We have just bought a 2001 Pennine Sterling. The whale pump doesnt work and despite having the original manual there is very little about how it works.
Presumably you drop the pump into your filled clean water container, plug the whale pump into the outside socket and then use the foot switch inside the camper to get the water running. Is that all you need to do?
When we did this nothing happened. Hubby is going to have a look at the pump but are we missing anything?
Have a look under the sink in the cupboard, there are two spade connectors on the back of the pump housing and these come loose with pans etc moving around, the same thing happened to us with our sterling a few years ago, just make sure these connectors are pushed on.
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Hi Ange, glad you enjoyed your first trip ,and many more to come.
I am not familiar with sterlings ,but my cruiser same age also has an isolator switch for the water pump .I can assume your other 12v gear is working ie lights. The easiest way to test the pump is to plug it into a caravan or another campers socket if you know anyone ,or try it on site ,they are a pretty standard plug. Check the connections are clean and that the plug is pushed right in. I bought a little voltmeter for £5 to test for 12v problems. You could then test for supply at the pump socket whilst the switch is depressed inside.(if the meter reads backwards ,reverse the test leads. The problem could also be a blown fuse, which usually means something is wrong, Hope this helps GCB
Will look in the cupboard under the sink tomorrow. Everything else seems to work fine on the 12v system but it would be nice to know if its the pump thats faulty before we buy a new one. I might ask our neighbour if his caravan fits this pump and if so if I can test it, didnt think of that so thank you.
We have had the same problem with our Sterling - the connections on the pump & on the camper are notorious for tarnishing. Would suggest as in previous post checking the camper socket has 12v present - if the motor does not still run, do not assume it is still faulty until the connections have been thoroughly cleaned...perhaps with a very fine needle file. Also it is usually possible to expand the male part of the connector...as this usually has a cross which can be opened with a small screwdriver.
As above, check that there isn't an isolator switch somewhere and check that there is 12v at the actual socket terminals. If there is then see if you can test your pump in another caravan/FC with the Whale socket. If not then the tips on cleaning are worth performing as well as firstly checking the connection on the back of the socket.