My Jabsco PAR Max 4 won't pump water to the wash down hose/nozzle. I disassembled it and for the life of me, I would not how to put a new set of diaphrams in it. It will pump if I can get water to it. It just won't draw water and then push it on to nozzle. Any ideas?
Jabsco PAR Max 4 Washdown pump won't
- Thread starter Chesapeake Bob
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Is pump mounted below water line ? How far away is the pickup?
I had a mysterious problem last year. Same pump as you. Had to use fresh water dockside hose to back flush. First I back flushed from pump to pickup. Pickup is a least 12'-15' away from pump. Then disconnected hose on the discharge side of pump and it worked. Reconnected discharge hose to anchor bib and pump and no preasure. Disconnected hose from discharge side of pump and pump worked. But was squirting smelly water all over the cabinet under Vee Birth. So I tried to flush the hose on the discharge side. It was a no go tried it from below and above several times. Finally tried it one last time with dock side hose pressure from below making sure bib valve in anchor locker was on. Turned hose on and off on and off, Repeatedly ... And then suddenly and slowly a black sausage like goo slowly came out the anchor wash down bib valve in anchor locker. Ran fresh water for a little while thru that section of hose to get it flushed out really good. Reconnected discharge hose to pump and walla .... She's back in business ! Nothing wrong with the pump.
Hope this helps.... Maybe my success story is going to be your story, but with less effort.
One cool air...
... it is not the wash-down hose, because when I prime the pump, she sprays plenty of water. The pump has worked for quite some time. It is only slightly above the water line and less than 2' of reinforced hose between the pick and the filter. I disassembled the filter as part of winterization, and just reassemebled it this spring. My source is "teed off" of a drain in the head and has always worked. The sink drains fine but your post has me wanting to double check the flow from the sink drain. Thanks.
... it is not the wash-down hose, because when I prime the pump, she sprays plenty of water. The pump has worked for quite some time. It is only slightly above the water line and less than 2' of reinforced hose between the pick and the filter. I disassembled the filter as part of winterization, and just reassemebled it this spring. My source is "teed off" of a drain in the head and has always worked. The sink drains fine but your post has me wanting to double check the flow from the sink drain. Thanks.
Re: One cool air...
It still may be your hose. We live in a temperate zone and do not need to winterize our internal water systems. However the our washdown hose lives in the anchor locker and I invariably forget to drain it each winter. As a result of this idiocy on my part, the hose freezes and develops a couple of leaks with the further result that the pump won't prime. I don't know why, but as soon as I fix the leaks, the pump works perfectly.
It still may be your hose. We live in a temperate zone and do not need to winterize our internal water systems. However the our washdown hose lives in the anchor locker and I invariably forget to drain it each winter. As a result of this idiocy on my part, the hose freezes and develops a couple of leaks with the further result that the pump won't prime. I don't know why, but as soon as I fix the leaks, the pump works perfectly.
Can you relocate pump to below water line? Also you are probaly sucking air from the sink drain. Because the thru hull opening is dirty or partially clogged . So the sink drain is the path of least resistance so you are pulling air from sink drain it self. After cleaning and checking thru hull try putting a plug in the sink drain and see what happens.Chesapeake Bob said:
There is no need to relocate this pump below the water line, in fact I would suggest against it. It is self priming. We have several Max 3 & 4 pumps on the boat and the diaphragms can be fouled by the tiniest grain of dirt or sand. The triple diaphragm system is so complicated that the repair kit includes the whole triple diaphragm unit already assembled and ready to install. I'd replace the triple diaphragm and see if that helps; it won't hurt to have a spare onboard anyway.
Otherwise, about the only other way these pumps will fail is if you are getting air in the line before the pump. If you can't locate an air leak, pressurize the intake line (close the seacock) using this or another pump. Also, you could attach a hose from ashore to the intake while running the pump and try to blow the lines and diaphragms clean, but this could damage the diaphragms. In theory, this pump can run dry so you don't have to worry when messing about that you will damage anything by not having water running through it.
Otherwise, about the only other way these pumps will fail is if you are getting air in the line before the pump. If you can't locate an air leak, pressurize the intake line (close the seacock) using this or another pump. Also, you could attach a hose from ashore to the intake while running the pump and try to blow the lines and diaphragms clean, but this could damage the diaphragms. In theory, this pump can run dry so you don't have to worry when messing about that you will damage anything by not having water running through it.
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