Date:         Fri, 17 May 1996 11:28:15 PDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Shawn Wright, SMUS Network Analyst" <swright@smus.bc.ca>
Subject:      Westy sink water pumps

My '88 pump quit also a few weeks back.
I priced the factory in-tank pump at $125-150. 
Since I have seen early 80s Westys with a pump installed under the 
sink (under compartment where sink drain goes through floor), I chose
this route instead.

Total cost: about $30, including a small RV sink pump ($25), and
a few feet of 3/8" ID hose and some clamps.

The trick is to have the pump at floor level, so it won't lose its 
prime. I at first tried the pump under the sink (behind drawer) and 
found it would lose the prime after a few minutes, requiring one to 
suck the water through the tap to get it going again! Not very 
convenient....

Since I've re-routed the hose to the floor (using in-line fitting 
installed from factory to extend it), and placed pump at floor level, 
it has gone 2 days without losing prime so far. 

The only hassle is when you do drain the tank, air will again enter 
the line, requiring a good "mouth-priming" to clear it out again. 
After saving $100, I don't mind....


ps: You will need to remove the old pump, of course. Having it on the 
pickup line creates too much 'drag'. The pickup line should be 
replaced with a long one, which I plan to do later... Right now it's 
about 3" above the bottom of the tank.

Shawn
'88 Westy 
*--------------------------------*
| Shawn Wright, Network Manager  |
| St. Michaels University School |
| 3400 Richmond Rd, Victoria, BC |
| Canada                 V8P 4P5 |
| (604) 592-2411 Fax: 592-2812   |
| e-mail: swright@smus.bc.ca     |
*--------------------------------*