Fresh water pumps

[Jerry Liebler]

I'm tired of slow running pulsing water, so I'm considering one of the new Surflow 5.7GPM computer controlled pumps.  Has anyone used one?  Is it as great an improvement as it looks to be?
Regards
Jerry 4107 1120

[luvrbus]

Jerry i replaced the 2 older water pumps on my Eagle with one of these and they are great i do not know what the cost is now but i gave 180.00 with the filter

[Dallas]

Jerry,
For what the new shurflo water pumps cost, you can buy 2 or 3 of the 2.8gpm models.

Camping world has the Fancy one for $193.50 while the 2.8gpm model is $62.00

I have two in my bus along with a small accumulator from Lowe's and they work great. My water pressure stays right at 50psi and I get no pulsation.

I, as do most of the busnuts on the boards, like all the latest gadgets and electronic goodies I can get, but, when it comes to water pumps I want it to be a very simple system with no computer control. just a simple on-off with a pressure switch is fine.

I have a friend with a Bounder M/H that put the Shurflo Extreme Smart Sensor 5.7 model in ..... so far 4 times. I don't know if he was getting bad product or if he was doing something wrong or even if he was running on low voltage. I just know that when I turn the faucet on I want water to come out of the spigot.

This is just my way and my opinion so take it for what it's worth.

Dallas

[luvrbus]

Jerry i have had mine for over a year with no problems you can buy it for 171.50 at rvpartsoutlet.com i can see where low voltage would hurt the pump

[John Z]

Dallas, i cam curious how you have the two pumps plumbed up. I like the idea of having a backup should one quit. Are they in series? And can you describe the accumulator? I am picturing it to be a small bladder type pressure tank.

[Dallas]

John, I did mine like Jack Conrad did his, by paralleling the 2 pumps. That way, if one goes titsup the other can go around it.

I hooked the motor from both into the same micro switch so they always come on together.

The accumulator tank is just a small tank, (in my case a 2 gallon model) with a bladder in it.

Here's a picture of the tank I have:

[Sean]

Jerry,

We have a pair of the predecessor to the 5.7, the Sensor VSD 4.5.  We had an early failure on one of the two (bad pressure switch, I think) before the bus was even finished, which we replaced, but otherwise the two have been running continuously for three years.  And I do mean continuous -- we don't ever use city water pressure, so the pumps are literally never shut down.

A couple months ago I finally had to replace the diaphragm in the main fresh water pump.  That's after over 25,000 hours of operation and 10,000 gallons.

I'd love to have one of the new 5.7's, but they are a 12-volt-only pump, and I chose the Sensor VSD's for their 12/24 capability, and they are wired to 24 volts.  The newer pumps moved the circuit board from an external dongle to inside the base of the pump, and they now have a 5-chamber diaphragm rather than the four that mine have.  But otherwise it is basically the same unit.  Worth every penny, IMO, to have solid and constant water pressure without the extra space required for an accumulator.  FWIW.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

Addendum:  I said "pair" above -- one is for our fresh water system, and the other is for our separate drinking water system.  The Sensor VSD is overkill on the later, but I like having two identical pumps so the parts are interchangeable and I can swap one for the other quickly in an emergency.  One 4.5gpm pump runs the whole fresh system just fine.

[boogiethecat]

John, two pumps onboard, one for a backup is a great idea, but not plummed in.  I've had three pumps of various styles fail on me and the way they fail is that they spring a big nasty leak.  So having a second one plummed in series or in parallel wouldn't help a bit.  They do make super easy to disconnect fittings... all I do now is carry a spare in a box, and if mine fails, it's only 5-10 minutes to replace it...

[TomC]

I have two Shurflo Whisper Kings ($70 at Camping World) plumbed in parallel.  What I like is course having the backup capability, but with both turned on I can be in the shower and my wife doing the dishes (or vise versa) and not have any less water flow.  Granted on less than full open faucet, they will pulse a bit, but not bad enough for me to want to replace them.  And they are relatively quiet considering they are under my bed in the back.  Good Luck, TomC

[DrivingMissLazy]

Tom and all, I highly recommend the accumulator that Dallas describes. It really gets rid of the pulses and stops the pump from coming on every time a spigot is opened.
Richard

[TomCat]

Jerry, I've used a ShurFlo 5.7 SmartPump for nearly 2 years with no issues. I would recommend using a sound absorbing mounting method, as well as the flex hoses, after which it's unlikely you'll ever hear it operating.

Jay
87 SaftLiner

[jjrbus]

Jerry befor you go buy a new pump. Try an accumulator first. I put a small rv type in, like they sell at Camping World. Made a big difference.
                                                                            HTH Jim

[belfert]

Instead of buying one of those $30 half gallon RV accumulator tanks just buy a well accumulator tank.  I bought one that is 4 or 6 gallons for $30 or $35 on sale at a local farm and fleet supply.

The accumulator tank does not need to go in your wet bay if you are out of room.  I put mine in my wet bay, but I had room.  I put one in the bathroom vanity in my travel trailer.  It just has to be plumbed somewhere into a cold water line after the pump.

[Jerry Liebler]

Thanks to all who replied.  I really want the added flow rate at decent pressure.  I'd rather not deal with an accumulator.  Other than some infant mortality problems, it sounds like those who've splurged for the high price really like how the 'extreme' pumps perform.  BTW Dyersrv seems to have the best price($159.95).  While I'm tearing into my plumbing system I'm going to separate the cold water to the kitchen faucet and bathroom sink and have only these two faucets run through the carbon block filter.  This'll give more flow to the shower.
Regards
Jerry 4107 1120

[Hartley]

I also am a believer in the Shurflo 5.7 pumps, I have a primary and a spare each with it's tank pickup.

I like the 65 psi and full flow capacity of them. The auto-speed control works great and turning on the sink with the shower running doesn't seem to affect flow that much.

I lived with 2.8 and 3.5's for 6 years and the lower pressure sucked at running a decent shower
and I did have a surge tank but they don't make up for poor pumping capacity.

Just my take on things,

Dave....