after water tank ran dry, and was refilled, still no water inside

[JustinChase]

So, I knew i had almost emptied the potable water reservoir, but thought there was still some in there. I spent the night elsewhere and when I came home today I heard a faint humming noise. I went and checked and the water pump was running, even though none of the faucets were open, and there was no reason I could see for it to be running.


I pulled the fuse to the pump and it stopped.



I filled the water tank back up (about 1/4 way) and as soon as it started filling, I put the fuse back in. The pump ran for a split second, then stopped.


I assume it had gotten low enough to make the pump think I was calling for water and caused it to turn on (but I don't think this should happen).


Anyway, now I have no running water inside. I added more water, to get it about 1/2 full, and still no running water.


I moved the hose to the city water supply, and now I have runinng water, but with little/no pressure.


Anyone know what may have happened, and what I might need to do to get everything working right again?

[JustinChase]

I hoped running city water for a while would prime the tank side, but no. After disconnecting city water, it ran into a trickle and I have no water now.


I can't imagine what the issue is. I'm unaware of any switchover I need to make, and the pump was running (at least making noise) when I got home, so I think it still works.


Even when I had the pump turned off in the past I still had some water. Now I've got nothing. I'm not even sure where to start diagnosing this situation.


Is there any chance the grey tank being full would prevent water from running from the tank?

[Helipilot]

I would suggest you check the whole house water filter in case it collapsed and will not allow water to pass. On my 2011 DRV I changed the filter when the water flow slowed to a trickle and that solved the problem. I now change the filter annually. You might also check the water pump for a failure of the impeller blades if the pump overheated and damaged the blades. Good Luck!

[CoMaddMax]

I had only a trickle when I was using the pump. I tightened the pump head and cleaned out the strainer. Nothing looked loose or plugged but I opened the faucet and turned on the pump. It ran for a couple of minutes and then I had good pressure from the pump. I closed the faucet and the pump shut off. Pressure has been fine since. My pump was right behind the winterizing valves. Good Luck!

[JustinChase]

not knowing the history of this pump, the fact that it seemed to start without reason, and that it was quite loud when it was working, and that it didn't seem to add much pressure before this incident, I've just ordered a new pump to replace it.


Hopefully this will resolve it, but even if not, the new pump should eliminate the pump as the source if the problem and provide a bit higher pressure once it's all working again.


Fingers crossed.

[BearKeller]

Pumps have a tendency to loose their prime, especially if its been running dry for a while or when you try to de-winterize the system. Some are very temperamental. Its usually fixed by opening and closing a faucet and turning the pump on and off. Sometimes it takes several attempts. They simply get air locked.