Freshwater pumps

Manny · Apr 30, 2009

My boat came with a jabsco sensor max vsd pump and I have no complaints. It auto senses when pressure is needed and it varies its output to match. I swear I have better water pressure on my boat than at home. It's also pretty quiet.

Manny

mcaswell · Apr 30, 2009

The Sensormax variable speed pump is great... I installed one in our previous boat, and like it much better than the standard pump that's in our new boat.

To expand on what Manny said, with the Sensormax pump, when the faucet is on just a little bit, the pump runs at a continuous slow speed. When you open the faucet all the way, the pump speeds up. In contrast, with a standard pump, when the faucet is open a little, the pump cycles on and off (rrrruuummmp rrrruuummmp rrruuummmp, etc.).

It's not enough to make me tear out a functioning pump, but when it does eventually go bad, it will be replaced by a variable speed.

--Michael

sailingdog · Apr 30, 2009

The reason the galley has a foot pump is that it makes it easier to do things like wash dishes if you're not trying to pump the water with your hand...

Do you have an accumulator tank?? Was the boat designed for pressure water??? If not, you'll probably have to re-plumb the sinks. Are you sure the boat actually has a shower? Showers are fairly uncommon on boats less 30' LOA or smaller. I also find it very peculiar that the boat would have a shower but not have a pressure freshwater system.

You'll probably want a 4 GPM or higher rated fresh water pressure pump, like this one. Be aware that having a pressure water system tends to make you use far more water than if you're using a manually pumped fresh water system. It might be worthwhile to leave the sinks manually pumped and only have the pressure feed the shower, if there is one. If there isn't one, I'd recommend getting a good solar shower, since they're quite effective and fairly inexpensive.

Cpt. Jon said:
Hello,

My recently purchased H30 came without a freshwater pump. The boat has a kitchen sink, shower, and sink in the head. There is also a foot pump under the kitchen sink and two faucets, not sure why that is to be honest. The boat has a hot water heater as well, don't know if that matters, don't know much about boat plumbing. How many gpm diaphragm pump do I need? I am on a budget and would like to get the best bang for the buck, any brand and model suggestions are appreciated with an explanation why. Normal cruising in the future will be me, my wife, and two daughters (3yrs old and the one probably born in the next 24 hours). The odds of using all the water outlets at once is low, but definately want enough pressure for the shower.

thanks!

Jon

Stu Jackson · Apr 30, 2009

Why not just read the WM catalog

and find out all about it?

kloudie1 · May 1, 2009

Ditto what Manny and Michael are saying.. I got the ShurFlow Smart Sensor (variable speed based on demand) last summer to replace the old Shurflow which had started leaking at age 18 ! The new one is more quiet and uses less power. The variable speed does a great job of eliminating the accumulator. Ya probably want to be looking at 3-4 GPM rated pumps to be happy in the shower. Look on the net at RV supply places as well as the marine supply places for value.

Tim R. · May 1, 2009

Are you sure there is not a non-functioning pump somewhere? The 2 faucets at the galley could be fresh and salt water or one could be for ice box pump out. There may even be a combination of valves under the sink to control what the foot pump does.

I have 2 foot pumps and 3 faucets. One is a conventional pressure water faucet(H/C). One is a foot pump for freshwater. The 3rd is a faucet for salt water and icebox(2) pumpout depending on how the valves are arranged.

I too have a VSD pump from Jabsco. great pump, lousy service. For those wanting to upgrade, buy a VSD and turn your existing pump into a washdown.

Stu Jackson · May 1, 2009

The Scanvik wand

is a great watersaver for those with pumped freshwater.

Nereussailor · May 1, 2009

The H30's came with 2 pumps, a fresh water pump from the fresh water tank, and a foot pump from the sea water inlet. The electric pump on my H30 is under the Starboard locker in the cockpit. there should be an access panel there. I'm not sure if it's factory or not, but it looks like it is. Boat plumbing isn't a whole lot different than house plumbing, so don't let it scare you. Follow the water lines and you'll find it if it's there.

Bad Obsession · May 7, 2009

Glad to hear that you are going to be up and running. Fresh water in the plumbing isn't as bad as it seems.

Ross · May 9, 2009

Beware that at 4.5 gallons per minute it won't take long to deplete your fresh water supply. I use a 5 gallon day tank that I pump full and use from that. If we deplete that we consider how we must conserve water if we plan to stay out very long. I can carry 70 gallons. At 4.5 gallons per minute I could run all of my fresh water down the drains in 15 minutes. Should I be two days from port I might be in trouble.

Bad Obsession · May 10, 2009

The biggest use of water on my boat, fresh water that is, is for cleaning dishes and showers. I do not drink the water from my tanks. I take bottled water for that. I try to be conserative when it comes to running the water but it takes forever to actually run down my tanks. The biggest difference was when my ex became my ex because she would go through water like it was air. She would run the shower the entire time she showered. I called her the freshwater princess.

BaySailerBill · May 10, 2009

Shuflo Freshwater Pump

I just purchased a new Shurflo 40 PSI freshwater pump from this company http://store.easternmarineoutlet.co...atalog.prodInfo&productID=9453&categoryID=401 for $69.99. It works great and it really is a great price.

Good Luck,
BILL