Buzz ,wait buzz again.

johnphilip

johnphilip

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 Nov 2005
Messages
1,322
Visit site
I have refilled the domestic water system after draining for the winter. Now the pump is turning on for a second every minute, normally indicating a leak. I have checked (I believe) every joint in the pipwork but it still happens, suggesting to me that the pump is not working properly as a non-return valve but letting water back, the pressure drops and the pump cuts in again. Possibly frost damage, possibly muck stuck somewhere.
The pump is a 7 year old Whale Universal UP1215.
Has anybody successfully serviced one of these? Is it possible to dismantle the pump itself? The instructions don't go that far and on line is little help.
I have found a service kit of the whole water pump end of the unit but this is more expensive than a total replacement.
 
I did part of my ymo on a Gib Sea 42; the fresh water pump cycled every minute or so, just as you describe; as it was under the examiners' bunk in the aft cabin, the simple cure was to pull the circuit breaker every night !

May be some sort of over-sensitive pressure sensing switch ?
 
Had a similar problem on a mobile toilet vehicle. Traced pipe work, checked for non return valves & eventually replaced the pump. Made no difference. When the generator came on & the charger took over from the battery, it stopped. I don't know why, but the low power from a dying battery affected the pump (with integral pressure sensor) causing exactly as you describe.
 
Have been in a house where a saniflo electric loo with macerator did exactly the same thing, buzzing at very frequent intervals, say every minute; put that down to installation and pressure issues.
 
outtametree said:
I don't know why, but the low power from a dying battery affected the pump (with integral pressure sensor) causing exactly as you describe.
Click to expand...

Sounds promising, doesn't it, especially with weak batteries after a winter layup.

But what do I know, I have a hand pump :)

Pete
 
so far

Thanks for the comments so far
However
Battery should not be an issue as the boat was connected to shorepower and charging while this was happening.
Opening up the non return valve is what I was asking about, it is part of the pump itself and I am not sure if there is a way to open the pump without destroying it. A few years ago I successfully dealt with a similar problem on another make (Jabsco I think) but once you remove the pump from the motor on this one there is no obvious way to open the pump.
The accumulator is a slim possibility, I checked around the connections for leaks but I suppose air could bre leaking from the top and will not show until the bottle is filled with water. It would be surprising as I have not touched the cap since last year. Perhaps I should try with soap bubbles when next on board.
 
Last edited:
Have you run sufficient water from every outlet to be absolutely certain the entire system is purged of air? If not, I'd try that before taking things apart
 
If there's no water in the bilge by now, it's got to be a valve not sealing properly. If you can't cure by flushing the pump with a hose or dismantling and cleaning, a cheap non-return valve upstream may allow you to get some more use from it.
My attitude is, that if it's not functional anyway, you won't make the situation any worse by blootering it apart and possibly fixing it.
 
Had exactlly the same problem 2 years ago. Eventually traced it to the stern shower head which had a hairline crack caused by freezing. (I had forgotten to drain it).
The amount of water which escaped over several days was not more than a few cupfuls and the bilge area abaft the engine was the last place I checked.

Cheers,

Michael.
 
Just in time

emandvee44 said:
Had exactlly the same problem 2 years ago. Eventually traced it to the stern shower head which had a hairline crack caused by freezing. (I had forgotten to drain it).
The amount of water which escaped over several days was not more than a few cupfuls and the bilge area abaft the engine was the last place I checked.

Cheers,

Michael.
Click to expand...

Well done, yes this could be it, the one place I did not check. Stay of execution for the pump which is on death row (in my garage) until I get to the boat to follow this up.
 
johnphilip said:
I have refilled the domestic water system after draining for the winter. Now the pump is turning on for a second every minute, normally indicating a leak. I have checked (I believe) every joint in the pipwork but it still happens, suggesting to me that the pump is not working properly as a non-return valve but letting water back, the pressure drops and the pump cuts in again. Possibly frost damage, possibly muck stuck somewhere.
The pump is a 7 year old Whale Universal UP1215.
Has anybody successfully serviced one of these? Is it possible to dismantle the pump itself? The instructions don't go that far and on line is little help.
I have found a service kit of the whole water pump end of the unit but this is more expensive than a total replacement.
Click to expand...

Likely it will be something trivial. Had the same problem once and it turned out to be a human hair just stopping the valve in the pump from sealing completely. Your emptying of the tank and refilling will have stirred up the sediment and dirt on the bottom of the tank * and some of that will be messing up the valves. Cure? Take the pump to bits and clean it.

* think you dont have dirt in the tanks? Think again. It's shocking how much comes down the mains water supply in a marina.
 
Had a similar problem and found it was the cockpit shower which had cracked in some big winds with freezing temps and was busily filling up the marina as the tap had been inadvertantly left on. It was only when we started to wonder why we were using so much water that we tracked it down. £3 for a new shower head and problem solved. Check all the outlets before major surgery.
 
VicS said:
If you have the pump at home it should be easy enogh to rig up some means of testing it.

Like you I can only find replacement pump heads ... £37 from Gael Force Marine.. no parts to overhaul them

http://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/40425/Whale-Universal-Pressure-Pump-Service-Kit.html
Click to expand...

Thats a lot better price than my first search found although I would have tried again before paying.
http://www.purplemarine.com/dinghy/whale-service-kit-for-universal-pump-12ltr-ak1316.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

O
“The Dog that Didn’t Bark:” Yanmar. 4L HASTE.
Replies
2
Views
262
oldgit
O

Share this page

Top