SHURflo Mains Pressure Regulator, Water Inlet

rockylizard · Guru

SHURflo Mains Pressure Regulator, Water Inlet

Delta18 · Guru

Maybe weld the parts together?

Traway · Veteran Member

Adapt a car engine gasket?

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Thanks Delta and Traway ... feasible ... but do you have this unit and is that the solution you found to work?

cheers - John

Bill B · Guru

The screws hold both sections together come loose.

Periodically I used to check them and tighten if necessary.

Maybe some loctite on the screws would stop them coming loose.

Current van has a mains water inlet mounted under the van.

-- Edited by Bill B on Sunday 15th of July 2018 10:48:58 AM

rockylizard · Guru

Bill B wrote:
The screws hold both sections together come loose. Periodically I used to check them and tighten if necessary. Yep - hence, as I said, I am regularly 'nipping them up' ... probably every 5 or 6 days ... they sometimes don't drip for three days, sometimes they drip again the next day ... and it doesn't seem to make any difference if I have travelled between 'nipping up' (and 'shook' loose) or been stationary for a week.

Maybe some loctite on the screws would stop them coming loose. worth a try

~~~SNIP

Gday...

TA Bill

cheers - John

swamp · Senior Member

HI
Install a drip irrigation pressure regulator on the hose your using to supply the van .

Delta18 · Guru

rockylizard wrote:
Gday...
Thanks Delta and Traway ... feasible ... but do you have this unit and is that the solution you found to work?
cheers - John

No idea if it works or not, mine have never leaked for me to try it.

Yuglamron · Guru

One thing you could try is to dismantle the unit and if you have room in the face of one side of the mating surface is to use a hole saw and gently cut a groove in the face. Deep enough to take half to a third of the thickness of the grommet. Use a rubber grommet with some food grade grease.. Obviously find a grommet and hole saw that match.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

G'day Rocky, Mate.

This might not be able to be done but gunna chuck my thought at ya anyway.

Can you remove the regulator altogether as it sounds like a pressure reducer gismo? With it removed you could hook up the water mains direct to van inlet thus having the 'drip' problem solved. Then again, maybe I'm the drip. I hook up to mains water when I can and fit a water filter just before van connection and it helps reduce the water pressure. Seems to work for me. You might be able to fit two filters.

All just a thought mate.

Hope ya both enjoy'n the warmer climate?

OutbackMK · Senior Member

Fit a pressure reducer (maybe Bunnings or such can supply) between hose and the van inlet then the regulator only deals with a lower pressure, as the chief mentioned water pressure drop is also created by a filter before the van inlet.

laurieoz · Senior Member

Without flow, a filter will not reduce the pressure. When flow stops the pressure will build up to mains pressure without a regulator

STRETCH ARMSTRONG · Senior Member

Hey rockylizard, I've got one of those crappy things. I'm thinking of pulling it out and get the brass reducer from the green shed as others have said. Does the sticker on the side of the shurflo unit state the max pressure? I don't think it would be to difficult the either pull the guts out of the shurflo unit and glue it together or retro fit a different filler with the reducer? If you find a good solution let me know!

I did enlarge the photo but cannot get a clear image of the psi on the sticker. I think the green sheds reducer may be 500kpa.

-- Edited by STRETCH ARMSTRONG on Monday 16th of July 2018 02:37:22 AM

Radar · Guru

STRETCH ARMSTRONG wrote:
Hey rockylizard, I've got one of those crappy things. I'm thinking of pulling it out and get the brass reducer from the green shed as others have said. Does the sticker on the side of the shurflo unit state the max pressure? I don't think it would be to difficult the either pull the guts out of the shurflo unit and glue it together or retro fit a different filler with the reducer? If you find a good solution let me know!
I did enlarge the photo but cannot get a clear image of the psi on the sticker. I think the green sheds reducer may be 500kpa.

-- Edited by STRETCH ARMSTRONG on Monday 16th of July 2018 02:37:22 AM

Our van had a water incident last year down the New England, the irrigration shop in town sent us off to the green shed to home irrigration isle and for sub $10 I picked up a plastic water pressure reducing value which I place on the tap then my hose to the caravan. The brass replacement water pressure reducing valve is priced about $70 and not easy obtained.

What I understand the water heater hates to much pressure and will damage it.

Delta18 · Guru

Think you will find that the gizmo there is a One Way Valve rather than a Pressure Reduction.

It stops Pump water flowing out that Inlet.

Bill B · Guru

Delta18 wrote:

Think you will find that the gizmo there is a One Way Valve rather than a Pressure Reduction.
It stops Pump water flowing out that Inlet.

It is both a pressure reduction valve and non return valve.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

This is a very interesting topic Rocky, thanks mate.

I was thinking about this, yep that was the rusty sound you heard. If I think the water pressure is to great from the water supply tap I tend to just adjust the water supply tap flow to just a little, making sure I get enough water for a good shower. That and the filter Seems to work ok but maybe I'm doing it all wrong. The only place I can see if I had a pressure reducer fitted the the aluminium teepee is at the actual inlet to the van.

Just another thought on my part.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

Delta18 · Guru

Bill B wrote:
Delta18 wrote:

Think you will find that the gizmo there is a One Way Valve rather than a Pressure Reduction.
It stops Pump water flowing out that Inlet.

It is both a pressure reduction valve and non return valve.

Ok different to mine then, my PRV is a brass one in the water line.

Radar · Guru

Hi, here is my the one that caused me a problem, like no mains water to the shower when I was ready for a shower.

On real close inspection we found the valve internally was not sliding, the case had been possibly hit by a rock.

No 1 pic bass pressure limiting valve, value at $70 not regularlly available at corner store.

No 2 pic is my quick fix and 12 months on still working, a non return valve, $18.

No 3 pic the green shed irrigation pressure limiting valve, sub $10.

2017 05 10 618 plumbing problem.jpg 2017 05 10 816 the repair.jpg

Radar · Guru

Dougwe wrote:
This is a very interesting topic Rocky, thanks mate.

I was thinking about this, yep that was the rusty sound you heard. If I think the water pressure is to great from the water supply tap I tend to just adjust the water supply tap flow to just a little, making sure I get enough water for a good shower. That and the filter Seems to work ok but maybe I'm doing it all wrong. The only place I can see if I had a pressure reducer fitted the the aluminium teepee is at the actual inlet to the van.

Just another thought on my part.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

Dougwee, try and corner a real plumber and ask him to explain water flow and water pressure.

I m not qualified even to try and explain.

But its a interesting subject.

STRETCH ARMSTRONG · Senior Member

Thanks for the ideas Radar.
I thought of fitting a reducer to the water hose itself then pulling the guts out of the shurflo unit. The only issue I saw was the nice brass reducer on the hose being a target for the light fingered brigade. Those cheaper plastic units don't look very obvious so might be a cheap simple fix.

Triggy · Veteran Member

rockylizard wrote:
Gday...
I am currently using the FOURTH of these units over the past ten years and admit I am at my wit's and patience's end.
The originally installed one lasted less than a year before leaking and was replaced under warranty by the dealer.
A further two have been replaced by the dealer when the van is in for service and this last one was replaced by me about a year ago.
They ALL have leaked in the same place and at the same 'dripping' rate. The 'dripping rate' can be slowed by re-tightening the screws BUT the unit is made of three pieces ... the external unit that accepts the hose for mains pressure, a 'middle' bit that seems to be the actual reducer, and the 'inside van' bit that connects to the internal plumbing of the van. There is no 'gasket' between these three pieces and they are hard plastic against hard plastic - very smooth but nothing to 'absorb' any 'inconsistencies'. As the 'parts' are all hard plastic, I am reluctant to apply too much pressure to the philipps head screw in case it splits/cracks the body.
The previous one I pulled apart and used sealant as 'gaskets' on all the joins but that did not seem to work either. It was OK for a while but the 'dripping' leak reappeared.
This is the offending item.
My question is whether anyone else has this unit fitted to their van and whether those who have one, are experiencing a different story to mine ... or whether there was a solution found (a replacement part?) that negates any leaking/dripping water.
Cheers - John

John, I have the same water inlet fitting. after a lot of frustration trying to stop the leak .I found the problem, it was leaking from the connector which joins onto the thread end and seeping down onto the joins that you have shown. What i found was the sharp edge as shown in my pic cuts through the seal in the john guest connector when screwed together and leaks down to the lowest point . File this sharp surface flat and fit a new seal in the john guest connector so they mate on a flat surface
No more leaks now
Gary

OutbackMK · Senior Member

I have a problem that sometimes surfaces if the pressure is a little high the rubber non-return valve in the shurflow pump lets the water run back into the water tank which then overflows. Based on this I would advise you keep the pressure reducer in-line. Jayco don't bother replacing the valve in the pump (you generally have to buy a whole overhaul kit not just the diaphram) so they use a JG non-return valve on the pump outlet line.
Pleased to hear that not only Jayco vans have these issues.

rockylizard · Guru

Triggy wrote:
John, I have the same water inlet fitting. after a lot of frustration trying to stop the leak .I found the problem, it was leaking from the connector which joins onto the thread end and seeping down onto the joins that you have shown. What i found was the sharp edge as shown in my pic cuts through the seal in the john guest connector when screwed together and leaks down to the lowest point . File this sharp surface flat and fit a new seal in the john guest connector so they mate on a flat surface
No more leaks now
Gary

Gday...

Thanks for the comment Gary, but the water leaks from the joins between the three parts of the unit. The JG connector etc is secure and has always been leak free.

... and the problem is not how far the mains tap is turned on - even if it is turned to only allowing a trickle into the van the Shurflo unit will leak (weep) water.

The particularly frustrating thing is that when I check the screws, and re-tighten them sometimes, there will be no drips for a few days ... then some days only a teaspoon will leak out - other days half a cup.

I think the best advice so far has been to bypass this Shurflo unit and put a pressure reducer on the park tap, connect hose to that and then the hose directly to a dedicated inlet to the van's plumbing.

Thanks for the thoughts folks.

PS - Young Dougie, I am at a camp on the banks of a creek just south east of Innisfail - sorry you are stuck in the chill. hmm

cheers - John

PeterD · Guru

rockylizard wrote:
I am currently using the FOURTH of these units over the past ten years and admit I am at my wit's and patience's end.
Snip
My question is whether anyone else has this unit fitted to their van and whether those who have one, are experiencing a different story to mine ... or whether there was a solution found (a replacement part?) that negates any leaking/dripping water.

The only leaking problem I have had with them in 22 years (15 years in the second van) was from driving rain. There is a slot where the strap holding the travelling plug passes through the housing and attaches inside the van. We had an experience at Esperance where we had near horizontal rain was driven through that slot.

The repairer we took the van to to get it replaced removed the unit and gave it several pressure tests. He could not find any leak. In desperation he turned the fitting up so the outside was facing up and the depression formed a cup. He then filled the cup with water from a watering can. He said the cup emptied fairly quickly through the slot the strap passes through. He gunked the slot up with mastic.

Afterwards the navigator remarked she had found dampness in the cupboard under the inlet. She had looked to see if the fitting was/had been leaking. Each time it showed no sign of dampness around the pressure relief section. She has not had any problem since the slot was sealed up.

aussie_paul · Guru

rockylizard wrote

PS - Young Dougie, I am at a camp on the banks of a creek just south east of Innisfail - sorry you are stuck in the chill.
cheers - John

That is just NOT nice John, biggrin we are in the same boat as Dougie. cry

Aussie Paul. smile

-- Edited by aussie_paul on Tuesday 17th of July 2018 02:50:00 PM

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Pay backs are double Paul biggrin biggrin

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

An update.

At the previous location, connected to mains pressure, the Shurflo was dripping each day for three days ... I nipped up the screws and it made a bit of difference, the drips only produced about a teaspoon in the bowl I have fixed to the floor under the Shurflo.

Now at a different venue, connected to mains pressure, and the Shurflo has not dripped a single drop in three days.

The expression WTF comes readily to mind ... and just adds to the frustration I suffer with this product.

I am thankful for the advice/opinions offered and I am fairly certain I will be bypassing the Shurflo, getting a pressure reducer to connect directly to the van park tap and then a dedicated, secure, inlet to the van's plumbing.

Cheers - John

Divingbobby · Member

For what it's worth I had exactly the same issue on my previous van.
There is nothing wrong with the shureflow unit. It will be the internal pressure build up in the system when the hot water heats up if the non return valve is either not installed or faulty. The pressure build up can be observed by fitting a gauge to the system and monitor the pressure. In my case the pressure got well over mains pressure and from memory around 100 psi.

You also need to make sure the over pressure release is working on the hot water system. I fitted a second pressure relief valve to the cold water system and found that it frequently released water whenever the hot water system was turned on.
I didn't have a problem after replacing the non return valve and fitting the second pressure relief valve.
If you google a typical caravan plumbing system you will see how and where these items are installed.

-- Edited by Divingbobby on Monday 23rd of July 2018 10:17:57 AM

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Thanks divingbobby ... I will definitely explore that.

However, I have now been at this place for eight consecutive days, connected to mains pressure, HWS has been on from the first minute of arrival, all normal usage including showers etc and there has not been a SINGLE drip from the Shurflo - dry as a dead dingo's donga as they say.

This has been my history throughout four units over 10 years ... I have a 'catch bowl' glued to the floor under the Shurflo to catch any drips after being caught with the first one that drenched the floor under the dinette seat - I didn't know it was dripping/leaking for some months. So now I check the 'catch bowl' every morning whenever I am on mains pressure.

Sometimes not a thing drips out, sometimes only a tea spoon, then nothing for days on end .. then a cup full ... then back to a few days of nothing and the circus goes around and around again. Sometimes I 'nip up' the screws which only move a portion of a millimetre each time, sometimes that makes it not drip for a day or two but usually makes no difference.

I will explore your suggestion, but as I said earlier I am fairly certain I will be bypassing the Shurflo, getting a pressure reducer to connect directly to the van park tap and then a dedicated, secure, inlet to the van's plumbing.

But at the moment, while it is not dripping anything, I am going to let 'sleeping dogs lie'

Cheers - John