Water pump not pumping water

[ShrimpBurrito]

I replaced the water pump with the same exact model, the 2088 series pump. Unfortunately, while the one that came with the TM is made in the US, the replacement is made in China. Ugh. Anyway, I wanted to try to make the pump quieter, since I'm replacing it to begin with. If you hold the pump in your hand and turn it on, it is magnitudes quieter. You can hear it, but it's VERY quiet. So the mount method is creating the noise.

I surfed a bit (and read the installation instructions, gasp!), and ended up putting a 3/4" piece of plywood and a mouse pad in between the pump and the wall. Pump-plywood-pad-wall. Then installed 3-foot lengths of reinforced PVC tubing in between the pump and the factory water connections, one of which (the output), was rigid tubing -- a big no-no for both noise generation and the increased risk of making leaks from vibrations.

It was slightly quieter, but I was disappointed. Plus, since the pump is now 1" further from the wall than what it used to be, I was having space issues. In the 2720SL, the pump is underneath the sink, along with the water tank, so space is a major problem. Wires everywhere. The hoses ended up hitting the fridge cabinet, making noise. Then I took a step back and looked at the whole thing, and noticed that now, the hoses I installed looping above the pump, would drain water INTO THE PUMP when I wanted to winterize. That was the last straw -- I pulled everything out, and just mounted the new pump back in there just as the old one.

While at West Marine, I found the "Valve Assembly" as described above. I thought that was likely the cause of failure, especially if the pump was damaged by freezing, so I bought it with the intention of fixing the old pump. It worked! The old pump now works like a charm. I put 2 hoses on it, a cigarette lighter plug and switch on the wiring, and it is now my new 2.8 GPM water transfer pump. I'm going to mount it in some sort of box such that the fitting protrude out through it, and mount the switch on it as well.

Interestingly, the current draw on these pumps INCREASES as the water flow DECREASES. There's even a graph on Shurflo's website showing this. I presume this is because at low flow rates, the water pressure is higher, which creates more resistance for the motor, causing the motor to draw more current.

Dave

[Bill]

OK, new pump end to the rescue! After you had put in the new one, could you see what was wrong with the old one? Were the valves broken or pierced?

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

The replacement part that I put into the old pump (the Valve Assembly) was visually indistinguishable from the old part. They looked identical; no visual damage. So while I have no idea what happened to it, I know it was broken since the pump now works with a new one.

Dave

ShrimpBurrito - I know this is an older thread but I was just doing a search since I'm having the same problems with my pump. Do you remember how much the part was from West marine? Trying to decide if I should rebuild or replace.

Thanks

[ShrimpBurrito]

boater - I believe it was $15-$20. Amazon has it here as well for ~$17:

http://www.amazon.com/SHURflo-94-232.../dp/B000FQ7976

If the motor on the pump runs, and the pump simply isn't pumping water, I think this part is virtually the only thing that could be wrong with it. I'd give it a shot if those are your symptoms.

Dave

Thanks Dave. BTW - Carlisle makes a lot of their tires at a plant down the street from my office.

I replaced the valve and it's working fine now. Thanks for the help.

[ShrimpBurrito]

My pleasure. Glad that was the problem.

Dave