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Hi folks,
I know a similar topic has been on the forum before but I’ve not been able to find it through the search facility.
My fresh water pump has started running continuously. I have checked the hoses and joints and can’t see any obvious air leaks around the pump pipework. Is there anything else I should be checking?
I’ve run the water for a while to try to expel any air locks. I’ve also changed the water supply between the front and rear tanks. Neither of these helped.
It seems that the plastic bottle next to the pump fills up when the taps are running. However, when the taps are switched off the water level slowly falls from being level with the top of the pump to being level with the bottom of the pump.
I replaced the pump at the end of last season and everything has been fine since then up until last weekend.
Alastair
Hi Alaistair,
We had that problem last season on Freebird: what sorted it for us was to thoroughly clean the inline fresh water filter screen – it’s a metal gauze that we immersed in boiling water and then scrubbed until clean. HTH!
Cheers,
Chris
If cleaning the filter does not work, my guess is that you have a leak somewhere.
I have had the problem twice on CaSam and both times it came down to a hole invisible to the eye in the hot water pipe just out of the calorifier. (just where the water is the hottest). Under pressure a tiny jet of red hot water was spouting out like a fountain! First time I tried just cutting the leaky section out of the pipe… the next I replaced the whole pipe as it must have had a manufacturing weakness…. since then no issues at all.
Steve
Thanks for the tips.
I have visually checked the hoses from the pump to the taps and haven’t found any leaks. I’ve also pushed and wiggled connections while the pump was running.
I will check the hose to the calorifier, and clean the filter, at the weekend. The filter has not been cleaned since I got the boat.
Mrs Dream catcher is threatening a summer cruise boycott if it’s not fixed. No pressure at all then (no pun intended) 🙂
Alastair
PS I think we saw Freebird at the weekend. It was great sailing weather Fri and Sat. Sunday was a bit dreich. Rhu, Port Bannatyne, Portavadie, St Ninians Bay, Portavadie, home.
Are you getting any water in the bilge?
If not… sounds like the pump is knackered.No water in the bilge, and the pump was new late last season.
If I get down to the boat at the weekend I’ll take the pump off and check the diaphragms for damage and dirt. And when I refit it I’ll use some plumbers tape on the threads just in case air is getting in/out that route.
Alastair
Our pump used to activate without us opening a tap and we could not find any water in the bilge. It turned out to be a crack in the glass bowl on the filter that is on the inlet side of the pump. This was allowing air to leak so the system lost pressure so activating the pump. The pump plastic body eventually distorted and started to leak water. We took it apart and re-sealed it with silicone. Once the plastic components were bedded in and the job allowed to stand for 24 hours before use, the leak was cured.
Think its time to buy a spare pump as don’t think it will carry on for ever. We have had 12 years use
Removed and cleaned the filter, changed hoses around the pump, tried bypassing the accumulator bottle, checked more hoses, took the bottle off and tightened it. Now it is worse! It used to go off for about 30 seconds after the tap was turned off. Now it just runs continuously.
The water still fills up the bottle to level with the top of the pump, but then the level gradually drops to level with the bottom of the pump.
I did notice that the filter bowl didn’t look completely full. I might try a new filter if I can find out where to get one.
Alastair
Think I found pump manufacturers web site and was able to order filters from them. Delivered in days at reasonable cost. I bought two but unfortunately they are on my boat in Brittany.
Alastair
I’ve just had the same problem on a new pump running continuously. through trial an error I cured it by running both tanks completely dry, turning the pump off and the refilling the tanks.
Don’t ask me how it worked but it did!
cheers
RickThe latest on our pump is that I have adjusted the pressure valve on the pump and it only comes on occasionally now.
I got a new filter, different from the old one, but the new one won’t fit into the convoluted system of tubework and push-fit connectors in the little locker where the pump is. I will try that with some flexible pipe just as an experiment.
During my workings I have noticed that if I tip the pump forwards, toward me, the pump stops. Not sure how that works, unless it is a pressure change.
For now, it is acceptable, but I will try to fix it properly sometime.
Thanks for all the advice folks.
Alastair
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