If you are troubled by that low water pressure from your shower or kitchen faucet then you are not alone. We have faced it multiple times. Thankfully there are some simple methods to increase the water pressure in your RV.
Low water pressure or no water at all in RV can put you off. In this article, i will walk you through various reasons why that could be happening and what you can do to get it fixed.
RV Kitchen sink water pressure can be improved by clearing the debris and sediments from inside of the faucet. RV shower head can be replaced for better pressure as well. In some cases, campground water pressure itself can be low or your water pressure regulator can be malfunctioning.
Shower head does not give good pressure
The shower in your bathroom can give you very lower pressure like dripping water drops. It can be really hard to have a bath with that much pressure. You really need to get it fixed. There can be multiple reasons why that can happen.
The first step is to make sure its only happening in the shower or is it the case with all other water outlets. Is your kitchen sink faucet also giving very less pressure? what about the bathroom sink faucet?
If that is not the case then you need to work on the shower head and the connection there.
Debris : First, unscrew the shower connection and check if there are nay debris or sediments.
There can be debris stuck then that could be preventing the water flow. Cleaning the connection and placing it back may improve the speed.
Next, make sure the valve that prevents back flow isn’t turned opposite.
Once you are sure that these tow are not causing the issue, then it could be the shower head that could be the problem.
Shower heads that you get with RV aren’t generally of that great quality. The plastic pipes and heads wont be great overall. The opening on the heads will not give great pressure, also they waste more water.
Read : How much water do rv shower use
Get Oxygen Shower Head
One thing that we did last summer was to get oxygen shower head. They come as compact assembly and have great water pressure. When we first encountered the water pressure problem with our shower we did a lot of research. We did try fixing the opening valve, clearing debris but nothing helped.
Finally, we installed the oxygen shower head and it seemed like the pressure was much better. Yes, the overall pressure with our old shower head was not that bad, but it wasn’t giving us better pressure either.
The installation of oxygenics pressure head is easy. In most RVs shower connection is standard and you will not have problem in getting it connected. You just have to unscrew the old shower head and get the newer one go in there. You will have a good water flowing for sure.
Other important thing with this oxygen shower head is, it saves some water. It puts together the shower with pressure and kind-of makes it fast with less water. A sure thing to have in your RV bathroom, i must say.
Read : Check out how much RVs normally store
Kitchen sink faucet pressure is very low
Having your kitchen sink with very low pressure can be tough. You wouldn’t even want to do the dishes.
Honestly, that can ruin your whole camping experience. And if this happens with your new RV then you will curse yourself for the situation.
There can be multiple reasons why that can happen to your kitchen faucet. If its a new RV or travel trailer then more than likely there is a problem with the setup.
If you can see the pump running and yet the pressure isn’t there then something is wrong with the connection or valves.
Check for water pressure regulation valve that is used to fill the tank or when not, it has to be put into normal mode. Various RVs will have different setup. In our travel trailer, we had a valve that had to be set to normal mode in order to make sure the water was being used.
So, check if the set up is done properly. Many people are excited to get their RV going and do not pay attention to how basic things operate. Its only when they are supposed to use it at night or middle of road, did they realize about how important it is to get all things clear.
If the setup is done as per what is expected then check on campground water pressure. RVs should have water pressure between 40-50 PSI.
In case of old used motorhomes the low kitchen sink water pressure can be common if it isn’t being maintained regularly.
One of the things you need to check is the faucet itself. With time, the faucet connection can accumulate debris and sediments that will limit the water flow. Try removing the faucet and clear it for such dirt and try cleaning it with soft cloth and blow some air through.
That should get the water pressure going to some extent. If even with this there is not much improvement then there could be debris or sediments anywhere on the hose or pipe system.
One thing you can do is, flush the pipes or hose with the distilled vinegar. This can clear the hose and pipes through the faucet. Sediments or mineral deposits will get flushed through the faucet.
It can make a difference if the deposits were the cause. Do not use the vinegar inside the tank. Pour it from the other end of the hose and get it flushed via the faucet.
Bad Faucet : In some cases the faucet could be bad and you may have to replace it to get the better pressure. Same can happen to your hot water facet as well. Your steps will remain same in getting it fixed too.
Water pressure regulator problems
Campground do provide high pressure and you may want to restrict it. Ideal pressure is between 40-50 PSI.
At times, the pressure regulator itself can be an issue. So, next time you see pressure not upto the mark in all your outlets, check the regulator. Try to get a water pressure regulator that is adjustable and provides more flow.
Wrong PSI
You can adjust the flow PSI using a screw, check with the RV or motorhome manual about ideal flow rate and set it to that reading.
High water pressure can destroy the RVs water plumbing or pipelines be sure while setting the pressure. Similarly, do not set it to too low in which case you wont have pressure in faucet and shower.
Campground or city water lines usually have high pressure that can support high end RVs like class A, therefore make sure to check on pressure before you make the connection.
Faulty Regulator
If even after setting the correct pressure on regulator you cant get the pressure fixed, then try removing the water pressure regulator itself.
You will be amazed to see it work. That happens when the pressure regulator is not working or calibrated wrongly. Not having regulator as we saw can be bad too, so next time get a one that is of good quality from a reliable manufacturer.
Fresh water flow restricted due to water filter
This is one thing that can be hard to understand if you are new. If your motorhome came with a filter between the faucet and water source then you have that additional restriction.
The filter can prevent the water flow with good pressure. There can be two reasons. One, the filter is small enough to process the water and pass it to the faucet or the filter has issue.
If its been time that you have checked on the filter then be sure to check it for any debris or sediments or other dirt that will get accumulated there.
In some RVs, its hard to access the filter which will be under your storage. Try accessing it and remove the filter part that can be accumulating the dirt. If you are not sure how the filter works be sure to read the manual.
In many cases, the filter does reduce the fresh water flowing rate. If the fresh water is the only one with reduced pressure then you can be sure of the filter issue. Clear the filter and put it back, it should make the correction in pressure.
If its the smaller surface of the filter that is causing the issue then get a one with bigger surface and better filtering capability.
Water leaking reduces the pressure
You can also have water leaking between the sources and faucet or shower. This can happen to old RVs when the pipeline has gone bad. You really have to inspect the pipeline to make sure that is not the case. In most cases you will be able to locate it if the pressure is too low.
Many times it can go unnoticed if the pressure isn’t affected much. Better have this as a checklist to make sure you aren’t leaking water drop by drop which will also cause water damage to your RV, cause molds and other issues.
Campground water pressure could be low
Even though the city connection water pressure or campground pressure will be high and fairly consistent, it can be lower in some cases. It depends from site to site. So, be sure you have the proper flow in first place. When you are making the connection check for the flow rate.
If the water pressure reduces in the middle of camping then too check if there was any reduction in the connection flow from campground or city water. One can make use of booster pump to increase the flow to the RV.
Switch to tank water
If the campground pressure isn’t great then switch to your tank and make use of water pump, that’s something that we do a lot of times when the connection wouldn’t give more than 20 PSI or so.
Make sure the hose isn’t blocked or bend
If you see a sudden change in pressure then make sure the hose is not blocked or pressed. There can be bends in the hose specially if the length of the hose is large. Make sure you clear it from blockage or obstruction. Make sure there are not leaks at the place you are making the connection.
In Conclusion
Not having your water outlets with proper pressure can be irritating as you wont feel like doing things with dripping water. Such issues however can be solved easily by checking it step by step as we saw above. So, next time if you see your faucets doing this to you, make sure you get it fixed.
