Foot pump vs electric pump

[nuru05]

Given the choice between having a foot pump for the seawater in my kitchen sink or plumbing it over to an electric pump which is better? We have 1000 W of solar so power consumption is a non-issue and I kind of like the idea that I can Plumb the electric pump above the waterline. I just wanna make sure I’m not missing something switching it over.

Thoughts?

[donradcliffe]

My experience has been that seawater pumps require more maintenance and have a more limited life than freshwater pumps. However I have found the same holds true for foot pumps.

[nuru05]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

My experience has been that seawater pumps require more maintenance and have a more limited life than freshwater pumps. However I have found the same holds true for foot pumps.

What additional maintenance would be required or something like a jabsco pump? Basically will I just have to replace it a little sooner?

[JBP]

I was planning on installing a foot pump but I decided the cutout and mounting was more work than a simple pump with a pushbutton I can hit with my knee.

[noelex 77]

A foot pump is nicer to use in a boat galley, in my view. It leaves both hands free (sometimes one is needed to hang on), is quiet and most importantly gives better control over the exact amount of water delivered.

[nuru05]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

A foot pump is nicer to use on a boat, in my view. It leaves both hands free (sometimes one is needed to hang on), is quiet and most importantly gives better control over the exact amount of water delivered.

It would be hands-free either way because I’ll plumb it into the Faucet and it will use a pressure switch. I’m not too concerned about the exact amount of water delivered because it’s seawater so the more the better

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by nuru05

It would be hands-free either way because I’ll plumb it into the Faucet and it will use a pressure switch.

This solves one of the biggest problems with electric water pumps in the galley .

Originally Posted by nuru05

I’m not too concerned about the exact amount of water delivered because it’s seawater so the more the better

Regulating the water rate (which is easy to do hands free with a foot pump) is not only about reducing water consumption. It is also helpful to avoid the water spraying everywhere. This is particularly important with salt water.

[capt jgw]

I've had both a foot pump and electric. The electric one had a three position switch, Off, continuous, or momentary. Momentary had better control on the amount of water, but it's sea water so who cares. Both have advantages. We used them for dish and hand washing with a quick fresh water rinse. Saved a lot of fresh water. One funny thing was the original electric pump was more like a bilge pump with a water inlet on the bottom. It was not self priming and often after sailing it would lose prime. When it gave up I replaced with a cheap diaphragm pump off Amazon that was self priming and no more problems.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

A foot pump is nicer to use in a boat galley, in my view. It leaves both hands free (sometimes one is needed to hang on), is quiet and most importantly gives better control over the exact amount of water delivered.

We sure wouldn’t want to waste any of that saltwater. I hear there is a shortage coming.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

We sure wouldn’t want to waste any of that saltwater. I hear there is a shortage coming.

See post #7.

[JPA Cate]

I prefer foot pumps. Ours have been pretty reliable. Jim replaced one diaphragm in 20 yrs. We have them in the head and the galley. The shower has an electric pump for the flash heater for the water.

We had pressure water on our previous boat, and you always hear it when the pump is running. If it ever gets a pinhole leak in the diaphragm, it can drive you nuts, pumping as it loses pressure. Never had any disaster with it (thank heavens and good planning by Jim), but landlubbers are used to pressure water and your guests are better able to waste water by leaving the water trickling. Guests who have to jerry jug water to the boat waste less water. Carrying it helps them remember to conserve.

Ann

[Mike OReilly]

I have both on board. We have pressure water on the freshwater tank, and a saltwater footpump at the galley. I’d prefer to have nothing but footpumps, but I run the potable water through a couple of filters. I don’t think the manual pump can generate enough pressure.

I’ve replaced one manual pump due to a diaphram fatigue tear. It was a generic pump, so perhaps quality was suspect. But that was after a decade of use, so not too bad.

[dfelsent]

We have foot pumps for salt and fresh, with pressure water for fresh as well. The foot pumps are great for conserving water and for hands free.
Our filtered water is on the pressure system as is hot water.
We have had one diaphragm failure but i think that pump was about 50 years old.

[noelex 77]

If you install one the popular Whale lever action foot pumps, take a look at the thread below.

The pumps themselves are very reliable and long lasting, but they have an inherent fault that can significantly shorten their life. Fortunately, it is a fault that is easily fixed. This should be done when installing these pumps.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ps-212499.html