Preparation Snag

Getting everything ready for a long trip takes a lot of time and effort, even when everything goes right. I hit an unexpected snag yesterday that while not fatal, is certainly frustrating. 

In the two-plus years we have had our trailer, and in all the travelling we have done,  we have never put water in the fresh-water tank.  First, because we always stay at full hookup campgrounds, and second, because we didn’t want to haul the extra weight.  This time, we decided – actually, I decided; Honey didn’t think we needed to - to carry 20 gallons or so, just enough to flush the toilet and wash hands at potty stops.

I filled the tank yesterday, carefully adding the correct formula of Clorox solution to sanitize the system since this was a first-time fill.  When I turned on the fresh water pump, it came on but no water came out of the faucets. 

The pump is supposed to be self-priming, pumping all the air out of the lines until it gets water.  That should probably take no more than a minute or two, but ours is still pulling air after an hour!  It spits and bubbles, and an occasional dribble of water comes out, but it never gets primed.  I am pretty sure at this point that there is a cracked water line or a bad fitting that is causing the pump to suck more air than water.

I can hear the pump, so I know approximately where it is, but it is not where it can be accessed without some major  disassembly – removal of wall panels, etc.

I had decided to just drain the tank, and let the dealer fix it (should be under warranty) when we get home, but decided to check just one more thing this morning. 

In the area where the water hooks up, there are a couple sets of valve handles on the wall; those that control the black and gray water drain valves, and two marked “hot water bypass” and “winterize.”  We had never used either of these last two before.

When I turned the “winterize” valve to its other position, I heard the pump change pitch immediately!  Yep, it worked.  By the time I got in the trailer, I had water flowing freely from all faucets.