Fresh water pump review

[Truro Ex Pat]

Has anyone see any reviews for fresh water pumps, on my Fairline I had a Whale and when it went wrong swapped to a Jabsco Par Max 4, this one has done 12 months and we have an accumulator tank fitted as well as these can help to get a smooth flow but now it seams stuck on even if you turn the output off next to the pump. Its has also spluttered form most of the summer despite pumping the accumulator up and down to adjust the pressure.
From what I can make out from the internet it could be the pressure switch but now I am thinking do I go back to Whale although they seem noise and not as good or stick with Jabsco?

 

[JerryC]

Been there, got the T-shirt. Jabsco pumps are ok, no reason to return to Whale. Assuming you have verified the pump itself is not leaking, I think you have two different problems here.

1) Spluttering at the taps is a sign of an air leak. I would run all the taps and showers separately for a couple of minutes each to clear all the outlet pipework of air. If the problem persists, the leak is between the pump and tank. Remove and clean the inline filter, an old plastic is quite likely to have cracked but is easily replaceable with a glass one, and check its seal and pipework connections back to the tanks. This run will be short so can be checked quickly.

2) A pump which starts up randomly indicates a small leak in the pipework to the taps which can take a long time to track down - commiserations! If it's pumping all the time either the pressure switch has failed or you have a major leak somewhere which should be easy to find. In my case it was an inline water softener filter which had cracked open. Hidden away behind a panel under the galley sink - I didn't even know it was there until it failed! Good luck with diagnosis.

 

[markc]

Gianneschi pumps are superb quality if you're looking to replace yours.

 

[Portofino]

Sounds like a bit of crap in the pressure switch .
Needs a strip down / removal .
Have you got one of these fitted before it ?
https://www.tcschandlery.co.uk/jabsco-pump-guard-strainer/p12713

Or for what they cost buy another + the prefilter and clean up this one as a spare .

 

[superheat6k]

I have fitted Seaflo to my current and previous boats and would highly recommend them. I had a leaking calorifier which caused the tank to run dry. The pump ran for nearly a week with no water without a murmur, and still works just fine two years later.

 

[longjohnsilver]

I have a Groco pump. In over 10 years of pretty heavy use it has never missed a beat. Not the quietest but I can trade that off against reliability. Having said that mine is now 30 years old. No doubt newer models will be quieter, but I could make a soundproof box for mine, but it doesn't bother me that much. And i like to know when the pump is running.

 

[Piers]

There are some excellent videos on the Headhunter water pump website, detailing how to set up an accumulator system and fault trace.

https://www.headhunterinc.com/

Piers

 

[Whitelighter]

Gianneschi pumps are superb quality if you're looking to replace yours.

I’m very pleased with my new Gianneschi which replaced the original fit one (from 1994)
Not cheap but then quality never is