Companion Aqua Cube Troubleshooting

Today’s problem: Aquacube powers on but the pump isn’t activating. Also Blown Fuses!

• Replacing Pump
• Blown Fuses
• Quick Connect fittings

The last two times I have taken this shower camping and set it up for use it failed. First it was the battery then the fuse and now the pump. This shower has seen so little use and so much energy has gone into fixing it. Thankfully all of the issues have been minor up to this point. Granted the first shower unit I had was sent back under warranty due to a major defect water leak. Today’s problem is that the water pump has died. For all of these problems I wouldn’t give up a hot shower. I will keep fixing the shower unless a better one is made.

I have the Aqua cube base camp by Mr. Heater which is the same as the Companion Aqua Cube Logic shower. The shower seems to encounter a new catastrophic problem every 1-2 years and Mr. Heater offers a pathetic 1 year warranty. Lastly Coleman also recently had showers made for a short time using identical materials and parts as the Companion showers. The Coleman showers and parts are discontinued. Please note that the companion Aquacube digital and the hike crew and cost way showers are all the same just labeled with different companies logos.

This product is no longer being supported by any company Coleman, Companion, nor Mr. Heater which means replacement parts are no longer available. So let’s get creative.

Troubleshooting

Let’s first determine if it is the pump that is bad, the fuse, or something else.

A.) The easiest thing to check is the fuse! I like to double check continuity with my multimeter but typically it’s easy to visualize when a fuse is blown!

unscrew the fuse holder. WARNING: if the fuse holder inside of the the Aqua cube rotates or spins when tightening the fuse back into place then this is a bad sign see below “BLOWN FUSES”.

B.) If the fuse looks good let’s move on to testing the water pump.

This step requires the use of an alternative power source using a 12v power jack. I used my Portable Smart Jump Starter!

This test helped me deduce that the pump was bad because it wouldn’t turn on when plugged into an alternative power source. Had it powered on then I would know I had an issue in the Aquacube See below “Submersible Water Pumps” for making or buying a new water pump.

Blown Fuses

So my new water pump arrives and I plug it into the Aqua cube and BOOM a blown fuse. I change the fuse and power back up and BOOM another blown fuse.. you get the idea!

I took the Aqua cube apart, AGAIN, starting with the two base plates and then the back panel that houses the battery (see my blog on replacing the battery for detailed instructions). I noticed that the wires going to the fuse holder were tightly wound around one another and and that’s when I realized that the sad pathetic little plastic nut didn’t have a washer and wasn’t enough by its self for holding the fuse holder in place and preventing frayed or split wiring over time.

Unbind the electrical wires and check the continuity of the wires going to the fuse holder. If all is good then the fix is easy!

I powered everything back on and it worked flawlessly, multiple times!

If you don’t have continuity because the damage has broken the connection or the sheathing then new wiring is going to need to be installed! If the wires are exposed or touching one another this can create a power arc and lead to continuous blown fuses if not addressed. If this is not the problem for you then see the electrical diagrams for further troubleshooting.

Broken Water Pump

Do not throw away the broken pump assembly!

Either reuse the hose and parts from the broken pump to make a new pump or buy a ready made pump.

Specs

The shower unit has an internal water pressure sensor that automatically shuts off the propane. This is important to note because this means that compatible pumps can be made to work with this shower and still utilize the internal auto safety features.

• Shower hose 8.25ft
• Water Inlet Hose 5ft
• Total head discharge distance= 13.25ft
• Pump electrical cord 55 inches

Submersible water pumps

I am going to share a few examples of available submersible pumps.

1. Mr. Heater Pump Assembly 35558
2. Comet Geo Pro Plus 12 Volt Magnetic Drive Water Pump
3. Whale Pump GP1002
4. Comet 1350.02.00 Immersion pump ECO with vented non-return-valve and filter

#1. Mr. Heater $51.79

Mr. Heater has changed pumps (old model # 35461 pump assembly) and now sells Pump Assembly 35558 which can be purchased from their website. Buying this ready made pump comes with everything needed to plug it in and use it right out of the package. Pay less here $51.00 includes S&H

2-2.5L/minute

Power consumption 1.2amps 15watts

#2. Comet Geo Pro Plus 12 Volt Magnetic Drive Water Pump $39.89 on sale

CAUTION: This pump comes with a 3ft electrical cord and the original is 55 inches long. This means additional electrical wiring will need to be matched and added if buying this pump.

If you choose to continue and still have the broken pump then switch the tube and quick connect over to this new one. Next you can either order a new electrical jack Male adaptor or cut, splice, and use appropriate connectors to connect the male 12v power jack to the new pumps electrical. Please verify any new electrical wiring size to the existing wiring size before installation.

#3. Whale Pumps GP1002

Another good DIY pump option is the Whale GP1002. See the spec sheet below for more information. $25.91 + Free S&H 😁

Lastly I am not going into detail about how to wire and build the DIY pump at this time. This involves using a multimeter, crimpers, correct sizing of electrical wiring, using marine grade heat shrink connectors and wire loom.

#4. Comet Eco

supply: 12 V = / 12 Volt DC
current: max. 1,9 A
troughput: max. 8 l / min
delivery height: max. 6,5 m
pressure: 0,65 bar / 9,4 psi
power: 10 – 25 W
diam. / height: max. 38 / 165 mm

Fuses

The Aquacube US version was released using a 3.15al 250V water pump fuse. While the Aquacube Logic (Australia) was sold with a 5al 250V water pump fuse. For some unknown reason Mr. heater decided to downgrade the water pump fuse from 5amps to 3amps for the US market and continues to do so.

Helpful Ideas & Tips

You need to inox your pump, or it becomes tight, then the current draw is up, & it’s says battery low, then you go & buy a battery & find out no change.

If you run it long enough because of the high current draw the 4amp internal fuse will blow!

I have a heap of 5 amp ( slight upgrade) if you need one, but you will need a new pump at the same time.

They can also have issues with calcium buildup, run clr through as per instructions.

This should help prevent these issues.

I would like to say that I looked through the Aquacube Logic owners manual and couldn’t find anywhere that said to descale the unit. This is however a good idea to do after every camping trip using white vinegar and water.

I get this blue drainage from my Aquacube. This is because of the water calcification process to the internal copper water pipes. Running vinegar water or CLR and letting it sit for a few hours is a great idea to combat these problems.

It seems that a few companies such as Kariba (Australia/US) and Coleman (h20 elite) have discontinued their camp showers. Mr. Heater still makes the sealed lead acid battery camp showers and Companion (Australia) doesn’t ship to the US. There are few to no other heated camp showers on the market right now. Lastly It is a hard jagged pill to swallow buying into the same company (Mr. heater/companion) again after having experienced all of these technical issues.

Quick Connect Hose Plugs

The water hose quick connect plugs might need replacing at some point. Or in my case I want to make an extension coupler to connect the shower head directly to the pump. The tech support with Mr. Heater had no idea what style plugs these are and after endless searching I found it!

Asian Style Hi-Flow Quick Coupler Plug or Nitto Kohki Hi Cupla

I reached out to the US Nitto Kohki Hi Cupla customer service and was informed that all of their plug ends for PF and PM styles from size 10-40 are universal same O.D. Plug ends. The only changing variable is the thread size which is identified by the preceding 1/4, 1/2, 3/8, etc..

Leaking Handheld Shower Head

8/21- So I disconnected the hose and shower head to inspect the internals of the shower head. After doing this the shower head began gushing water from the bottom of the hose and shower head threaded coupler. I suspect that there may have been a flat washer that popped out.

The fix: 11/16-in OD Rubber Washer 3mm thick 1/2 ID.

Final Thoughts

I like the concept of Companions newest shower the Aquaheat which has made giant leaps and bounds in evolutionary upgrades. The most noticeable is the transition to A lithium ion battery. Next they moved the awkward rear pump connection to the front, which is where it should have always been. I did find one Australian vendor that ships the product to the US, however please be aware that the company does not provide warranty service to the US. Something I don’t like is that it is $499.00 (AUD) = $389.00 USD and it doesn’t even come with the carrying bag, The bag is an additional cost. When I bought my Aquacube it came with the bag and all of the charging cords. Lastly I would be worried about not being able to get replacment parts or warranty care being outside of Australia. When looking through the PDF owners manual no wiring schematics or parts are listed. This is a huge problem to anyone who might need to work on the shower themselves.

Update 4/2024: kakaduis now a U.S. based seller of the companion Aquaheat showers. For a whopping price of $499+ $50 for the carrying bag.