Stern shower needs more pressure (H33)

Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
My '05 H33 has the stern shower setup but I find there is very little pressure there. It looks like it's using the main pump that supplies water to the galley and head faucets. No issue inside the boat but I would like to increase the pressure at the stern shower.

What are my options? I'm thinking...
  • Replace the freshwater water pump for a bigger one.
  • OR, install an accumulator tank.
  • OR, Install a second pump just for the stern shower.
Any suggestions as to what's the best course of action? I'm leaning with just getting a bigger freshwater pump but wonder if there isn't a better solution.

Cheers,

Maurice
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
More likely a kink or blockage in the water lines or the shower head and valves.. remove the hand held unit and open the valves.. if ya have good flow, it is the shower head or hose.. If low flow, kink or trash in the piping.. Good Luck !
 
Jun 15, 2012
694
BAVARIA C57 Greenport, NY
Have had this issue many times with the galley faucet. I clean with CLR, which works like magic. Not sure if it's OK on plastic. Another solution may be to use a ultrasonic cleaner, bought one form Harbor Freight. Worked great on mixing valve which was totally clogged.
 

Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
It isn’t the pump, it is the shower valve, hose or faucet. Disassemble the shower head and see how the system flows...then keep going back toward the pump until you find the problem.
 
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Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
You could buy a bigger fresh water pump, but as others (with much more experience than I) have said, it's probably your plumbing. Considering that other faucets are good, and the longest run is bad, it's probably localized to that stern faucet.

Another hidden source of low water pressure failure that is not faucet specific is the pre-pump strainer. These are usually just fine screen strainers placed just ahead of the freshwater pump to avoid damaging the pump with foreign matter (it doesn't alter the water in any way). https://www.jabscoshop.com/pressure-systems/fittings-accessories/in-line-strainers/ Often they get clogged with fine particles (for example, dead bodies of the bio-film from the bottom of your tanks) and it clogs the flow. Unscrew the strainer body and empty it out, if you've not done it in a few months.
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
Those hose lines (To the shower) twist and kink very easily. I went as far on one boat as to install a nylon mesh bag around the pull out hose to support the hose's weight while it was stored to prevent the hose weight from crimping the hose. BTW we found the CLR to work great on shower heads and faucets to remove crud.
 
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Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
Thanks everyone for your input. I changed the hand held spray head last year because the original metal one was cracked. It's possible there's a kink in the hose so I'll take a look next time I'm at the boat. It's probably the hose as everything else looks fine. No blockage that I can see and the mesh filter is clean.

I want to install an inline water filter on the cold side anyways for the galley faucet. Might as well inspect all the lines while I'm at it.
 
Last edited:
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Once when my shower went unused for a couple of years, I had a clog of "growth" in the line going to the shower.. only way to get it out was to disassemble the valve head and flush it out..
 
Oct 5, 2015
33
Hunter 38 Auckland
Hi Maurice
I have replaced my original metal shower with new plastic one from Hunter Owners shop about month ago. I have found that it was not enough flow even to form shower flow. Flow on all other outlets was normal.
I have found flow restrictor at the end of new shower head where it is connected to the hose, drilled it out to about 3mm. Job done...
Can make couple pictures later today if required




found flow
 
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Sep 20, 2006
2,912
Hunter 33 Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada
Most likely the valves or the shower head. Mine's never worked and ended up disconnecting the lines to the shower by the water heater, we just go jump in the lake.
 
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Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
... we just go jump in the lake.
There's a true Canadian for you. "The Lake" he's referring to currently has over six inches of ice on it, after a week of 5 degree C weather! Georgian Bay never gets warm, by anyone's reconning.
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
Lake Ontario doesn't get much warmer either. Luckily the water gets a lot warmer in the Thousand Islands. At least you can swim in it and not get hypothermia (in July, at least). We only use the stern handheld shower to rinse off the stern when we get back from a trip ashore to walk the dog. There isn't much flow so we've avoided using it for anything else but I'll take another look at the hose to make sure it's not kinked and then I may modify the spray head if needed.

Wouldn't mind being able to rinse off with warm water off the stern sometimes so it's definitely on my todo list for this year.
 
Oct 5, 2015
80
Hunter 33 33 Halifax
Has anyone used CLR in the head to keep the lines clear. I was woried about the long rang effect on hoses, holding tank etc.
I usually pump a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar through the head in the spring to reduce the smell
from the hoses. I open the raw water intake from the trough hull and pump it through the head. Have often thought of replacing the vinegar mixture wuth CLR to clean out the calcium buildup in the hoses.
Thoughts,
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
Not sure I would pump CLR in there but if I did, I probably would flush a lot of fresh water right after and then I would pump out right away. I would not leave the CLR in the waste tank for too long.

Speaking of cleaning the head lines, I am dealing with constant "back-flow" problem, for lack of a better term. I replaced the joker valve last year and it seemed to help in the beginning of the season but eventually the problem came back. You pump the bowl dry and then it will slowly fill up, no matter how much you try pumping. It's not fresh water either so it's a bit of a problem. If you keep pumping you get air in the line followed by a nice gurgling noise. I'm just about to replace the joker valve again but there has to be a better, more permanent solution. I have never had this problem before and I'd really like to hear from anyone who has dealt with this issue.
 
Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
. . . Speaking of cleaning the head lines, .... I'd really like to hear from anyone who has dealt with this issue.
Probably should start a new thread on this as it's completely unrelated. Before that, you might want to do a quick search on this site because, I believe, this type of problem has been addressed several times. A short answer: Aside from the joker valve, which can actually wear out it a season depending on use, you should make sure that your tank vent is clear (spiders love to nest there, BTW). This may create back pressure in your tank and can lead to nasty leaks.
 

Mikem

.
Dec 20, 2009
820
Hunter 466 Bremerton
If the pressure is good elsewhere on your boat, galley, head, probably not the pump. As others have said check for kinks and trash. That hose extends somewhat so if it gets kinked stowing or pulling out it will block the flow.