water sources. • Every six months sanitize your tank by pouring in one-quarter cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of water in a full tank. Let stand overnight. Drain, fill, and rinse at least twice, or until chlorine odor is gone. Better yet, fill with water and bleach when leaving your last campground and let it slosh around in the tank as you head home. • Keep the ends of your water hose out of the dirt and off the ground when attaching your host to... Read more

RV Waste Valve Maintenance, Repair & Replacement

  One topic about our RV seldom discussed in-depth is the RV waste valves. You know what I mean, the valves you open when it’s time to empty the RV holding tanks. We don’t really think about them much, you just hope they work okay when it’s time to use them. Read more  Read More →

The never ending search for the perfect DP

In this installment of our discussion we are going to talk a bit about basements, basement storage features, and other things that might be in your basement.  A large and well featured basement is one of the primary reasons folks choose a diesel pusher.   Basement storage: It seems to me that for the most part, typical diesel pushers have a lot of storage and this is not normally a great concern.  I have seen some models that had insufficient storage capacity and it is something that everyone should check before purchasing a new coach.  The chassis a manufacturer chooses to put under the house determines that gross vehicle weight and there are things a manufacturer can do to save money when specifying a chassis from the chassis maker.  Sometimes these things affect the GVW adversely and the loser is the ultimate owner who cannot carry enough “stuff” in the basement.  One recent example concerns a very high line Class A manufacturer who chose to save money and reduced the front axle weight rating.  The result was a very expensive diesel motorhome that was overloaded with just the passengers on board.  This flap has still not been settled to many owners satisfaction.   There are several aspects to the basement arrangement that we should talk about.  I much prefer the basement storage arrangement with “pass through” type compartments.  I have looked at several pushers with storage compartments attached to the bottom of the slides and I really don’t like that... Read more

A Glimpse At The RV Underworld, Black Tank Tales

The Lug_Nut View.  Beneath the modern glitter and shine of all RV’s is the underworld, the basement, and of course, the waste tanks.  Seemingly unchanged over the years, the black and grey tanks are filled and must be emptied as needed.  This, in most cases, is being done using the big stinky slinky, at least until now.  But, a new method using a smaller hose and a macerator is quickly becoming popular.  This new system has some advantages over the tried and true gravity drain method.  Let’s look at what it offers. Read more  Read More →

RV Doctor – Leaking Aqua Magic Toilet

Dear RV Doctor, The carpet near the back of my Aqua Magic toilet is damp. I cannot see or feel any dripping from the water supply line. Are there internal seals that may be worn or damaged due to use?- Sonny Standridge, (Gretna, LA) Answer: Sonny, indeed, there are many internal seals and gaskets in the Aqua Magic toilet. If the water inlet line is secured properly and not leaking, chances are the water leaks only while flushing the toilet. This is an indication of a leak within the vacuum breaker component located internal to the toilet. It’s easily replaced and Thetford does have replacement parts readily available, typically at any RV parts accessory store. Occasionally the vacuum breaker may be subjected to highly calcified water that may cause a seal or gasket component to leak if a particle becomes lodged inside. There is an outside chance the toilet to flange gasket may be faulty and the toilet leaks as it drains into the holding tank, but your observation that the carpet is damp only at the back of the toilet (directly below the location of the vacuum breaker), is indicative of a faulty vacuum breaker. (Please feel free to comment, however, please also note that due to the volume of communications I receive from multiple channels I cannot guarantee a personal response in every instance. However, questions of an overall general interest may be considered and published in an upcoming RV Doctor column.)  Read More →

Why Filter your RV Drinking Water?

 Over the years I have written numerous articles about water filtration, water quality and sanitizing your RV water system. There are lots of reasons to be concerned about the water we drink, especially when it comes to RV’s. When you travel in your RV and stop at different destinations on a regular basis you don’t know anything about the quality of the water you are using or drinking. It seems like every day you hear more and more about what is in the water we drink and how it can impact our health. I have always been an advocate for filtering the water in our RV and I am always on the lookout for the best possible method for filtering water.   Read more  Read More →

Making Modifications to Your RV

I get asked these questions alot: “Is it safe to modify my RV? What about my warranty? Will it be voided?” There is a lot of misinformation floating around about what constitutes a safe mod and what will void your warranty if you do certain kinds of mods. Many RV owners tend to be the “do-it-your-self” types and enjoy “doing the mod”. If you fall in to this group, you should carefully consider the implications of certain mods. You know that really expensive extended warranty that covers your RV “bumper-to-tongue” after the factory warranty runs out that you added when you purchased your new RV? It won’t help one bit if you do a mod that causes a failure on a covered part. So let’s look at what mods are safe to do and what just might cause you some grief down the road if you are not aware of your warranty conditions of coverage. Read more  Read More →

RV Doctor – Dripping Shower Faucet When Hot Water Heater Is On

Dear RV Doctor, We have a single lever faucet on our shower that has a continuous drip when the hot water heater is on. I carefully replaced all the parts within the faucet with a kit, but to no avail. I understand that as water heats it expands, but where does the water normally expand to and how does it seek relief? I know that some water leaks through the hot water tank relief valve, but that is not an option that I like either. — Leon Hill, (Belleville, ON, Canada) Read more  Read More →

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