Sink in slide has bilge pump - not pumping

[dwelcel]

Update - there was a small clog in the line from the sink drain to the bilge box. Once that was cleared up enough water flowed to the bilge to trigger it to turn on. Solved.

Hi. New Imagine XLS 23bhe owner here. I've not had a trailer where the kitchen is in the slide before. On my 23bhe it looks like there is a box under the sink that collects water from the sink drain, then once a certain point full it will pump to the grey tank. It was working just fine and I could hear it turn on from time to time. However, the water seems to be collecting in the sink drain like the pump is not working from the box under the sink. I also haven't heard it turn on while I do the dishes. My grey tank is not full.

Am I missing something? I've got power to the rig via shore power, I do have my battery disconnected. Could it be plugged?

Thanks

[howson]

Update - there was a small clog in the line from the sink drain to the bilge box. Once that was cleared up enough water flowed to the bilge to trigger it to turn on. Solved.

Hi. New Imagine XLS 23bhe owner here. I've not had a trailer where the kitchen is in the slide before. On my 23bhe it looks like there is a box under the sink that collects water from the sink drain, then once a certain point full it will pump to the grey tank. It was working just fine and I could hear it turn on from time to time. However, the water seems to be collecting in the sink drain like the pump is not working from the box under the sink. I also haven't heard it turn on while I do the dishes. My grey tank is not full.

Am I missing something? I've got power to the rig via shore power, I do have my battery disconnected. Could it be plugged?

Thanks

Welcome to Grand Design's Technical Forum.

A bilge pump under the kitchen sink--that's a new one (for me). Sure enough, the parts diagram does show the pump: https://www.granddesignrv.com/owner-...s/detail/40902

Looking closely at the diagram it appears the part is a SEAFLO 07 Series 600GPH Seaflo Shower Pump System http://www.seaflo.com/en-us/product/detail/633.html

The manual is available here: http://www.seaflo.com/upload/file/20161028/07.pdf

That manual has "maintenance recommendations", though they are very generic.

I've never messed with this type of pump myself, but I'm sure there are members here who have that will be along shortly to provide additional advice.

Please follow up with what fixes your issue.

Howard

[Cate&Rob]

Well! Isn't that interesting!
I have one of these . . . under the shower . . . on my boat .

I can tell you that maintenance cleaning is important. The built-in screen is usually easily removable for this purpose but it helps to keep an old toothbrush handy for cleaning the corners. Run the water while you are cleaning and this will flush away any loosened debris. I would think that you will need to be cautious about what you flush down that sink drain.

The key to operation is to keep the float switch operating smoothly. If it hangs up low the sump floods. If it hangs up high the pump does not shut off. You can probably guess how I know these things!

Rob

[dwelcel]

Turns out it was just fine. It just needed more water in there for the float to rise up a bit more and trigger the switch. All good for now.

i appreciate all the help.

[blasley]

My sink bilge pump was leaking this past weekend flooding the cabinet under the sink. The water was pouring out the vent hole. We bought the trailer in Aug 2020 and this bilge pump has been acting up since last spring. I was careful to fill the bilge pump box with anti-freeze so there shouldn't be an issue there.

[Cate&Rob]

blasley

Welcome to our owners technical forum. When you have a chance, have a look at our welcome post. https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members . This will help you set up your signature and navigate the forum.

Please see the information in post #3 of this thread. These sump pump systems are not complicated but do need regular maintenance . . . particularly if connected to a kitchen sink where there will be food waste to deal with. The overflow situation that you describe would be caused by either a stuck float switch or loss of power. Start by checking the fuse for this system.

Rob

[ranmill14@hotmail.com]

How do I clean the bilge pump under the kitchen sick?

[howson]

How do I clean the bilge pump under the kitchen sick?

If GD is still using the same pump, it's a Seaflo. See attached manual.

Imagine XLS 23BHE Seaflo Kitche - Seaflo.pdf

[Antonio Santos]

Hello all. I have problems with this pump since day one. Got it replaced 2 times served 3 times and every 3 days it stops and I have to clean everything. Last time I asked for a solution on this the tech person told me "sell this trailer".

[timh0042]

Antonio Santos, I ended up installing a push-button switch (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DFK5MWH) in the front of the sink panel and wiring it up to the switch legs of the pump. Sorry, thought I had some pictures from when I did it, but don't seem to be able to find them. In the end, it allows me to be sure that I can at least activate the pump in case I haven't heard it for a while. I also like to run it just before a travel day so I can empty the reservoir.

There's at least one post on that "other" GD site, where someone actually moved the pump to make it more accessible. You might put 'site:<other site> "Imagine XLS 23BHE kitchen sink waste pump?" into your favorite search engine, then look for post #29.

[mikemcghin]

I’m having this same problem with the pump not working and it overflowing under the sink. Is it even necessary to have a pump?? Can you not have the pump and put a union in the sink hoses to connect the pipes directly to the sink tank?

[Cate&Rob]

Sumps with included pumps and float switches are relatively new in the RV world, but have been around for a long time in boats. They are used when there is not a continuous downward slope from the sink to the holding tank. They can be reliable but take some regular maintenance . . . particularly the float switch. Wiring a bypass switch (as timh0042 Tim describes) is a great idea and something I always did on boats.

It is highly unlikely that Grand Design would go to the trouble and expense of a sump pump if there was a direct drain route possible.

Rob

[timh0042]

Ugh, this sump pump setup is horrible. Just back from a weekend trip where it stopped working again and overflowed. I didn’t notice it not running soon enough to hit my button. Something has to change. Maybe moving where the sump box is installed or trying to eliminate it all together.

[Cate&Rob]

timh0042 Perhaps a better quality sump system could be the easiest fix? Check the marine supplier alternatives. Sounds like the float switch in yours is hanging up. Can you post pictures?

Rob

[timh0042]

timh0042 Perhaps a better quality sump system could be the easiest fix? Check the marine supplier alternatives. Sounds like the float switch in yours is hanging up. Can you post pictures?

Rob

Sure, that's a good suggestion. I'll see if there's some better sump/bilge pump option.

Here's a picture of when the problem occurred some time ago and I removed the whole box:



You can't see it in this photo, but yes, the float actually sticks in the down position.

I most recently have been able to just take the lid off and pull the pump out to clean it, though it's not easy to get access.