Water on Tap

In the early days of recreational vehicles, water was delivered by pressurized air. This worked well, but required a noisy compressor and metal tanks and lines to hold the high pressures. Electro-mechanical pumps followed the need to lower material and installation costs, and increase the safety and life of the equipment.

 

SHURflo joined the RV product industry in 1968, and quickly developed the quality products, delivery and services that the industry still demands today. After a series of products, SHURflo developed the 12–volt DC Model 200 pump that raised the bar. Then in 1988, the 2088 Classic™ Series of pumps by SHURflo emerged to set the standard for all freshwater pumps throughout the RV industry. Used worldwide, the 2088 pumps quickly earned the reputation of being the most reliable pumps on the market.

 

All Classic™ Series pumps employ three independent pumping chambers, and are self-priming. Thermally protected, these pumps can run dry without damage. A built-in check valve helps minimize cycling and eliminates back flow into the tank. These pumps have standard ½" ports.

With advances in RVs and the segmentation into the various RV types, like travel trailers and pop-ups, came the need for a variety of pumps to serve the market. Once again SHURflo was there to meet the industry’s needs. Here is a brief snapshot of the various SHURflo pumps available.  

Small pop-ups and truck campers with a single water fixture (typically a kitchen faucet) require minimal flow, space and amp draw. The SHURflo Nautilus Model 100 pump has filled that need for many years. At 1 gallon per minute and 3 amps, this pump has proved durable for many users. SHURflo has recently released the 1901 Aqua King Mini 1.0 pump to improve the single fixture market. Designed with standard SHURflo ½” ports, the Aqua King Mini delivers 1 gallon per minute (GPM) of smooth flow generated by a 5-valve head, self-primes to 3 feet and has a built-in 30 PSI shut-off switch. The 1901 overcomes some of the limitations of the 100 series and makes the installation and maintenance of single fixture systems that much easier and convenient.

 

For almost every type of RV above the single-fixture use, the 2088 pumps by SHURflo have reigned supreme. What started with the world-renowned 2.8 GPM pump has spun off a variety of special purpose pumps. 

 

The 2093 Whisper King pump has a 2 GPM flow, 30 PSI shut-off and very quiet operation, making it perfect for low volume, smaller systems.

 

The Premium Plus 2088-453-444 delivers 3.5 GPM open flow with a 45 PSI shut-off, great for high-flow, low-pressure needs. Interesting to note is that SHURflo also offers its Classic 2088 performance in 24-volt DC and 115-volt AC models. Tens of thousands of these are sold every year for park models, cabins, buses and solar applications.

 

The expansion of luxury RVs created the need for higher-flow pumps, while an influx of new-to-the-market baby boomers also demanded smoother flow and lower pump cycling and noise. The Extreme™ Series of pumps represent the ultimate in pump performance. Designed with a circuit board and microprocessor, these pumps use cutting edge technology to maximize flow and pressure while quietly delivering “Just Like Home” flow to drastically improve the performance of showers, toilets, faucets, washing machines, dishwashers and whole-RV filtration units. While the varied on-board power supplies and plumbing systems created a few problems for the brains and brawn of the Extreme series, SHURflo’s “continuous improvement” philosophy has recently made tremendous breakthrough upgrades to the hardware and software of the Extreme Series pumps, greatly improving the performance and reliability of the product. 

 

The Extreme series comes in two styles, The Smart Sensor 5.7 with over 5 1/2 GPM with 65 PSI of power, and the Smart Sensor 4.0 with 4 GPM and a more moderate 50 PSI shut-off. With power and performance like this, it is best to make sure your present plumbing and electrical system can handle the upgrade to the Extreme Series pumps.

 

With the performance and endurance of a product like the 2088 2.8 GPM pump comes maintenance and tool life questions. When tooling begins to wear out after 20 years on the market, is it better to spend $250K on tooling for the same thing even if that thing is the most dominant fresh water pump in recreational vehicle history? Or do we look beyond today towards tomorrow’s needs--needs that include improved performance, lower maintenance costs, less product inventory, and a multi-functional product? SHURflo’s answer produced a “revolution”.

 

At 3 GPM and 55 PSI, the new 4008 Revolution fresh water demand pump takes the next step in RV water pump technology. Designed and built for high flow, low noise, no rapid cycling and SHURflo reliability, this fresh water demand pump is super quiet, thermally protected and can run dry without damage.

 

With patent-pending Flow Reaction Technology, a unique one-piece diaphragm and internal by-pass assure long life and top performance in any RV plumbing system. The Revolution is self-priming and mounts in any position. With SHURflo standard ½” ports and a built-in check valve, the 4008 pump is a direct 2088 pump replacement upgrade. It even rivals the Whisper King’s legendary quiet performance, while pushing water at rates that make Extreme series owners take notice.