Best 12v water pump fulltimer

[Scott & Heather]

Ok, so on both of my buses I installed 110v flojet well pumps. Have loved the house water pressure and flow, but after going through four of them from failures, I'm over it. Ready for a 12v pump swap now. Any full timers have good luck long term with any 12v pumps? Specifically 5gpm or more units?

[richard5933]

How big is your pressure tank? In my experience a properly sized pressure tank will go a long way towards having good pressure/flow with a 12v pump, as well as help extend the life of the pump since it will not be in continuous service nearly as much when used with a tank.

Also, if you are running hard water as you travel around the country perhaps you should focus on a pump that's either tolerant of that or that is designed to have the seals replaced easily so that you can stay ahead of problems with frequent maintenance.

We run a pretty typical Sureflo 12v pump, but I do carry an extra pump head so that I can have one out to clean/service while the other is in the pump. So far so good, but I'm looking for a good 2-3 gallon tank to install to limit the cycle time since the 1 liter one we currently have isn't large enough.

[buswarrior]

What are the "failures"?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[dtcerrato]

We use the Shurflo Revolution 12V pump with the Shurflo RV accumulator tank. Although it gives many many years of reliable maintainance free service we carry an entire new spare pump cause we're never gonna be w/o house water...

[chessie4905]

Sureflo is the common pump used and available everywhere. Been around for years. We carry a spare also, just in case, and also have an accumulator tank to eliminate cycling.

[luvrbus]

Check your marine dealers they sell a better grade of water pumps at wide range of prices.when you install it mount it vertically with the pump side down and they will last longer

[Scott & Heather]

I have a 3 gallon expansion tank. My failures have been basically the pressure switches, pump bodies cracking, my
Most recent my pump just started spewing water from somewhere. Can't even tell where. I'm slowly
Moving my stuff over to 12v in the coach but I want the best pump I can buy

[richard5933]

... but I want the best pump I can buy

Just a suggestion...the best pump you can buy may not be the most expensive. I've seen a few RV pumps that provide good flow and pressure, with the problem that they seem to only last about a year (sometimes more, sometimes less). The good news is that they are not really that expensive as compared to some of the  better 120v models.

What if you found a decent quality pump at a good price point which provided the flow/pressure you need, installed it in a way that allows for easy and quick swapping, and then just accept that you'll be replacing it every year. Since you have a family that requires a degree of certainty with the water situation, perhaps even install two in parallel. If one craps out, you've already got its replacement in place with the flip of a switch. Replace the defective one as soon as you're able, and carry on.

[luvrbus]

I have a 3 gallon expansion tank. My failures have been basically the pressure switches, pump bodies cracking, my
Most recent my pump just started spewing water from somewhere. Can't even tell where. I'm slowly
Moving my stuff over to 12v in the coach but I want the best pump I can buy

The best you can buy is going to be the marine pumps ,FloJet and Shurflo both make a decent pump but you don't buy one for 80 bucks,look at the Johnson pump for about $250.00 or 300.00 it is not the RV junk lol or you can buy a $1200.00 water pump like the Prevost has 

[Raymond smith]

Flojets are noisy pumps if mounted inside. Shurflo is a quieter pump. Hope this helps. Raymond

[TomC]

Buy the cheapest Shurflo available-mainly the ones that are the old fashion on/off type, not variable speed. Run two of them T'd together. In 24 years, I've only replaced the pumps once, and that was two years ago. Even the Shurflo factory man said the on/off are the most reliable. Good Luck, TomC

[goutoe]

I use the shurfo pump with a 3 gallon pressure tank I only get about 5 years out of them, I think the older ones lasted a lot longer than the newer ones!>>> John.

[Scott & Heather]

Tom, are those still pressure switched?

As for noise, these are in a luggage bay with a double 3/4" plywood floor with a 2.5" foam filling. I won't hear them. Trust me. Richard it indeed might be a good idea to mount this in a location I can access and replace easily when needed. I just have house needs full size washer and dryer and shower/head as well as two bathrooms and kitchen sink to supply. So need 5gpm or more. I'm willing to spend the $$ on a good pump if that is indeed what it takes. My current setup would be fine but somehow I blew this pump housing and have no idea why. Plus, as I said I've moving over to 12v stuff at this point.

[Dave5Cs]

Scott seams like the pump should be just out of the tank not way up high like you have it. It is working harder first to pull the prime through the maze of pipes and up hill before you ever get water to other areas. Just some thoughts from the picture.

[richard5933]

Scott seams like the pump should be just out of the tank not way up high like you have it. It is working harder first to pull the prime through the maze of pipes and up hill before you ever get water to other areas. Just some thoughts from the picture.

These pumps can easily pull much more head than that, and even if it's tough to prime that only has to be done once.