no power to waste pump

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by BobC

I usually charge myself a new tool to get the job done. In this case I recommend a new multimeter, preferably one with a clamp-on DC amp probe. They're very useful.

I don't want to think about what my garage full of tools says about the quality of my work.

Thanks, but I have no less than 5 multimeters tools, including digital clamp meter. My go to and primary meter is my Wavetek 28XT it show 12.6 vdc

For kicks I put on one of my cheap Cen Tech meters from Harbor Freight and they show 12.8vdc

But regardless of multimeter used. The dedicated ground and hot wire for this pump does NOT fire up my Flojet macerator. That same Flojet purrs like kitten when same two wires touch my portable charger or RV chassis battery.

If it were a ground issue, I don't see how I get the voltage.

Unless we can figure this out, when it dries out and maybe a tab bit warmer, I will have to pull the wires start all over from the beginning ( Gen Positive + post with a nearby ground. Then verify the wiring works, and if so I will need to re-run the wires again.

[dkoldman]

Update:

I just spoke with Flojet Support and they are saying the pump needs to be replaced. It is under warranty so I will wait until the new unit arrives.

It is confirmed that all of my wiring is okay

Stay tuned

[Morich]

Thanks for the update.
Not sure I'm with them from what you have done but then they are the builders and if anybody knows their stuff, we hope it would be them!

That molded plug is one of the more reliable ones I have used as it has so much rubber holding the parts in place, nothing like the molex that breaks so easy!

But if changing the pump makes it works and it is warranty, I'm okay with saying I'm missing something!

Like I used to tell the boss? The only ones making mistakes are the ones who are working! One way to not make mistakes was to not try to do anything and we did speak the same language so we didn't need to go that way!
Best guy I ever worked for!

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Morich

Thanks for the update.
Not sure I'm with them from what you have done but then they are the builders and if anybody knows their stuff, we hope it would be them!

That molded plug is one of the more reliable ones I have used as it has so much rubber holding the parts in place, nothing like the molex that breaks so easy!

But if changing the pump makes it works and it is warranty, I'm okay with saying I'm missing something!

Like I used to tell the boss? The only ones making mistakes are the ones who are working! One way to not make mistakes was to not try to do anything and we did speak the same language so we didn't need to go that way!
Best guy I ever worked for!

I was pleasantly surprised too. I thought the world of that Flojet Macerator and now I think the world of the company too.

I actually had one bit of new info that I had not updated this site with. I disconnected the molex plug for the ShurFlo pump in the wet bay, I then connected the ground from it to pump and used the same hot wire from generator post and still got nothing!!!!

Flojet seem to know where I was going as soon as they heard me describe he problem and outlined all of the things I done. The could have easily said you have a wiring problem as proven by it working direct on battery or with charger. I think he knew something that he did not wish to share. They gonna replace the unit

Assuming the new one works, it may prove my theory that there is something tied to power need to turn that motor and it is NOT just voltage. Some batteries can have 12 volts but cannot turn the motor. What if some part is defective and it is now expected more turning power that (juice) that I can't see or measure?

It is also possible, that when I say it is working with charger or direct to the power, may it is running at an incorrect speed?

At any rate, I will wait to see what the replacement does. I am glad I spoke to them before ripping all of the wires out.

Update:
As fate would have it my new sea dog molded connector arrived today. But I guess I will sit on for now to mount on the replacement pump when it comes.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Morich

Thanks for the update.
Not sure I'm with them from what you have done but then they are the builders and if anybody knows their stuff, we hope it would be them!

That molded plug is one of the more reliable ones I have used as it has so much rubber holding the parts in place, nothing like the molex that breaks so easy!

But if changing the pump makes it works and it is warranty, I'm okay with saying I'm missing something!

Like I used to tell the boss? The only ones making mistakes are the ones who are working! One way to not make mistakes was to not try to do anything and we did speak the same language so we didn't need to go that way!
Best guy I ever worked for!

Update;

You were correct. I receive a brand new Jet Flo pump kit under warranty and it does not work either. Just shows my diagnosis was correct, but they sent me a new one anyway. I am about top travel tomorrow and RV is winterized so there is no urgency, but when I get back, I will have to pull my wiring and start at the very beginning. Something is missing and it has to be with my wiring which fortunately is dedicated for this pump. Odd that it shows 12.5vdc though.

Kudos to Xylem and Jet Flo Macerator, they didn't hassle me at all, I just told them what happened and they said we will send you a replacement

On the flip side maybe they know or knew that it was best for me to have a new unit to either fix issue or not, because either way, I go away. Works for them because I have learn the problem is not related to the pump and will not have cause for them to try to help figure out issue as it has to be my wiring.

[Morich]

Good for our side to find a company willingto putout a few bucks on maybe giving a new pump but it may pay in good will as well as time for them to NOT spend explaining it is not their problem?? With folks being so short on folks well enough to work, it may be better from their angle to just do a little loss rather than losing more time with the folks on hand.

if/when it comes back around to looking at this, I might suggest running a wire from some bolt on the frame, etc and trying letting it give you ground to the pump, while trying to use the power side from the regular wiring.

Agreed that right now about all we've got is that "something" is not getting battery and ground to the pump! One "poor boy way to get battery and ground for sure is to use a set of jumper cables direct off the battery, throw it under the RV to the far side or whereever the pump and then use smaller wire to connect the jumper cables to the pump.
If it doesn't work connected direct to the battery--- just set it on fire!
But check with the wife first as she may not agree!

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Morich

Good for our side to find a company willingto putout a few bucks on maybe giving a new pump but it may pay in good will as well as time for them to NOT spend explaining it is not their problem?? With folks being so short on folks well enough to work, it may be better from their angle to just do a little loss rather than losing more time with the folks on hand.

if/when it comes back around to looking at this, I might suggest running a wire from some bolt on the frame, etc and trying letting it give you ground to the pump, while trying to use the power side from the regular wiring.

Agreed that right now about all we've got is that "something" is not getting battery and ground to the pump! One "poor boy way to get battery and ground for sure is to use a set of jumper cables direct off the battery, throw it under the RV to the far side or whereever the pump and then use smaller wire to connect the jumper cables to the pump.
If it doesn't work connected direct to the battery--- just set it on fire!
But check with the wife first as she may not agree!

Despite all of the complaining and whining with RV Ownership, I continue to love mine and my experiences, my new list of Top favorite companies in RV Industry.

#1 Winnebago (Sunstar 29ve)
#2 Onan (EC-30 AGS Aftermarket for my 5500)
#3 Xylem (JetFlo) Aftermarket
#4 vMax Tanks (AGM) Aftermarket
#5 Magnum Energy (Inverter 1000w)

So here is what happened, I just couldn't wait anymore and with weather nice, I decided to go back at start at the beginning as if it was a new install with the new pump.

I checked voltage directly on Genny positive post and directly on screw on bottom of genny that holds the ground going to the pump in the wet bay. It is nice and clean screw and still looks new after about a year. I got 13.6 vdc!!! So I go back in the wet bay and I only get 12.4vdc

I then followed both my red & black wires under the RV, about 12 feet and I find to connectors that had been shrink wrapped. I could not get inside as the shrink wrapping was on pretty good and tight.

I then cut off both connectors with the shrink wrap. Took a voltage reading and got 13.57 vdc coming from the genny. So Install 2 new connectors with new shrink wrap and presto it is working now ( the old Jet flo pump)

I will watch it a week or two to see what happens. I triple clamped the connectors so I hope they hold tight this go round. The RV is winterized so it may be a while before I need to use it for real, but at least I know it is working now.


FWIW, earlier I had connected the pump directly to the battery and charger and it worked, I told Xylem Jet Flo this but they didn't even bother to quibble on the details. It defies logic the pumps worked a year including the day it stopped.

[Morich]

AHA! Good to find somethingdefinite that you can pin down and fix. That sounds like a picture book example of a high resistance open. Not open so that it still tests but not good as it has so much resistance that it knocks the voltage down some fro the meter but certainly stops the much higher amount of current the pump needed.

I really love heat shrink but I hate it for some points. One of the things it can do may have bit you. The heat shrink looks great and holds in placenearly forever but if it has even the smallest opening for water to get in, it may just hold the water instead of letting it run on past and dry out! So you can get a connection that might have worked okay if it dried but instead it set there wet long enough for corrosions to start in a place where you were never going to see it!

Just a terribly large number of ways things can try to confuse us!
Glad you found it!

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Morich

AHA! Good to find somethingdefinite that you can pin down and fix. That sounds like a picture book example of a high resistance open. Not open so that it still tests but not good as it has so much resistance that it knocks the voltage down some fro the meter but certainly stops the much higher amount of current the pump needed.

I really love heat shrink but I hate it for some points. One of the things it can do may have bit you. The heat shrink looks great and holds in placenearly forever but if it has even the smallest opening for water to get in, it may just hold the water instead of letting it run on past and dry out! So you can get a connection that might have worked okay if it dried but instead it set there wet long enough for corrosions to start in a place where you were never going to see it!

Just a terribly large number of ways things can try to confuse us!
Glad you found it!

Yes sir that was it, the symptoms was telling us that voltage was higher with the charger and direct on the battery, but I did not realize I was that much of voltage drop until I got under the genny and connected the voltmeter to where the wire started.

I used the connectors so I could have the sea dog push/plug connectors inside the wet bay. The crimp wire connector and shrink wrap is under the chassis; so it will get wet good with rains while driving.

Pictured are the culprits, not sure which one was bad, I just replaced them both.

A case of having a good ground and positive post at the source.

[dkoldman]

For kicks, I decided to do some destructive testing, so I decide to start with the positive 1st, when I ripped the shrink wrap off and pull the red wire out of the connector, the entire thing was corroded!!!

So Morich, you nailed it Water must have got inside the shrink wrap on the hot wire and the corrosion must have accelerated.

The black wire or ground was perfectly fine.

If this happens again, next time I will NOT use the shrink wrap, I will just crimp and go

[Morich]

We kind of lost the OP as we got into waiting and strayed off into your sorting the wiring.
But without the real info on what RV he has, it really is hard to do a good job sorting the problems.

He may have a problem much the same as yours if his wiring is done the same with heat shrink down where it gets wet? Still need more info they come back??

One way that I picked up on doing heat shrink where things get wet like buried cable, is to add some form of plugging compound before we do the shrink.
Since most of us don't have any of the regular plugging compound gunk in the garage, I find just some simple silicone swbbed on the joint to cover it really good and then slide the heat shrink up over the joint, will do some good stuff.

If we have fresh silicone on the joint and then we slide the shrink over the silicone and heat the shrink, as it shrinks it really presses the silicone into any open spaces left in the heat shrink tube and some will even squeeze out the ends to make a pretty weater tight seal at the ends and inside.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by BobC

I usually charge myself a new tool to get the job done. In this case I recommend a new multimeter, preferably one with a clamp-on DC amp probe. They're very useful.

I don't want to think about what my garage full of tools says about the quality of my work.

Yeah, I had almost forgot about the OP as I have been so focused on the issue. Yes I do believe it may be the same, but I have noticed on some of these forums poster may never comeback for all kinds of reasons.

Maybe it started working for him

It is working for me the value of the thread has been beneficial. The shrink wrap I used today had an adhesive built in; so when it heated up you could see it oozing out on both sides.

Bad thing about the good news for me; I will have to find another problem or challenge to work on next

I have an idea and I will create a new thread