Water pressure pump

[Richard Bryer]

I need some help here. I have just had the water pressure pump switch fail for the second time this summer. This one lasted for less than two tanks. we are always careful to shut the panel switch off at night when we are aboard and when we leave the boat. The vendor - Holland Marine Products- wont sell me a replacement switch as he says " the pump is getting too much current and burning the switches out" Can any body explain how that could be and how I can check? A multimeter shows 12.5 volts at the pump leads. I will have a separate thread on my experience with HMP, and Flopower pumps. Thanks

 

[Stu Jackson]

It would help if you told us what pump. Does it have an integral switch or separate?

 

[Richard Bryer]

The pump is a FLOPOWER- see my other thread- the pressure switch is integral to the pump. The pump appears very similar to a Shurflo. It is a 3.3 GPM model

 

[kloudie1]

Water pressure Switch

Rich, don't know exactly what pump you are working with but the switch itself is usually a simple microswitch in the casing. You can change just that switch .. Radio shack has 'em, I think.. Your dealer is full of beans if he says it is getting too much current.. Attached is a picture of the pressure switch from my old ShurFlow .. The pump failed after 20 years and I never had a switch failure. Make sure your connections from the breaker to the pump are all excellent If it is cycling a lot, you may be able to install an accumulator to reduce that and make the switch last longer..
The microswitch which lives in that little black part with the spring looks kind of like this: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12706303
but you'll have to get yours and match it.. They are made in different current carrying sizes so if yours is say 5 ampere.. you can go to 10 or 15 amperes capacity to get more current carrying ..

 

[Richard Bryer]

Re: Water pressure Switch

That looks pretty much like mine, Claude- mine has a plastic cover over the spring. How would you fit the RS model to the head of the pump? My problem is the paranoid dealer wont sell me another because he says it will just burn out! The pump runs when the taps are open, this model is not supposed to need or be installed with an accumulator tank as "the tank will interfere with the internal bypass valve"

 

[kloudie1]

That RS model is not the correct one for your pump.. Ya should be able to easily pry apart the little black case and pop the switch itself out. The screws that hold the housing to the pump usually also hold the housing together.. There will be numbers on the switch that you can "google" .. also there are folks like DigiKey.com or Allied, who have tons of different kinds of microswitches. You'll need to get one that is the same action and size but maybe a larger ampere rating.. If there is a good electronics shop nearby, you can take just the switch to them and they should be able to fix ya up.. I thought I had my old one in a drawer, but I pitched it when I got the new variable speed pump

 

[Richard Bryer]

Here are a couple of pics of the switch. I cannot find a way to get the case apart to expose the switch. It looks like the collar around the depressable button is glued in.

 

[kloudie1]

WHOOPSIE! that looks like a proprietary switch that the FloPower folks are doing for their pumps.. ouch ! I figured that they'd knock off the ShurFlo correctly ! ?? can you ease the rubbeer diaphragm off to look at what is underneath?? Stuff like that usually have a kinda snap/press fit around the outer edge that can sometimes be gently lifted from the hard case. There would be no need to glue it because the mounting screws would hold it sealed against the pump case.. Have ya verified that the switch is indeed bad? Ohm-meter across the leads.. should read closed.. then push the button until ya hear it click.. should read open..

 

[Jake N Eggs]

"The vendor - Holland Marine Products- wont sell me a replacement switch as he says " the pump is getting too much current and burning the switches out" Can any body explain how that could be and how I can check?"

Richard,

The current is dictated by the resistance of the pump motor. There will be a slight increase in current as the battery voltage drops. If the switch is supplied with the pump and the pump is a 12 volt pump the switch should be correctly designed for the application. If there is a problem in the motor the resistance could be high and thus causing too high a current draw. The current can be measured with an AMP meter in line with the power leads while the pump is running. A good VOM meter has a 10 amp scale.

 

[Richard Bryer]

Thanks Claude and Jake- I think I will follow the good advice to get a Shurflo ( Stu on my other thread) Appreciate the help.

 

[secondwind410]

Hey Richard I have a flopower fl091712. I also bought it from holland marine products. I purchased it about three years ago from the boat show and I installed it as a wash down pump. Within a short period of time the switch went. Holland marine replaced it twice and then the whole pump. All switches failed within a short period of time. This year I by passed the switch with a manual on off and ensured that the hose is always left open so the motor doesn't burn out. There must be a defect in the switch flopower uses. I myself have given up trying to replace the switch. If you find a replacement that works I would be interested in knowing which one it was. Good luck.

 

[Stu Jackson]

You guys seem to be having real "issues" with those flopower pumps and switches.

Seems you can spell it two different ways:

flo power

or

flop ower

Seems you have the latter.

Ditch the pumps, screw Holland Marine and buy a Shurflo like I suggested on the other thread. Why bang your heads against the wall???