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Flojet Pump Woes

Messages
558
Location
Bicester
I’ve had my Facelift Phoenix van mount for about 18 months and I think my pump is ready to die. Awaiting a call back from WCW on Tuesday to troubleshoot, but thought I’d ask for some advice on here as well. 

Pump starting and stopping fine with power, but the flow needs to be higher to keep the previous pressure of flow - I don’t really have a way of “measuring” this, I just need to be closer to the glass to rinse and the water stream seems to be weaker (I have to set the controller to 50 to give me the same amount of water pressure as 40 did the day before), and my DE isn’t kicking in when the hose is detached or my univalve engaged on my poles. It’s also draining my leisure battery at a higher rate than it did before too. 

Ive tried running the system on full (99 flow), which ends up just kicking the PS (voltage overload) sensor in and cutting the pump out. 

So it is useable for the the time being, but it’s not working as well as it was. Other than lower pressure it’s not hitting air locks or anything else that would indicate a blockage in the system so I’m starting to think it’s a failed bearing?

Second, how easy are these to swap in and out with existing wiring and tubing? Doesn’t look too complicated but obviously I bought a pre build for a reason, and I don’t want to install a replacement and damage anything else. 

Any thoughts would be welcome. Pretty gutted to be facing a £110 bill for a new one after only 18 months of service. 

Thanks. 

 
I would first ensure that its not the battery or a poor connection @C Rose Cleaning Services. First place to look is at the battery terminals and then the fuse holder.

Gut feel tells me that its power related. 18 months is considered extremely good service from a leisure battery in our industry by Numax.

I can't remember if you have a split charge relay or not. If you do, does running the engine improve the situation? If you do and it doesn't help, is the SCR working or has a fuse blown? Are you able to connect your controller up to your van battery to see if there is a difference.

I would also look for kinks in the hose on your reel. If you can find a quite area such as an industrial estate over the weekend, run all 100 meters of hose down the road and check for damage/blockages/kinks.

We have also experienced issues with Hozelok stop connectors suddenly not opening properly after they have been in service for a while. These are most troublesome at van ports.

Also check the pump filter as it might need cleaning out.

It also sounds as through the dead end needs recalibrating.

WCW have a list of self help videos on their site and one of them is how to recalibrate the controller.

Cold winter weather also means a battery performance is 25% less than in summer. On top of that the water is more dense so won't flow as well. But you should have noticed these issues at least 3 months ago.

Our flow on the same setting on our controlers is noticeable slower in winter time. Also, for some unexplained reason flow seems better on some days than others. Much like my bladder, but that's another story.

 
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I would first ensure that its not the battery or a poor connection @C Rose Cleaning Services. First place to look is at the battery terminals and then the fuse holder.

Gut feel tells me that its power related. 18 months is considered extremely good service from a leisure battery in our industry by Numax.

I can't remember if you have a split charge relay or not. If you do, does running the engine improve the situation? If you do and it doesn't help, is the SCR working or has a fuse blown? Are you able to connect your controller up to your van battery to see if there is a difference.

I would also look for kinks in the hose on your reel. If you can find a quite area such as an industrial estate over the weekend, run all 100 meters of hose down the road and check for damage/blockages/kinks.

We have also experienced issues with Hozelok stop connectors suddenly not opening properly after they have been in service for a while. These are most troublesome at van ports.

Also check the pump filter as it might need cleaning out.

It also sounds as through the dead end needs recalibrating.

WCW have a list of self help videos on their site and one of them is how to recalibrate the controller.

Cold winter weather also means a battery performance is 25% less than in summer. On top of that the water is more dense so won't flow as well. But you should have noticed these issues at least 3 months ago.

Our flow on the same setting on our controlers is noticeable slower in winter time. Also, for some unexplained reason flow seems better on some days than others. Much like my bladder, but that's another story.


Thanks @spruce - you're always helpful!

Firstly, the leisure battery was replaced after 5 months (split relay issue which WCW had the van back in for changing the battery, relay itself and wiring but I won't bore you with the details), so it's about 13 months old.  It's charging fine with the van running reaching it's peak charge, but yes, is depleting quicker than it was this time last week - perhaps it is related?  I was under the impression we should be getting a few years use out of the battery though.

Other bits just to help you troubleshoot:

- The van ports aren't hozelock, they are (I think) Series 26 Nickel Brodex connectors.

- The van running has always improved the rate of flow since I got the system - I just assumed it was because engine power is better than battery, so not sure if this is relevant to the issue or not.

- I've checked the terminals and the fuse holder and all connections are solid, so I don't think it's wiring related.   

- I ran all my hose reel out on Thursday (100m worth) when I first noticed it was an issue, and I've checked my pole hoses to make sure they aren't twisted either, so the problem definitely seems to be isolated to the pump itself.  (I appreciate flow needs adjusting and the calibration too at times depending on temperatures, which I do from time to time anyway, but this is the worst it's ever been).  I've also tried running the system without any hose attached to my outlet and it still doesn't Dead End at all - I will have to research how to recalibrate this as the only calibration I was shown was to help flow when the hose has contracted/expanded due to operating conditions.

Other than that I'm not sure what else to test or look for really.  

Thanks again buddy.

 
I've managed to sort it!  Had a look on YouTube and checked how to auto calibrate the system - DE kicked in right away and I lowered my calibration from 50 down to 25 and it's locking out properly.  I'll check the flow tomorrow but hoping that's resolved it.  Will check flow rate tomorrow and increase as necessary and see how that goes versus battery drainage.

Cheers mate.

 
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