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Old 08-16-2017, 12:26 AM   #1
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Name: Deanna
Trailer: Bigfoot
British Columbia
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Bigfoot water problem

Hi, just a newbie here....We picked up a used 2006 Bigfoot 2500 series 9.4SB camper from the burning interior of B.C. this last week. It was a quick load and go , so got minimal instruction on all the nuances. It had been winterized with RV antifreeze. We are now home and have put water in the fresh tank, but when I put on the water pump, you hear the pump, but no water comes out of the taps or into the toilet. Is there a valve somewhere that needs to be opened? Thanks for your help!
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Old 08-16-2017, 12:47 AM   #2
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Try removing the aerator from the faucet and cleaning out the screen. Pay attention to how the pieces come apart so you can put them back together. If the screen is clogged, the pump will shut down from back pressure.
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Old 08-16-2017, 03:15 AM   #3
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Name: Jack L
Trailer: Sold the Bigfoot 17-Looking for a new one
Washington
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Your Bigfoot may have a bypass valve. Mine does. It would be on the inlet side pf the pump and it shuts off the water supply from the tank and allows you to pump RV antifreeze directly from the gallon jug into the pump (with an additional hose and fitting) making winterizing the pump easy. If you have a bypass valve on tour pump, make sure it is open, allowing water from the tank to reach the pump.
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Old 08-16-2017, 11:00 AM   #4
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Name: Walter
Trailer: 2017 Escape 17B
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I had the identical problem with a Casita about a month ago. The pump sounded fine but no water coming out anywhere. I turned out to be a bad pump. The previous owners had never used the water tank in the previous 4 years and the pump went bad.
First thing to try is give it a few hard knocks with a hammer to see if you can unstick it. Then disconnect the input hose from the pump and see if the pump is drawing any. With your hand over it you should feel a good vacuum.
Good luck.

Walt
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Old 08-16-2017, 02:01 PM   #5
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You said the trailer had been winterized. Did you de-winterize it when you brought it home? If so, did you do it with a city water hookup or using the onboard fresh water tank? Did the pink antifreeze run out each of the faucets until clear? Or are you trying to get the antifreeze pushed out now? I'm just trying to get a picture of what you have already done. If you are trying to push out the antifreeze, you may have the bypass valve to the fresh water tank closed, as suggested earlier. In our Bigfoot, these valves are between the fresh water tank and the water pump, under our bathroom vanity.
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Old 08-16-2017, 04:29 PM   #6
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Name: Jack L
Trailer: Sold the Bigfoot 17-Looking for a new one
Washington
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Pump Converter Winterizer Kit - Camco 36543 - Winterizing - Camping World

This is what the valve I have in my Bigfoot. You close the valve before winterizing the trailer and the cap on the valve comes off and you connect a hose to the valve and insert it into a jug of antifreeze. By using this system there is no need to put antifreeze in the freshwater tank. you just pump antifreeze into the system using the freshwater pump. I can winterize my trailer with a half gallon of antifreeze. My valve is attached directly to the pump, but some valves have a short hose between the tank and pump.
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Old 08-17-2017, 12:00 PM   #7
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Name: abcde
Trailer: noneofyourbusiness
British Columbia
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bypass valve location in Bigfoot trailer

Congrats on your new Bigfoot trailer. We have a 17.5 foot 2008 Bigfoot. A lot of design elements are common to all Bigfoot trailers, so assuming that our trailers are pretty similar with a front dinette unit. If not, track the pump compartment down by running the pump and hunting down the noise!


1. Your water pump and both the pump and water heater bypass valves are under the left hand dinette seat. You need to remove a plywood panel under the cushion to get at them. About half a dozen #8 Robertson screws in my case.

2. While you are in there, note the location of the fresh water drain valve. it's at the front of the pump compartment, and in my case accessible with a bit of groping through a cut-out from the storage compartment just in front of the pump compartment.

3. When you drain the water system, you'll find it comes out of a small hose under the water pump compartment quite slowly. The water tank is under the wooden cover beneath the right hand dinette cushion.

3. Your owners manual should have a section on winterizing and a picture and an explanation of the valves. Unlike the excellent quality of the trailer, my manual has very grainy photocopied images. Read the manual before you try anything. The bypass valves only turn 90 deg between winter bypass and summer positions.

4. If you don't have a manual, downloads for certain models are available at the manufacturer's web site, Bigfoot RV - Truck Campers & Travel Trailers - Recreational Vehicle Manufacturer

5. There is also a lot of Bigfoot specific info available at the Bigfoot Owners Club web site Bigfoot Owners Club International | I find both this site and the Owners Club have their uses.
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Old 08-17-2017, 12:01 PM   #8
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shoot you have a truck camper not a trailer - oops

Your stuff will be in a different place as you have a truck camper. Sorry about that.
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Old 08-18-2017, 04:14 PM   #9
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Name: Francois
Trailer: Bigfoot
British Columbia
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easy.....

very few if any people around here could answer your questions as truck campers are a different animal.....

but the solution to your problem is easy....just drive around until you see a BF camper that looks like your vintage of camper in a driveway somewhere.....at a reasonable hour knock on the door, introduce yourself, explain your problem (no knowledge of the workings of your new to you camper) and ask if they would be kind enough to spare a few minutes and go over the systems with you.....

EVERYBODY likes to talk about their "pride and joy" in the driveway, trust me....you'll get some first hand experience, maybe find out about some cool places to camp close by....and even make a new friend you may or may not want to go camping with.....

if you're shy....just drive it to an RV dealer and ask them to have a tech go over the camper with you and explain everything...for a fee of course....and that would be money well spent
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Old 08-18-2017, 04:38 PM   #10
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FLR001

the first three points of your post confirm that 17.5s were/are built TOTALLY differently than 17s (80s to 2004)....I have a 97....

nothing wrong with that but it does contradict your statement that:

A lot of design elements are common to all Bigfoot trailers, so assuming that our trailers are pretty similar with a front dinette unit...

I and all owners of BF 17s (with front dinettes) don't have tanks under dinette seats (we got mostly storage there) tanks are underslung....in my CB model the water pump is located under the "big" fridge....
just something to remember...
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Old 09-06-2017, 10:57 PM   #11
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Name: Deanna
Trailer: Bigfoot
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Originally Posted by Kevin A View Post
You said the trailer had been winterized. Did you de-winterize it when you brought it home? If so, did you do it with a city water hookup or using the onboard fresh water tank? Did the pink antifreeze run out each of the faucets until clear? Or are you trying to get the antifreeze pushed out now? I'm just trying to get a picture of what you have already done. If you are trying to push out the antifreeze, you may have the bypass valve to the fresh water tank closed, as suggested earlier. In our Bigfoot, these valves are between the fresh water tank and the water pump, under our bathroom vanity.
Hi, I am trying to de-winterize it. I opened the bypass valve and now am getting frothy, almost soapy looking water out of the taps. Should I be using the city water hook up or the fresh water tank to flush it all out?
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Old 09-07-2017, 02:14 AM   #12
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Trailer: Casita SD17 2006 "Missing Link"
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Originally Posted by Miss Biggy View Post
Hi, I am trying to de-winterize it. I opened the bypass valve and now am getting frothy, almost soapy looking water out of the taps. Should I be using the city water hook up or the fresh water tank to flush it all out?
Hi, I live in the desert and don't have to winterize but have had many RVs. The answer is both sources although I would bet the heater is your source of the froth. I would fill and drain the fresh water tank a few times and open the faucets for a bit after a few flushes of the tank. I've never hooked up to city water so I have to guess at this but with the valves open to the water heater, using the city connection will flush out the heater tank. Your pump won't be running being on city water, it will clear out. No telling how much anti freeze was put in there.
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Old 09-07-2017, 06:59 AM   #13
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After cleaning the system of RV anti-freeze and opening the water valves to let water back into your water heater, you may also have to depressurization the water heater by opening the pressure relief valve. It normally lies in a horizontal position. Flip it to standing up and water will rush out. I do this for a few seconds after a winter season of bypassing the heater.
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Old 10-07-2019, 02:02 AM   #14
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Name: Doug
Trailer: bigfoot 2500
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Lots of Valves

I have a 04 BF 2500, also new to me and without any info. I found under the dinette, the floor has a hinged opening which houses the pump, and in my case, and, maybe yours, intake hose switch, which is used to switch the pump intake to open line that can be inserted into a antifreeze jug. I changed this sw to draw from the main tank and it fixed my similar problems. Mine also had the usual hot water heater bypass, I dunno why as BF heats all the water, waste waters, and everything under the floor except the "basement" anyhow. These are under the front dinette seat. And, inches behind the un-insulated outdoor shower are 2 off valves supposedly accessed via the shore power box. I have a fiber optic probe camera, and I needed it to find my pump. Praise for SurFlo, I have had many of their pumps on boats, rv's, campers, and used just to pump water. They are tuff, and can take freezing as long as you have your faucets open.
In the process of trying to find the pump, I took the camper off my truck and opened up the bottom, tons of wasted space, and zero insulation except the syrafoam floor pieces, nothing on the walls or around pipes or anywhere else. I wasn't impressed in a positive way. Also note the camper needs a floor support for the tanks, so never lift it with full tanks. And either keep it on the jacks or build the platform they specify. It has no hard points for stands.
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