How to ruin your water pump:
Let water freeze in it.
I got back over to the airstream today, with my supplies for soldering the pipe, since the compression fitting wasn’t… fitting. After some problems with the solder joint also being too small for the old pipe, the saqme as the compression fitting, I finally got it on and soldered.
For the other side of the pipe patch, I thought i’d still use the compression fitting, allowing for future repairs, and possibly allowing a spot for water drainage next fall.
I went ahead and torched the pipe, and applied probably too much solder to the joint. Looks OK, but really, that’s not saying much at all. it could still leak. I then attached the compression fitting to the other side, and went to turn on the hose.
I ran back to the trailer (since the hose shutoff wasn’t near the camper) and looked under the sink. No water from the joint, but i still heard something spraying, and saw dripping water.
It turns out that the water pump has a plastic body, and some residual water had stayed in the pump, after I ran the water out of the tank last fall, and when it froze, the body cracked.
Well, I removed the pump, and went to Lowes to get a shutoff valve to attach to the cold water feed where the pump had attached. I apply that, and turn the water back on. No leaks from where the pump was, but I STILL heard “pssssssss”.
Remember that compression fitting?
I ran, turned off the hose, and then scrambled for a wrench and pliers. As I was trying to tighten down the nuts, the whole pipe came out of the fitting, and SPLOOSH, I got soaked with residual water spraying out of the pipes.
That joint is now soldered.
In other news, after an extended examination of the LP gas lines, which all seemed to be working, I got the water heater to light (on the ninth attempt.) The water got hot. Oh, and the faucet in the kitchen leaks.
We’re going to have to put off our departure until at least sometime Monday, since we weren’t able to get the camper in for inspection on Saturday. And, we’re totally not packed, or otherwise prepared to go on vacation.