How to increase water pressure in an RV

When on road trips in your campervan, you want the same facilities as at home. Therefore when you turn the tap on, you want a solid, steady flow to come out. The last thing you want is to get a dribble out of a tap. Furthermore, a dripping shower with no power is practically useless. As far as RV issues go, this is a common occurrence. Therefore, you need to know how to solve this problem should it happen to the REV you are in. This article will give you guidance on how to increase water pressure in an RV, so you don’t have to tolerate a dripping tap.

Check for leaks

A great start point is to look for leaks. They are obvious and will cause a significant reduction in pressure. When checking for leaks, it is worth checking not only the pipe but camps and valves. A loose valve or fault valve can lead to a reduction of pressure. Therefore run the tap, then as it is running, review begins to check the whole system. When you come across a leak, you must mark where it is, such as writing on the pipe in permanent marker. Once you have identified a leak, it must be fixed.

Using tape to fix a leak

Sometimes if you find a small leak, the use of pipe tape can be enough to fix the problem. Pipe tape is relatively inexpensive and very easy to use. Once you have marked where the leak is, you must dry the pipe around this area (when the water is off), then you can tape around. Ensure you do it as tight as possible, so the risk of it peeling off is minimised.

If a valve or clamp is leaking slightly, silicone tape can fix this issue. To fix this, you must remove the valve then apply silicone tape around the joining then fix it back together. Plumbers use this tape to secure all piping. Therefore, it’s convenient and effective.

Replacing a pipe

If your checking of the water system results in finding a burst pipe, it must be replaced. To do this, you must turn off the water initially. Get a bucket and towel out as you disconnect the pipe; the excess water has some running. It’s easy to take this pipe to a Screwfix’s to find a brand new version of the existing pipe. Using silicone tape, you want to wrap both ends when reintsallin=g, then gradually tighten the valves and camps until it’s secure. From this point, you can run the tap and check the pressure is restored and that the leak is fixed. Alternatively, you could pay a plumber to fix this issue for you if you desire.

Check the water pump.

Assuming the system is watertight and has no leaks, the next obvious step is to check the pump. Without a fully working pump, the pressure can drop or even be reduced to zero. A campervan pump usually has a pressure of around 50 PSI. This high pressure pumps the water out, resulting in a flow of around 5 litres a minute.

To check the PSI your RV water pump is producing, you will need a pressure gauge. Remove the water pump from the system and test it. If you encounter any issues, go and get it serviced by a plumber or replace it. Water pumps do need replacing over time, so this is a common issue to run into. It’s like if you leave the water heater on, this wears over time and will eventually need replacing.

Check the fresh water storage tank or on-site water

Some things are so obvious that you may not end up checking them. For example, there could be no pressure because there is no water flow. This would be caused by having an empty water tank or no flow of water from the site. This issue is straightforward to fix as you can fill the water tank or report the problem on-site to be fixed. There has to be water in the first place for any of it to flow.