Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 10, 2025 ...

I only get city water

September 29, 2020, 05:08:36 pm

Hi all.
I get running water everywhere in the coach when I am hooked up through my hose reel.
However, I can't fill my fresh water tank. It looks like there is some water in there but I get no water pressure if I turn the water off.
In searching through the forums I've seen things about manual valves and electric valves.
I hear the relay is clicking when I press the fill button in the wet bay and when I press the water pump button.
I get 13.x volts at the bigger water pump on the driver's side. But I cannot access to get voltage on the passenger side. I suppose I could just pull it out and check.
Any ideas or recommendations as to where I should check next?

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #1 – September 29, 2020, 06:19:58 pm

The "pump" in your first photo....the one without the blue tank...is the 12volt air compressor used for the slide bladder and leveling system.

Ensure you have the water pump switch inside the coach turned on....should be near the sink?

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #2 – September 29, 2020, 06:21:42 pm

Hello and welcome to the forum and Foretravels. 

Have you owned your coach long?  I have the same year U-320 as yours so I would be happy to help if I can.  Sorting out your plumbing situation will be difficult to do long distance. 

The picture on the left above appears to be the 12 volt air pump that maintains the HWH leveling system when the main engine is shut off.  The picture on the right appears to be the actual water pump located on the passenger side of the coach.  Looking at the picture it appears that the piping has had several modifications. 

A few more images of the hose reel area on the driver side and some more from the water pump area on the passenger side would help.  A picture just to the left of the blue accumulator tank would be especially helpful as well as one of the area behind the water pump is you can manage to get a camera back there. 

Richard

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #3 – September 30, 2020, 06:35:47 pm

Thanks for the replies.  I've had the coach for about 2 weeks. The first job was to get AC electric back by replacing the inverter and ATS number two under the bed.

I've actuated the water pump and water fill switches both from the wet bay and from above the sink in the bathroom.

The ball valve behind the blue tank is in the open position. But just in case, I've had it in both positions.

Thanks
Jorge

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #4 – September 30, 2020, 06:41:35 pm

I remember the first time I tried to fill my tank... wasn't fun. Previous owners and the people they hire change things around, then don't document it. In my case there were pretty confusing messages in both bays. You probably have a manual valve you need to turn now if your fill switch isn't working. Check all the shut off valves and see if one helps to fill the tank. I never run off city water. What do you have to tell you the water level in your tanks?
I also have a U320 1999.
Bob

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #5 – September 30, 2020, 06:47:54 pm

Your system is nothing like the stock system on my '99 U320. Have you tried opening the red handled ball valve with the city water hooked up and water pump off? Do you have a slide? Put your build number in your signature to help with identifying problems.

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #6 – September 30, 2020, 09:18:04 pm

Your system is nothing like mine. The cover board should come off and it you take pictures from above we might be able to help more
to trouble shoot it. Bob that is a great idea to put in a bypass manual fill valve in case the electric fill valve doesn't work.

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #7 – September 30, 2020, 09:59:27 pm

I had a similar setup. I could not fill my tank either so I removed the fill valve behind the water pump and replaced it with a manual ball valve and it works fine.  The rubber diaphragm inside the valve had a small chunk missing and would not seal off to force water into the tank.  At least that's what I remember.

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #8 – September 30, 2020, 10:09:14 pm

Jorge,

Another solution, while you puzzle out the existing plumbing setup, is to add a "quick fill" to your fresh water tank.  Quite a few Forum members have installed various versions of this handy device.  Makes filling the tank much quicker and easier.  It looks like you have open access to the top of your fresh water tank right above your hose and power cord reels.  If so, then it is a fairly simple matter to install a "quick fill" pipe.  See the link below for my simple installation, which I copied from other examples I found by using the Forum search engine (top right corner of every page).

What did you do to your coach today VII

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #9 – October 01, 2020, 12:12:28 pm

Eureka!
I got the tank fill issue resolved, and the system pressurised.

Thanks for all the input. It prompted me to remove panels to get a good look (and take pictures as advised). 

When i checked for power at the pump, I got nothing. Then i took a closer look at the ground. Yep, corroded (or maybe the screw is not actually contacting metal).  I then checked for power using a different ground point and got 13.x volts.
Once I clipped the 2 ground leads and touched them to actual ground, everything came on as it should..

Now I need to address all those black floaties that can be seen through that see-through cover.

Thanks again

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #10 – October 01, 2020, 01:53:47 pm

The cover should unscrew. 

But you can take the whole assembly out.  Unscrew the top gray connection.  The assembly is held in the pump by a sliding clip.  It should slide toward you and then pull out the assembly from the pump.  Then you can clean and wash it in a sink.

You also want to make sure it is disconnected from the pump and empty or has anti-freeze in it when winterizing.  Ask me how I know.

Rich

Quote Selected

Re: I only get city water

Reply #11 – October 02, 2020, 08:34:06 pm

Hey Rich, how do you know to put antifreeze in that pump when winterizing?





hi sorry to be a smart-ass but I always wanted to do that when people say ask me how I know. Now I have.

Quote Selected