Watch the screw cap on fresh water filter

[DougOlson]

Recently I was getting a little water on the floor under the sink in our Scamp 16. Then after our last trip the trailer was sitting in the driveway for a couple days tilted with the tongue elevated. When I pulled it out to the street to put it away in RV storage now the tongue tilted down I got about a gallon of water running out the door. Well, it turned out to be a loose filter cap on the fresh water filter next to the fresh water pump. I could easily tighten it by hand. I will be checking that little sucker regularly now, before and after every trip. Also I will probably think more about adding a small access panel on the side of the trailer to make it easier to get to the tank drain valve and that filter. It is under the rear dinette seat which is inconvenient right now.

[floyd]

Usually the onboard fresh water pump has a sealed screw-in screen type filter, whereas the shower sump uses a screen with a screw on "jar lid".
Could you possibly have the wrong screen on your freshwater pump?
The fresh water filter usually looks like the first picture below it is a sealed unit.
The shower sump filter usually looks more like the second picture with a screw on "jar lid" for manually cleaning the shower drain...

[DougOlson]

Hi Floyd, the Scamp fresh water filter looks like this one and has a "hand tighten" screw on cap that can come loose. The pump vibrates a lot when in use so I just need to check the cap regularly to make sure it is not loose.
Thanks.

[Borrego Dave]

Hi Doug, have to ask, isn't there a factory filter/screen already on the pump? On the other hand you've found the leak source .

[CampyTime]

Hi Doug, that's what mine looks like, too. I thought the idea, from the Shurflo owners manual, is to be able to unscrew that little sediment cup now and again to clean the filter and empty the cup of crud. I have been doing that once a season if i was hooked up to city water at a campsite and water was questionable.

Its difficult to unscrew it in those tight quarters! But now I know to keep my eye on it.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by DougOlson

Hi Floyd, the Scamp fresh water filter looks like this one and has a "hand tighten" screw on cap that can come loose. The pump vibrates a lot when in use so I just need to check the cap regularly to make sure it is not loose.
Thanks.

I use a piece of gaffers tape on the cap to keep it from vibrating loose. Easy to strip the tape off to loosen.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by DougOlson

Hi Floyd, the Scamp fresh water filter looks like this one and has a "hand tighten" screw on cap that can come loose. The pump vibrates a lot when in use so I just need to check the cap regularly to make sure it is not loose.
Thanks.

My Scamp freshwater screen doesn't look like that.It came with the one I described which can't leak and since it is only exposed to clean water shouldn't need periodic cleaning.

The shower drain screen is mounted outside the trailer under the floor and must be cleaned because it is on the shower drain and catches hair and soil which goes down the drain, to protect the pump. If it were not tightened properly it would only drain onto the ground.

My advice would be to switch the fresh water screen on yours, although I have never seen one vibrate loose, so you may find that it will not happen again.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Hi Doug, that's what mine looks like, too. I thought the idea, from the Shurflo owners manual, is to be able to unscrew that little sediment cup now and again to clean the filter and empty the cup of crud. I have been doing that once a season if i was hooked up to city water at a campsite and water was questionable.

Its difficult to unscrew it in those tight quarters! But now I know to keep my eye on it.

Get an inline filter for your shorewater hose to protect the entire system. (see photo below)

BTW: your freshwater pump screen is not exposed to shorewater unless you pour it into the tank through the filler tube.

[CampyTime]

I wrote incorrectly, but thank you. Yes, I know that, but meant when I use filler tube to fill water tank. I had one of the filters before, but something about keeping them wet and refrigerated in between camping trips proved to be a pita for me.

[DougOlson]

Thanks for all the comments. I do use an inline hose filter. The tape is a good idea, I'll do that.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

I wrote incorrectly, but thank you. Yes, I know that, but meant when I use filler tube to fill water tank. I had one of the filters before, but something about keeping them wet and refrigerated in between camping trips proved to be a pita for me.

If you are concerned, they are only $8 so throw it away every season. or put a drop of bleach in before storage.
We don't sanitize our trailer every trip, and we don't refrigerate our water supply hose.