NDgent
Senior Member
I got tired of hearing the water pump cycling when dispersed camping (boon docking). I enjoy the quiet while camping I was annoyed by the noisy water pump and also concerned about annoying my neighbors, so I decided to take two steps in fixing the problem.
The first step was, I installed a hot water heater expansion tank which functions as an accumulator tank for the water pump and line. Technically there is no difference in how an expansion tank and an accumulator tank function as they both contain bladders and a pressurized section ... except the price, Shureflo accumulator tanks are about 4 times more expensive. I bought my expansion tank at Home Depot and chose the smaller one they had on the shelf, but in hind sight I probably would choose the larger one today, that is if it were to fit through the access door. The larger expansion tank would reduce the number of times the water pump cycles to refill it but not the amount of time the pump runs as either tank would have to supply the same amount of water.
I purchased the expansion tank, brass elbow, brass "Shark Bite" connector, and 1/2 inch tubing at Home Depot and I got the "T" connector at my local RV repair center. I lost the receipt but it ran about $70.00 ... those "Shark Bite" connectors are expensive but it made the installation easier. I could have gotten my with a PVC elbow but l prefer brass, even at the added cost. The anchoring strap is simply "plumbers tape" screwed to the Hi-Lo floor ... keeps the tank from rolling around.
This took care of the pump cycling every time I turned on the water, now I can get about 2 1/2 quarts before it starts up. But, it was still noisy as hell ... tracing down the noise I discovered that the supply lines under the sink were bouncing around, so I used some pipe insulation to quiet them and now you can hardly hear the pump run. Yeh!
The first step was, I installed a hot water heater expansion tank which functions as an accumulator tank for the water pump and line. Technically there is no difference in how an expansion tank and an accumulator tank function as they both contain bladders and a pressurized section ... except the price, Shureflo accumulator tanks are about 4 times more expensive. I bought my expansion tank at Home Depot and chose the smaller one they had on the shelf, but in hind sight I probably would choose the larger one today, that is if it were to fit through the access door. The larger expansion tank would reduce the number of times the water pump cycles to refill it but not the amount of time the pump runs as either tank would have to supply the same amount of water.
I purchased the expansion tank, brass elbow, brass "Shark Bite" connector, and 1/2 inch tubing at Home Depot and I got the "T" connector at my local RV repair center. I lost the receipt but it ran about $70.00 ... those "Shark Bite" connectors are expensive but it made the installation easier. I could have gotten my with a PVC elbow but l prefer brass, even at the added cost. The anchoring strap is simply "plumbers tape" screwed to the Hi-Lo floor ... keeps the tank from rolling around.
This took care of the pump cycling every time I turned on the water, now I can get about 2 1/2 quarts before it starts up. But, it was still noisy as hell ... tracing down the noise I discovered that the supply lines under the sink were bouncing around, so I used some pipe insulation to quiet them and now you can hardly hear the pump run. Yeh!
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