HWH Air Compressor

[Jim Skatzka]

My hwh air leveling has quit.  I've checked fuses all seem well. I remember reading that the hwh pump seems to have some inherent  problems after some yrs. I also remember some switching to Viair brand pumps, could somebody tell me which model viair pump is right or if you have any other thoughts on this.    Thanks!

Jim

[Gerald Farris]

Jim,
The biggest advantage to the Viair compressors is that they have a closed motor housing. Your original compressor has an open (ventilated) motor housing that does not tolerate dirt and debris well. The problem arises because Monaco mounted the compressor in the dirtiest spot that they could find. So if you use another compressor with an open motor housing instead of a Viair, you will need to relocate the compressor to a protected area or install a protective housing around it.
    
I used the Viair 380 compressor on my coach because of the availability at a relatively inexpensive price, high CFM, and the fact that it has a 100% duty cycle at 100 PSI. However, there are other models that will work like the 480 (higher CFM than the 380) if you can find one at a reasonable price.

Remember that these Viair compressors pull about twice the amps of the original compressor, so do not use the original hot wire to the compressor to run it. Instead, use the original hot wire to trigger a 40 amp relay that has 12 volt power feed through 10 gauge wires to the compressor. If you power the Viair compressor with the original wiring, you will either cause the compressor to fail from low voltage or the HWH control unit will fail from excessive amperage.

Gerald    

[Jim Skatzka]

Gerald, Thanks for the info.  Just to pick your brain a little more i'm guessing to check the hwh pump if I make sure there is power directly to the pump and it doesn't run that would prove it defective.  also does the 380 that you used supply the same or more volume than thee original? Thanks again!  

Jim

[Jerry Carr]

Jim I also have an 06 Thunder and changed to the Viair 380, the HWh pump has an open field and was filled with road grim. The new pump did need a 20 amp circuit so I added a new breaker in the rear panel ( you will have space) and pulled a new wire #10.  

[Gerald Farris]

Jim,
If you have power and a good ground to your compressor and it does not run, it is bad.

A Viair 380C will have about twice the volume of your current compressor at 1.34 CFM, and a 480C has even more at 1.76 CFM. Also you could use a 400C with a 2.54 CFM, but the duty cycle will drop from 100% at 100PSI down to 33%, so a leak in the system may burn up the compressor. Therefore, I prefer to stick with a 100% duty cycle compressor.

You can look over the options, and decide which compressor is best for you at;  http://www.viaircorp.com

I found the best deals on Viair compressors on EBay, but there are OK deals on Amazon,

Gerald      

[Joel Ashley]

Just to confirm, Jim:

You stated your HWH air leveling had failed.  Were you referring only to the auxilliary compressor that helps maintain auto-level, or to a more serious system-wide failure?

Joel

[Jim Skatzka]

Jerry, Gerald and Joel.   Thanks for all the advice!  i think we will go with the 380  seems that it will work great. Joel, the leveling system is working perfect as long as we have air being supplied as in motor running.  Thanks again!  i will post on my findings and repair in a couple of weeks after i find time to get after this project.

Jim

[Jim Skatzka]

well, we changed the air compressor today.   we elected to go with another Thomas/hwh as we found one for $266.00 bucks didn't need to change anything other than building a shroud over it to hopefully solve the debri problem. we went with the easy fix maybe cause of being lazy.  Thanks for the help and suggestions!    

Jim