ShurFlo Pump problem

[Stuff]

I believe you need to prime your system smitty. You can try opening all the valves and giving her heck but I dont want to see you burn out your pump!

if it is primed, check the suction at the tank.

[lornaschinske]

Is this a new pump or used. Diaphragm may be shot, you may need to buy a new head. If it's new, it should be able to prime itself. We had to "help" our older pumps along by making sure the water was "right there" and they didn't have to work so hard to prime. Once they had primed there was no problem, except for the one that crapped out on us... but hey, it was a 1983 model that hadn't be used in years. The two from the 1990's are still working. I do like those old 2088's. They just keep on going.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Brand new pump Lorna. It produces water OK, just spits some air out along with it, and never builds enough pressure to shut off.

Can you return it? It sounds like you may have a bad one. I've never had that problem with one of the Shurflo 2088s. But I have heard of others having lots of problems with the other fancy high end versions.

[John]

Because of your picture, I don't think this is your problem, but in case anyone else stumbles upon this thread later through searching...

I've had some problems with my Shurflo pump priming all of the air out. Mainly it's because I have a temporary 55 gallon fresh water barrel sitting in my kitchen (my under body water storage tanks arrived today) and I have a tube that goes from the top of it down to the Shurflo pump.

Because the tube starts so high, it takes a little while for the air bubbles to draw down to the pump. If it goes downward into the pump, then when the air bubble hits the pump it switches its suction and the bubble drifts upwards a bit (back away from the pump), causing it switches back and forth, etc... When this happens (a lot because of the temporary situation) I just readjust the water tubing so that the tube goes below the pump and then back up approaching it from below. This forces the bubble to float upward into the pump. Because the bubble doesn't work against the pump, it primes as it should.

[John]

Originally Posted by Smitty

John, would a cheapie check-valve next to the pump prevent that? It would capture/hold the water next to the pump and prevent it from siphoning back in to the barrel (if that's what's happening)?

It may, although I'm not entirely sure what is causing the air to get into the tube in the first place, if it is coming from the pump or from the barrel, or perhaps aeration in the water. When the tanks are empty, then for sure the tube sucks air, but besides that case I guess I just haven't been paying enough attention.

But, I'm not sure that it will, because when the pump is not running (just holding pressure) I think that would be just as good a barrier as a check valve. If any air did leak from the pump, it would probably re-prime - I haven't noticed that. Plus the pump is below the rest of the water system (sink, faucet, filter, heater, etc...) So the air doesn't bubble in, the supply lines would have to drain...

Once I put that upward motion toward the pump at the end (like in your picture), the ShurFlo priming takes it out very nicely and I don't worry about it.

Wait... actually, come to think of it!! You may be having a problem on the reverse side. In your picture you have the after-pump line running downward. Any air in the system would then travel upwards back toward the pump, thus wreaking havoc with its pressure sensors and possibly its seals. Try allowing the after-pump line to travel upwards from the pump so that the air floats away from the pump's exit!

[jkindt]

Which model is that, Smitty?

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by Smitty

jkindt- It's a 2088-422-444

Smitty

That's the same pump I have been considering for my bus. I will be sure to watch this thread to see if you get it working correctly before I get one.

[John]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I shouldn't be sucking air anywhere into the system, hence shouldn't be passing it along through the output of the pump. Once the supply lines fill with water, there shouldn't be any air to back-up into the pump.

On your first prime of your supply line, the air in the hose is pumped through until you get all water in your supply line. However, I believe there is air being trapped in your pump's outlet, because it floats against the current of your pump's outlet. It may not even be enough to see through the pumps connectors. Try raising your outlet line so that it travels up away from the pump instead of downward just to see if it makes a difference. Hopefully any air already through the pump would then float away towards your faucets.

The reason I think this is that the symptoms you described were very similar to symptoms I've had with mine and if you indeed had some air trapped (floated) against the pump's outlet it would cause the pump to act in the symptoms you described.

[Stuff]

yay for teflon tape! glad to hear it wasnt major!