Tank Accumulator works every 3 minutes

Vladis

Vladis

Active Member
Joined
20 Mar 2011
Messages
54
Visit site
Hello,*

I own a Beneteau Oceanis 40 (made in France) and with all water taps closed*
the pressure pump switches on for less than a second every 3 minutes. Also
the pump works as soon as I take the first 200ml of water from a tap. I do not remember how it was when the boat was new but I am sure that the periodic 3 minute on/off did not exist.

So I think I need to get a new accumulator tank. Unfortunately I can't see any label on it unless the label is on the face of the cylinder that is hidden against a piece of wood. If that is so, I need to remove the tank just to see the make and model. The tank has a red colour and I guess it is a 1 liter tank.

I would be grateful if someone can give me feedback!

Regards Luis
 
Vladis said:
Hello,*

I own a Beneteau Oceanis 40 (made in France) and with all water taps closed*
the pressure pump switches on for less than a second every 3 minutes. Also
the pump works as soon as I take the first 200ml of water from a tap. I do not remember how it was when the boat was new but I am sure that the periodic 3 minute on/off did not exist.

So I think I need to get a new accumulator tank. Unfortunately I can't see any label on it unless the label is on the face of the cylinder that is hidden against a piece of wood. If that is so, I need to remove the tank just to see the make and model. The tank has a red colour and I guess it is a 1 liter tank.

I would be grateful if someone can give me feedback!

Regards Luis
Click to expand...

Sounds like the non-return valve is leaking.
 
You either have a water leak, or the valves in the pump are faulty, allowing the pressure to drop as water leaks back into the pipe from the tank.
 
Vladis said:
Hello,*

I own a Beneteau Oceanis 40 (made in France) and with all water taps closed*
the pressure pump switches on for less than a second every 3 minutes. Also
the pump works as soon as I take the first 200ml of water from a tap. I do not remember how it was when the boat was new but I am sure that the periodic 3 minute on/off did not exist.

So I think I need to get a new accumulator tank. Unfortunately I can't see any label on it unless the label is on the face of the cylinder that is hidden against a piece of wood. If that is so, I need to remove the tank just to see the make and model. The tank has a red colour and I guess it is a 1 liter tank.

I would be grateful if someone can give me feedback!

Regards Luis
Click to expand...

The least likely scenario unless it is actually leaking

See what PVB says in #3

Check the system carefully for leaks from the pump to the taps.

If no leaks then almost ceratinly the valves in the pump are allowing the presure to escape back to the tank and require cleaning or replacing .

What pump do you have ?
 
Giblets said:
Any chance of a picture of the accumulator tank please. Possibly the tank needs repressurising.
Click to expand...

Quite a likely cause. The tanks usually have a valve on the top and can be re-pressurised with a pump. Originally they are nitrogen charged and should be pressurised to a little less than the cut in pressure of the water pump.
 
Norman_E said:
Quite a likely cause.
Click to expand...

It isn't a likely cause, unless the accumulator tank is leaking water. Constant cycling of the pump is caused by a leak - either into the boat, or back through the pump into the supply pipe.

As an aside, many boats have systems which work fine without an accumulator tank.
 
pvb said:
It isn't a likely cause, unless the accumulator tank is leaking water. Constant cycling of the pump is caused by a leak - either into the boat, or back through the pump into the supply pipe.

As an aside, many boats have systems which work fine without an accumulator tank.
Click to expand...

Absolutely - most common is the cockpit shower head or valve leaking slightly - followed by the pressure relief valve on hot water tank if engine or immersion coil on. If not those then a tedious check of all connections.
 
Hello,

Thank you for all the great feedback! I also suspected of a water leak but, except for the external cockpit shower tap, I examined all the taps and tubes and they look perfectly dry. I will inspect this shower tap whose access a little more complicated. Actually the float switch on the bilge operates every hour but I think that the membrane of the bilge pump is the cause as I see no water coming out from the hull when the bilge pump operate. I am assuming that water comes back from the pump to the recipient box (the deepest) where the float switch is placed. I think that the fresh water that reaches the bilge comes from the black water tank cover in the shower toilet (one of the photos) which has 2 gaps on the top. The second photo shows the the referred to pumps and the accumulator.

I will reread all answers very carefully!

Regards, Luis

Ps: no idea how I can attach a photo! :-(

2nd Edit: here the photos:

IMG_20180713_172151_1531491901857.jpg
IMG_20180713_174501_1531493141230.jpg
 
Last edited:
Vladis said:
Hello,

Thank you for all the great feedback! I also suspected of a water leak but, except for the external cockpit shower tap, I examined all the taps and tubes and they look perfectly dry. I will inspect this shower tap whose access a little more complicated. Actually the float switch on the bilge operates every hour but I think that the membrane of the bilge pump is the cause as I see no water coming out from the hull when the bilge pump operate. I am assuming that water comes back from the pump to the recipient box (the deepest) where the float switch is placed. I think that the fresh water that reaches the bilge comes from the black water tank cover in the shower toilet (one of the photos) which has 2 gaps on the top. The second photo shows the the referred to pumps and the accumulator.

I will reread all answers very carefully!

Regards, Luis

Ps: no idea how I can attach a photo! :-(
Click to expand...

It would be great if you tell us when you eventually find the problem so we can all learn something.
 
RupertW said:
It would be great if you tell us when you eventually find the problem so we can all learn something.
Click to expand...

Hello,

This forum is great! Following some suggestions, I just unscrew one of the cockpit loudspeakers to get access to the valve that controls the cockpit shower. Et voilà - there was a small leak on one of the extremities of the extractable tube! So I just switch of the valve and no more pressure pump starts for the last half of an hour!

Thank you all that gave me suggestions!

Luis
 
Vladis said:
Hello,

This forum is great! Following some suggestions, I just unscrew one of the cockpit loudspeakers to get access to the valve that controls the cockpit shower. Et voilà - there was a small leak on one of the extremities of the extractable tube! So I just switch of the valve and no more pressure pump starts for the last half of an hour!

Thank you all that gave me suggestions!

Luis
Click to expand...

Thanks for letting us know the cause.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top