Fresh water pump causing surging

Jun 13, 2017
7
Beneteau 37 Mhyc
Hello all. I'm brand-new to this boat and when I turn on the water pumping system I get pressure at all faucets but a lot of surging as if there's air in the lines. What is the remedy for this? I have a 2008 Beneteau37 with a water heating system and forward and aft tanks. I've cleaned the filter under the clear cap but nothing helps.
 

SG

.
Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
Patience.... Probably just need to bleed the air out of the lines. Does you pump pressure switch turn the get satisfied or is the pump on all the time when you turn-on the circuit breaker? Hopefully not, but not to worry yet.

Assuming that your boat doesn't have some odd plumbing; I'd close all the faucets. Then open the "farthest" away hot water faucets a little bit so that you allow a little flow out. It should bleed-out air and water. After a bit, you can open the water on that hot water faucet more. When it stop belching. close it down to just a "trickle", go down the line and repeat with each hot water, faucet.

Then turn-off all of the hot water faucets. Hopefully, you're pump will turn-off. Now try the same approach with all of the cold-water faucets.

Then go to farthest hot water faucet; and, open it only. You will hopefully be done. It may relieve a bubble or so. but it should better. Then try the cold water.

If you have a cockpit shower (or a anchor wash down w/ fresh water, which I doubt) make sure you include them in your procedure.

Did you blow down the water system to winterize the fresh water system? Did you run the tanks "DRY"?

From now on during the season, try to avoid draining the tanks. When they're empty. Just stop and change tanks (if you have that option) or can avoid trying to get "water from a rock" ;^)))).

If that doesn't work, then we can start doing other things while you troubleshoot things.
 

Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Open a hot water tap and make sure the hot-water heater is filled. It takes a while.
 

SG

.
Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
Hope you had enough water to cover your heating element if you turned-on the AC water heater before the unit had enough FRESH water in it.
 
May 17, 2004
5,541
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
There should be a manifold near the pump to select between the tanks. Try closing off one tank and running the pump for a while to see if that fixes the problem. Then switch tanks and repeat. If it's only a problem on one tank then it may be a leak in the line from that tank allowing air to get sucked in.

It's also possible that the pump itself could be leaking. The seal on ours failed over the winter. In our case that resulted in reduced pressure but it could have pulled air in too. We disassembled the pump and re-sealed it with "form a gasket". (The manufacturer does not make rebuild kits or seals for our pump model.)
 

MitchM

.
Jan 20, 2005
1,031
Nauticat 321 pilothouse 32 Erie PA
each of the spigots usually has a fine mesh strainer screwed in. remove each of these and clean them. last year my pump could not pump any h 2 0 as the stainers were blocked. and don't forget to clean the main large diameter strainer between the water tank and the pump...