PROBLEM: Low Water Pressure in Kitchen & Bath - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 05-13-2013, 01:41 PM   #1
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PROBLEM: Low Water Pressure in Kitchen & Bath

Helo everyone... a newbie here with a problem that I hope someone can help me with.

I recently took delivery of a new 2014 VOLTAGE 3200, and am on my first trip with it. Loving everything about it except that I have very low water pressure inside the coach... and I'm wondering if it's a problem with the rig, or something that this newbie just didn't/isn't doing correctly?

I'm staying at a KOA campground, with a connection to their city water tab. I have a regulator installed between the city water tap & the RV... and the indicator reads 40 psi of pressure coming into the rig.

However, when I turn on the kitchen faucet... all I get is a weak stream, regardless of whether I'm using hot or cold water. (BTW, once it makes it way to the faucet, the hot water is HOT... so no issue there).

In the shower, the stream is so weak I can barely get the shampoo out of my hair.

I have both, the Winterizing & the Hot Water Heater, bypass valves in the NORMAL position, and I can see no apparent leaks under the trailer.

Thinking it might be an issue with just the city water connection... I disconnected it... filled my fresh water tank... turned on the water pump, and tried the faucets using my own water supply. No joy... same result.

I'm now reconnected to the city water, and I've checked everything I know to check.

Any ideas before I take it back to the dealer?

Thanks...
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Old 05-13-2013, 04:32 PM   #2
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Are you using a pressure reducing device on the water line into the RV? I'll bet you are, if your dealer took proper care of you in setting up your hose and water lines. The plastic pipes and connectors in TT's simply cannot take the PSI of some parks water systems, so a pressure relief valve is a necessity to avoid damage to your 5er.
That said, I think that the water pressure you are seeing is normal --- with the relief valve properly in place, you would never call the stream of water out of the shower or faucets in your 5er the same as what you are going to experience at home in your house....nor would you want it to be.
If you are in a park, check with some of your neighbors and see what their flow is like and compare it to yours. I am not saying you may not have a problem.....I just suspect that you don't.....
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Old 05-13-2013, 10:26 PM   #3
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Well, I have a pressure regulator attached to my potable water hose... and that's what's indicating the 40 psi from the city water tap here at the campground. Since it's only 40 psi, I don't think it's reducing anything.

Since this is my first RV... at first, I thought the flow I was getting might just be as good as it gets too. But then I mentioned it to a friend of mine who also happens to be on the road right now, who subsequently took video of his shower & kitchen faucet water flow... and mine looks nothing at all like his.

For lack of a better term of reference... the flow I'm currently getting is similar to that of pouring tea from a pitcher into a glass.

Bottom line, I know that I'll probably not have the same pressure as I would have in my home... but if this is as good as it's supposed to get, I'll be putting my RV up for sale very soon and go back to simply camping/sleeping in the enclosed trailer in which I tow my motorcycle.

In any event... I spoke to a couple of technicians on the phone today, both at the dealership and at Dutchmen. I was hoping that it was just a case of "user error", and that there was some step that I hadn't completed correctly. After speaking with them, that doesn't appear to be the case. So I'll be leaving tomorrow, and have an appointment at a Camping World to have it looked at.

Thanks for the reply... I'll follow-up in a few days to post the results.
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Old 05-13-2013, 10:42 PM   #4
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We had a similar issue with very low pressure (both hot and cold with the water pump on) at the kitchen faucet in our 2013 V Series 3105. The pressure in the bathroom fixtures was fine though.

I had the trailer at CW for a few minor warranty items and they actually replaced the kitchen faucet under warranty also. We have not tried out the new faucet yet - but hopefully it's an improvement from the original.
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Old 05-14-2013, 12:40 AM   #5
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Just for giggles - take the screen off the faucets and clean them.....there may be some dirt/debris in the screen!
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Old 05-14-2013, 01:52 AM   #6
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I was thinking screens as well. Perhaps during construction debris got into the pipes and has clogged the filters.
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Old 05-14-2013, 12:42 PM   #7
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Speaking of screens, and since your pressure issue is throughout the trailer, check the screen where you attach your water hose. If there is a clog there, it might explain your symptoms.
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Old 05-14-2013, 02:56 PM   #8
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ATCguy:
You might want to check the back flow preventer it is between the Pump output line and City water input, these feed the faucets.
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Old 05-14-2013, 04:08 PM   #9
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Both the bathroom and kitchen screens were clogged when I got my TH. I wouldn't say they were real slow, but were fine once I cleaned them.
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Old 05-15-2013, 01:58 AM   #10
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I had the same problem last year on delivery of my new trailer. It was the screens. They were plugged really bad, they come apart so you can clean the dirt out of them.
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Old 05-15-2013, 02:18 AM   #11
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Thanks for all of the replies...

If you folks are talking about the small circular screens inside the hoses & aerators on the faucets... all of those have been checked and are clean. If you mean other screens, then I'm not sure i follow you.

I'm now up in NY and have an 8 AM appointment with the service dept at a Camping World tomorrow... so hopefully they can figure out what's going on. I'll follow-up after they take a look.

Thanks again...
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Old 05-15-2013, 11:45 PM   #12
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Well... disappointing result from my trip to CW this morning.

So they pull the rig to the back, and about a half-hour later the tech comes out to tell me that the only problem he can find is that I've replaced the original shower head with a "residential" one. After I looked at him like he was from Mars, I said... "It's the exact same type you sell in the store! I bought it from CW when I got the rig!"

After asking for the shop supervisor to join us (and showing him an identical new shower head that I pulled off of the shelf in their store)... he takes me out to the rig, and turns on the shower. Tells me that they have no city water tap, so we're running off of the internal water pump on the fresh water tank... which puts out 40 psi... and that the water pressure at the shower head looks fine to him.

I look at the supervisor and ask... "Does that look like 40 psi coming out of that to you?"... to which he just looks at his tech, who says: looks fine to me.

Now I'm pissed. So I ask a theoretical question: If the pump puts out 40 psi, and with no other outlet taps open... would it be reasonable to expect to get 40 psi at the output point? Then he begins some dribble about multiple outlets on the system, bends in the internal piping, etc that can reduce the pressure.... Blah, blah blah. So I concede a bit and say... ok, so would it be reasonable to expect 35 psi at the output point located not more than 6 feet away? He takes a full 30 seconds to think about it, then says.. Yeah, that's reasonable.

Great! So then I ask the him to measure the water pressure output at the shower hose, without the shower head... and now's when I lose it when he says that he has no way to measure that. I ask him how he can be in business as an RV tech, and not the basic tools to be able to measure water pressure? What happens if someone buys a pump off the shelf here, and wants to return it because it isn't delivering water as advertised? How would they test it?

At this point, I'm so pissed & frustrated that I tell them to simply tow the rig back out front so I can get it off their lot before I do something that lands me in jail.

They wouldn't pull a single panel... look at a single hose/pipe... etc.

This isn't over yet... I'll live with it for the next few weeks, and take it back to the dealer where I bought it when I get home.
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Old 05-16-2013, 01:13 AM   #13
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Old 05-16-2013, 01:41 AM   #14
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UNBELIEVABLE.......they have a cash register and debit /credit card machine to take your money...but no water pressure gauge.
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Old 05-16-2013, 02:59 AM   #15
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Just went out checked my water pressure outside @ the outside shower with the Hose attachment that came with the unit (Blue expandable line with spray nozzle) and pressure gauge read @ 35psi .
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Old 05-16-2013, 01:41 PM   #16
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I own a 2013 voltage and also consider the water pressure low but I figured it was a water saving feature. When I turn on the shower it slowly builds up pressure until a very modest pressure is reached. It will barely reach from the wall to the opposite wall at the floor.
Given the thought that water conservation in campers is a must because of very limited sources of fresh water and gray water I think the fixtures have a small orifice to keep the flow low through all the fixtures.
There may be 40 PSI incoming, however, a very small line orifice for water conservation within your RV will limit both the GPM and the PSI and I suspect this is your concern.
I think you will find most all RV's water performance about the same because of what I mentioned earlier about water conservation through the industry.
My wife frequently goes to the RV campground shower so she can get a heavy flow of water to wash her hair well.
Dont give up on your unit as yet. You have one of the finest in the industry. Find the water reducing orifice and remove it if you truely want more pressure. But remember those storage tanks fill fast.
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Old 05-16-2013, 06:26 PM   #17
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Good point Tanman. It's important to remember that there is a difference between pressure and volume. 35-40 psi through a large shower head will not necessarily look like much nor have a long reach. Most homes have a PRV set at about 55 psi. Many homes don't even use a PRV and can have up to 60 or even more. My TT doesn't seem to have high pressure despite my keeping all screens clean. Small lines, longer runs and elbows will reduce both pressure and flow.
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Old 07-28-2013, 08:37 PM   #18
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I just got my 2013 V3305 and I have reasonable water flow except kitchen sink. I emails tech dept and for sure they do not have a good tech that knows about water flow. Same recomendation to clean the screen which is clean, same with city water or using the pump

Should some flow restrictor, but now with no decent owners manual and no schematic, somehow dificult to troubleshoot to remove it
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Old 08-23-2013, 03:05 PM   #19
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I've been following this thread for a while now. I too have pressure issues with water flow in my 242 RESL. On a recent extended holiday tour I had time to study the various taps. What I found - all taps except for the kitchen sink and bathroom shower worked fine. Lots of pressure with great water flow. Yesterday I reread all the posts on this thread to get some ideas and headed out to the trailer to fix what I could. Kitchen tap first. Found hard water calcium build up and pieces of sawdust in the screens. I then removed the spray wand and using my mouth tried to blow air through it. Result was that I practically popped a lung because the wand was plugged solid and if air can't get through water will have even a tougher time. Today I'm heading out with more tools to see if I can get that wand apart. If I can't find the problem I guess I'll be replacing it.
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Old 08-23-2013, 11:53 PM   #20
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I disconnect the faucet from the flexible hose and found an internal check valve with a 1/8 " hole . I removed and the water flow was reasonable but never like my previous Prowler
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