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Old 06-21-2014, 04:24 PM   #1
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Pump switch turns fan on

I have a 2004 Komfort with a rear kitchen. Just yesterday a kept hearing a motor running on the back wall, near the refer. I finally discovered it was somehow connected to my pump when I turned it off for the night, the fan went off too. Now when I turn the pump on, this fan, or whatever it is, comes on too. I can't see it from the access door for the refer... Any ideas? I'm no mechanic, and I'm having trouble finding one here where I'm a camp host up out of Winnemucca... Hope it's nothing serious! I just keep turning my pump off as soon as I'm done with the water...
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Old 06-21-2014, 04:38 PM   #2
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Lost me a bit. Is it the cooling fan for the refrigerator that comes on with the water pump for the trailer system when using the on board freshwater tanks?

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Old 06-21-2014, 04:56 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by FabulousA View Post
I have a 2004 Komfort with a rear kitchen. Just yesterday a kept hearing a motor running on the back wall, near the refer. I finally discovered it was somehow connected to my pump when I turned it off for the night, the fan went off too. Now when I turn the pump on, this fan, or whatever it is, comes on too. I can't see it from the access door for the refer... Any ideas? I'm no mechanic, and I'm having trouble finding one here where I'm a camp host up out of Winnemucca... Hope it's nothing serious! I just keep turning my pump off as soon as I'm done with the water...
There is noting wrong with turning the pump switch off when you aren't using the water, we have done this since day one.

If it is a fan that is wired into the pump, you should be able to track it down by the sound once the pump has cycled. Assuming that the pump is cycling correctly as soon as it reaches the pressure cutoff it will stop completly and the fan noise should still be there. If the pump is not building enough pressure to cut off, the pump can continue the run at sort of a low groan that can sound like a fan. If that is happening the pressure swicth is most liklely failing.

Can you feel any air moving in or out of any of the exterior/interior vents after the pump shuts of?

Sounds in campers can telegraph through the walls and frame, so if the fan noise is still there it could be coming from a totally different area. Ensure everything is off, except the pump switch, use a piece of dowel or a broom stick as a "stethoscope" between your ear and the cabinets, flooring, etc. the sound will get louder the closer you get to the souce.

Good luck, just go through and eliminate things one by one and you should be able to find the source.
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Old 06-21-2014, 07:55 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by FabulousA View Post
I have a 2004 Komfort with a rear kitchen. Just yesterday a kept hearing a motor running on the back wall, near the refer. I finally discovered it was somehow connected to my pump when I turned it off for the night, the fan went off too. Now when I turn the pump on, this fan, or whatever it is, comes on too. I can't see it from the access door for the refer... Any ideas? I'm no mechanic, and I'm having trouble finding one here where I'm a camp host up out of Winnemucca... Hope it's nothing serious! I just keep turning my pump off as soon as I'm done with the water...
Likely what you're hearing is the cooling fan for the converter. That pump has enough drain to kick the fan into action cooling the converter to save it from damage.
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Old 06-21-2014, 10:12 PM   #5
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Wow, thanks for the quick replies. I will find me a stethoscope and track down that fan noise! I sure can't see a fan, but I know there has to be one or more back there with the pump, refer and hot water heater and all located on that back wall! So the converter is there too? That must be the thing with a high voltage warning on it... I figured the converter was in the middle of the beast, where the panel is. Guess I'd better find the Bible... LOL
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Old 06-22-2014, 12:01 AM   #6
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Wow, thanks for the quick replies. I will find me a stethoscope and track down that fan noise! I sure can't see a fan, but I know there has to be one or more back there with the pump, refer and hot water heater and all located on that back wall! So the converter is there too? That must be the thing with a high voltage warning on it... I figured the converter was in the middle of the beast, where the panel is. Guess I'd better find the Bible... LOL
Good point by Kayak, that can happen too.

Depending on the make and model of the converter, it may be a combined unit. In our old Airstream they were seperate, the AC panel was on the back wall and the converter was under the sofa at the front end.

I should have also mentioned you will want to check for a small leak in your water system or a leaking faucet. The limit switch turns the power off when the preset presurre is reacked. If you have a small leak the pump will not be able to max the system pressure and it will have a low hum.
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Old 07-13-2014, 04:51 AM   #7
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Yay! But cost me $85

My refer quit working so good... So I called in a pro. That fan noise was the refrigerator fan coming on when I turned the pump on. Service man said he guesses the RV manufacturer assumes when one is camping on 12-volt, the pump switch will be on all the time... Since it doesn't ever go off unless I turn the pump off. It's been hot here, but it should turn off at night when it's cool. I assume it's the thermostat... He's coming back to fix a minor thing... So I will ask him. Keeping the pump switch on all day and putting a bag of ice in the refer and freezer got that all working fine in a hurry...thank God! So that's the scoop!
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Old 07-13-2014, 04:56 AM   #8
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I forgot to mention that although the refer fan is connected to the water pump 12-volt supply, pulling the fuse for the pump doesn't affect the refer electronic display... There are seperate fuses in the back of the refer that are not in line with the panel where all the rest of the fuses are... I was confused, because I took them all out and verified they were all good, and the refer indicator light never did go out... Electronics are beyond me! LOL
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