Accumulator Tank

[bogen2]

Hi Bob,

Any small residential accumulator tank will do the job. Choose one with a diaphragm (sometimes called a bladder) to keep the air from dissolving into the water. Most residential accumulators have this. The small boat/RV ones do not. Because of the diaphragm, the accumulator does not have to stand vertically . . . but, this makes sure that it drains completely when the low point drain is opened. when I rebuilt my plumbing system. I stood this accumulator on end (as I would do in a residential installation) and someone on this forum pointed out that this didn't look very secure for an RV. I had to agree . . . so, I added the support in the forward direction (because my disc brakes stop this thing in a hurry when necessary )

Did you plumb in a shutoff valve to disconnect it from the rest of the system so that when winterizing you don’t get antifreeze in there? I can’t see one in the pic.

Bob

[Cate&Rob]

Did you plumb in a shutoff valve to disconnect it from the rest of the system so that when winterizing you don’t get antifreeze in there? I can’t see one in the pic.

Bob

When the water pressure drops to zero, the diaphragm inside the accumulator pushes all the water out . . . particularly if the tank is oriented with the water connection at the bottom. There is no need for a shutoff valve.

Rob

[steve&renee]

I will be installing this accumulator when the weather gets warmer.

I installed one, too. Along with a water pressure gauge like a number of other folks here have done.

Unrelated to my install (I thought), my OEM supplied Sure Flow water pump started acting up -- wouldn't start reliably, wouldn't shut off reliably when pressure built back up after running. I replaced it with a Lippert pump. Similar issues. I finally said screw it with the cheap pumps and ordered a $200+ Remco 55-AQUAJET ARV pump. Their marketing says, "No expansion tank required." Well I disconnected the expansion tank and installed the Remco pump. Still had issues!

The Remco technical people said I had to remove the water pressure gauge: the pump was seeing the pressure fluctuations caused by the gauge's diaphragm and the poor pump was confused.

Well, I didn't remove the expansion tank or gauge, just installed disconnect valves. With both diaphragm devices out of the system, my Remco pump works great. For $200, I guess it should. . .

-Steve

[bogen2]

When the water pressure drops to zero, the diaphragm inside the accumulator pushes all the water out . . . particularly if the tank is oriented with the water connection at the bottom. There is no need for a shutoff valve.

Rob

But then wouldn’t it fill with antifreeze when winterizing with the pump?

Bob

[TedS]

Bob, sure, if the antifreeze is pumped with enough pressure. Open a faucet to relieve the system pressure and the antifreeze will be pushed out of the accumulator.

[howson]

I installed one, too. Along with a water pressure gauge like a number of other folks here have done.

Unrelated to my install (I thought), my OEM supplied Sure Flow water pump started acting up -- wouldn't start reliably, wouldn't shut off reliably when pressure built back up after running. I replaced it with a Lippert pump. Similar issues. I finally said screw it with the cheap pumps and ordered a $200+ Remco 55-AQUAJET ARV pump. Their marketing says, "No expansion tank required." Well I disconnected the expansion tank and installed the Remco pump. Still had issues!

The Remco technical people said I had to remove the water pressure gauge: the pump was seeing the pressure fluctuations caused by the gauge's diaphragm and the poor pump was confused.

Well, I didn't remove the expansion tank or gauge, just installed disconnect valves. With both diaphragm devices out of the system, my Remco pump works great. For $200, I guess it should. . .

-Steve

That's odd--adding the gauge made absolutely no difference in my system's performance

Cate&Rob ... any idea what caused Steve's issue?

[steve&renee]

That's odd--adding the gauge made absolutely no difference in my system's performance

Cate&Rob ... any idea what caused Steve's issue?

FYI. Both the SureFlow and Lippert pumps have an adjuster to control at what line pressure the pump kicks in and out. I fiddled with that adjustment to no avail. . .

[Country Campers]

Did you plumb in a shutoff valve to disconnect it from the rest of the system so that when winterizing you don’t get antifreeze in there? I can’t see one in the pic.

Bob

I like the idea of a valve to shut off the accumulator tank from the main system. During winterizing you could drain the water from the system and then shut off the valve to the tank. Not having antifreeze in the tank would be a plus for me. Plus if there ever was an issue with the tank or the system you could remove the tank from the rest of the system and still have water flow.

Brian

[Cate&Rob]

That's odd--adding the gauge made absolutely no difference in my system's performance

Cate&Rob ... any idea what caused Steve's issue?

steve&renee amp;

This doesn’t make a lot of sense. I have installed pumps, accumulator tanks and gauges without encountering these issues. The accumulator tank with a large diaphragm and volume would actually dampen oscillations. The gauge is so small that I have a hard time believing that this could cause feedback felt by the pump, but if so, a liquid damped gauge would remove this oscillation.

Rob

[Cate&Rob]

I like the idea of a valve to shut off the accumulator tank from the main system. During winterizing you could drain the water from the system and then shut off the valve to the tank. Not having antifreeze in the tank would be a plus for me. Plus if there ever was an issue with the tank or the system you could remove the tank from the rest of the system and still have water flow.

Brian

Letting the accumulator tank partially fill with antifreeze and then empty out as pressure drops to zero, makes sure that it is winterized. With a shutoff valve, I would be concerned with water left between the closed valve and the accumulator tank. I did install my accumulator with a coupling. If there was a problem with the tank, I could remove it and install a plug in the coupling. (See 2nd picture on post 11)

Rob

[Jlawles2]

Hi Bob,

Any small residential accumulator tank will do the job. Choose one with a diaphragm (sometimes called a bladder) to keep the air from dissolving into the water. Most residential accumulators have this. The small boat/RV ones do not. Because of the diaphragm, the accumulator does not have to stand vertically . . . but, this makes sure that it drains completely when the low point drain is opened. when I rebuilt my plumbing system. I stood this accumulator on end (as I would do in a residential installation) and someone on this forum pointed out that this didn't look very secure for an RV. I had to agree . . . so, I added the support in the forward direction (because my disc brakes stop this thing in a hurry when necessary )

Rob

Cate&Rob Rob, the washing machine hoses are used to reduce pump noise? Current unit has excessive pump noise and hoping the new reflection that get picked up tomorrow (March 5th) is much quieter. Right now the pump gets excessively lous just as it reaches pressure to turn off.

[Cate&Rob]

Cate&Rob Rob, the washing machine hoses are used to reduce pump noise? Current unit has excessive pump noise and hoping the new reflection that get picked up tomorrow (March 5th) is much quieter. Right now the pump gets excessively lous just as it reaches pressure to turn off.

Yes . . . I use a combination of coiled soft (washing machine) hoses and vibration isolation feet for the pump to minimize pump noise. (Something that I originally did for a boat installation)

Rob

[Jlawles2]

Cate&Rob Thanks Rob. I think the fist couple of mods will be the tank and most likely the pump isolation. I hate pump noise, and if its like our current unit, the pump is under the shower which amplifies the noise.

[Sully]

Rob, I really appreciate all of the information and feedback you have been providing, Thank You! On the 2 gallon accumulator you have pictured - it appears to be or similar to a Seaflo I saw on Amazon for around $45. Most of the reviews were good, but some mentioned improper thread sizing and problems with diaphragm ruptures. Have you had any issues with yours? Thanks

[Cate&Rob]

Sully

These 2 gallon accumulator tanks are available at just about any hardware/plumbing store. I have installed these on my boat and now on the RV and have not had any problems. From Amazon would work as well . . . and probably a better price. They are designed to free stand on just the elbow fitting for residential applications. You will need a little more support than that for an RV.

BTW . . . helping each other is what this forum is all about !

Rob