Cold weather tip, Cat water pump cavitate and vibrate (Video)

[Mark Saiger]

Had an experience the past couple of days.

While cleaning inside the home, the high pressure water line started to shake....

Thought the vibration dampner or pressure regulator might be going (and they were fairly new)

Cat water pump was actually starving for water.

The vent-overflow tube had iced up from snow, road junk AND the overflow draining as well going around corners.

Video to show better on our Butlers.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Good stuff Mark, I'm glad you share your best stuff here.

 

[Able 1]

Curious why they don't put that hose inside(if it's a breather)? An over flow should be slightly lower, if I'm understanding this correctly. . Drill a breather in the top of your tank if that's what you think it is.. Arm chair QB in me wants to think it's your demand pump, or something else..

Are you talking about the water box? I haven't worked on a Butler..

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Overflow for the fresh water tank. My Butler was an '85, but Justin's WM is similar to the video as well.

 

[Able 1]

If it doesn't have water you will notice at the trigger..

 

[Lee Stockwell]

The hose is a safeguard when FILLING the fresh tank, so that overflow goes outside. Because the tank is sealed, the hose acts as a vent.

The situation Mark faced due to extreme cold was probably road slush building up on the end of the hose, blocking it's venting ability.

The unvented tank restricted enough flow to the Cat pump inlet to make it cavitate.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Butler doesn't use a water box or a demand pump.

 

[Able 1]

Overflow for the fresh water tank. My Butler was an '85, but Justin's WM is similar to the video as well.

So, the fresh water tank is air tight without this hose that sticks out into freezing cold? Not trying to be an ahole, but I ran for ten years with a pin hole in the top of the lids, never a problem. .

Have you had this problem Lee?

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I'm a wimp. My truck is PARKED in this crazy weather. No I haven't had this problem, but driving around in my wife's van today the slush was over a foot deep so I can only imagine Minnesota.

 

[Able 1]

I hear you.. I was on a 10,000 so job today and I noticed I had fluctuations in pressure (my hoses always shake)and it was my demand pump. . We drove half way through the parking lot to pick up my back up, and it kicked on.. Just thinking this might not be the issue here..

I would think a better solution would be drilling another vent in the top of the tank that stays inside the van..

Clean van there Mark!

 

[Mark Saiger]

This is the first time I have ever had this happen out of all the times that I have ran in the cold....

Was just one of those "perfect storm" situations

Was still getting water, but the end of the hose only had an opening remaining about the size of an 1/8 inch drill hole

Just the first time for me, so I thought I would pass it on.

The first day it happened, the hole hadn't filled over as much and the line wasn't really vibrating, but I was losing some punch at the wand....

Then when I heard what sounded like a nail hole in my tire, that's when I found it....

The second time the cavitation was getting worse....

I hasn't happened since those 2 days....

But it is -20 below zero again this morning and supposed to be cold all week...

I am going cleaning...(love this stuff sometimes....Love the challenge )

 

[dgardner]

I would think a better solution would be drilling another vent in the top of the tank that stays inside the van..

If you did that you would lose the advantage of the overflow venting outside - now you would have your overflow all over the inside of the van.

A possible solution would be to tee a piece of tubing into the existing line and run it to the top of the van, like the vent stack in a bathroom or laundry. It would provide a non-freezing vent, yet still hopefully allow overflow to go outside (as long as it wasn't frozen!).

(or you could just check the overflow from time to time to make sure it was clear.....)

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Nice detective work, Mark and thanks for sharing.