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Old 29-03-2020, 10:58   #16
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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Originally Posted by a64pilot View Post
Surely his pump has no pressure switch, or the external switch would make no sense.
They do, well ours which looks similar does. What we don't have is an expansion tank or other pressure switch. The pump starts as soon as a tap is turned on and the pressure drops.

So since it's only a couple of wires, what happens if you disconnect the extra switch and just wire up the pump. The tiny leak could be in the expansion tank which have a rubber diaphragm inside. There may be a bicycle tire type valve on the end of the expansion tank to maintain the pressure. Might be worth fiddling with, you have nothing to loose.

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Old 29-03-2020, 11:00   #17
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

I’m nearly certain that’s not factory Amel, to start with they would have used some kind of French pump.
On a friends Super Maramu it was a high dollar centrifugal pump, his impeller was eaten up in a manner that to me looked to be stray current. I believe he priced the replacement and decided to do something different, which I suspect was done here.

25 PSI seems low to me.

Assuming the pump does have its own pressure switch and easy fix is of screw the external pressure regulator switch all the way down, this should lock it into permanently on, that would then make it so the pumps internal switch would be the one to select pump operation.
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Old 29-03-2020, 11:03   #18
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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Originally Posted by Pete7 View Post
They do, well ours which looks similar does. What we don't have is an expansion tank or other pressure switch. The pump starts as soon as a tap is turned on and the pressure drops.

So since it's only a couple of wires, what happens if you disconnect the extra switch and just wire up the pump. The tiny leak could be in the expansion tank which have a rubber diaphragm inside. There may be a bicycle tire type valve on the end of the expansion tank to maintain the pressure. Might be worth fiddling with, you have nothing to loose.

Pete
Unless I’m mistaken he had the problem, and first replaced the accumulator, no fix, so he replaced the pump, problem continued.
I also believe it’s not a leak of any kind because if I’m understanding correctly the pump stay off the whole time, until a facet is opened, then it starts rapid cycling until the facet is closed.
That’s what made me think maybe a clogged filter as it would only let water through slowly and maybe if it was before the accumulator it could cause rapid cycling, but that was a shot in the dark.
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Old 29-03-2020, 11:20   #19
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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Originally Posted by a64pilot View Post
That’s what made me think maybe a clogged filter as it would only let water through slowly and maybe if it was before the accumulator it could cause rapid cycling, but that was a shot in the dark.
Hmm,you may be right. If we turn a tap on slightly the pump cycles, so a blocked filter may cause similar symptoms. The filter is a clear plastic widget about the size of an egg and a new one normally comes in the box with a new pump.
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Old 29-03-2020, 11:21   #20
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

The built in switch in the pump is a common failure point. It's just a micro switch and a small diaphragm that pushes against it. If the pressure is adjustable, there's also a spring and allen screw. I've had new pumps with a bad switch. Many people bypass the built in switch and use a well pump switch with it's better adjustment ability.

If in lockdown, you can still buy online if you need something. Delivery is slower. I still get packages from eBay and Amazon.
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Old 29-03-2020, 13:57   #21
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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Hi all, so we're stuck here on lockdown, when my Jabsco freshwater pump decides to crap out. It had been fading for a while, the accumulator tank needing pumping more often. Finally, no matter what you did, the pump would cycle on off on off every half-second or 1 second and pumped water, but obvs it was time to do something.

I got in a new accumulator tank just before lockdown, installed it. No change in the rapid cycling.

I luckily found a brand new jabsco pump of the same type in our spares, so I installed it. STILL CYCLING EVERY SECOND or even faster! Also, the green light indicating the freshwater pump being on stayed lit on the 24v panel, even when I turned the faucet off and the pump was silent. The old pump did not do this.

Here is a pic of the install. New pump, new accumulator. The install was a straight drop in, I had to connect two wires, that's it. Now I'm looking at this thing with the spring.... what is it?? It's attached directly to the accumulator tank and the power goes to it, but why the spring? The pressure regulator on these pumps is on the end of it under the blue cap.... could this be the issue?

What other thing should I be looking at? I have shore water for the moment, but I really need to fix this pump issue. Any help would be much appreciated!
Try this hypothesis on for size.

The problem is indeed the fact that there are two pressure switches. The integral switch on the old pump was going bad, and the remote switch was actually doing the regulating.

When you replaced the pump, which has a correctly operating switch, the pump turns off at 25 psi, but the remote pressure switch is still trying to turn the pump on (the circuit is still hot), which is why the indicator light remains illuminated. The increased rapid cycling has to do with the difference in the old setting on the remote switch and the correct switch functioning and output of the new pump.

Try adjusting the remote pressure switch as advised in the catalog page supplied, or easier still, just dissconnect one of the wires on it. If current isn't wired through both switches, the integral pump switch should operate the system correctly.

Almost certainly one switch needs to be taken out of the circuit, as well as checking the wiring to make sure everything's kosher.

Oddly enough, I'm today wiring up a pump (with a single pressure switch) to pull water 600' from the river for the garden...
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Old 29-03-2020, 14:47   #22
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

The switches should be in series if there are two, parallel wiring would be difficult, if in series in order for the pump to operate then both switches have to be closed, meaning that the pressure is less than the lowest setting, however whichever switch hits it’s high pressure point first will cut the pump off As both have to be closed for the pump run.
So let’s assume as was reported that the factory pressure switch in the pump turns on at 10 and off at 25, and that the added switch operates at 30 and 50. So the pump will run when pressure drops to 10 and turn off when it hits 25, meaning the added switch essentially does nothing.
To cause rapid cycling It would have to be the the low pressure on one and the high on the other are almost identical, unlikely but possible, so adjust the added on switch, it’s as easy as turning the nut, count the turns so you can return it if it makes no change.

Or if your sure the pump has it’s own pressure switch just delete the added on one.
Almost always it’s real easy to see if a pump has a pressure switch, if it does there is a wire going into and coming out of the pump head, so the power goes into the pump head, through the switch and out to the motor.
On a pump with no pressure switch, there is no wire going to the pump head, just a ground and power to the motor.

Pumps are supplied both with and without pressure switches as of course not all pumps are turned on and off by pressure, but it’s real easy to tell if the pump has a pressure switch, and very easy to bypass it if it does if desired.

I have had troubles with my pressure switch as people have said it’s only a micro switch and it can’t take the current of a high power pump so they burn out, so one answer is to install a stand-alone pressure switch, I installed a 40 amp relay instead and kept the factory pressure switch but now it only has to carry the trigger amps for a relay instead of th power to run the pump.
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Old 29-03-2020, 22:19   #23
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

Lots of good stuff here, guys, thanks so much! I'll be taking everything out of the bilge onto the cockpit table and dismantling that extra switch to clean first.

My issue is the pump worked for 2 years (possibly 4, with PO) flawlessly like this, in this configuration. Right or wrong, nothing was adjusted or fiddled with. Both old and new pump defo have their own pressure switch, as one of the wires goes into and out of the pumphead, not just out of the butt. So maybe I'll try cleaning the extra switch if possible of calcium deposits (horrible around here, been here for a year so maybe likely a cause of slowly deteriorating performance?), then try to bypass one or the other pressure switch and see what's what.

Incidentally, our Amel does indeed have a city water outlet installed on the stern, so thankfully I have high pressure water in the taps and showers in the boat. Since we're stuck here locked down till mid May at minimum, I gots time to work on it

Oh, and I did manage to order 2 of the extra pressure units from amazon.de Says it'll get here Apr3, we'll see.

Thanks everyone!
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Old 30-03-2020, 02:44   #24
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

I reckon the pressure in the accumulator tank (air pressure behind the bladder) and the pressure setting on the pressure switch are fighting each other
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Old 30-03-2020, 02:46   #25
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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I reckon the pressure in the accumulator tank (air pressure behind the bladder) and the pressure setting on the pressure switch are fighting each other
Sounds like it, but I first tried increasing and decreasing the pressure in the new tank, no change. Even at low tank pressure, same effect. This happened once a long time ago when I added too much pressure to the old tank. I bled some down and it worked fine for a year....
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Old 30-03-2020, 02:49   #26
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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I reckon the pressure in the accumulator tank (air pressure behind the bladder) and the pressure setting on the pressure switch are fighting each other
Sounds like it, but I first tried increasing and decreasing the pressure in the new tank, no change. Even at low tank pressure, same effect. This happened once a long time ago when I added too much pressure to the old tank. I bled some down and it worked fine for a year....
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Old 30-03-2020, 03:08   #27
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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To me you have a tiny leak somewhere ...
Indeed.
Dust (talk, flour, etc) beneath all of your plumbing, and look for tracks.
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Old 30-03-2020, 03:16   #28
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

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Indeed.
Dust (talk, flour, etc) beneath all of your plumbing, and look for tracks.
I still don't understand how that would make that symptom... These pumps can run dry so there isn't anything or pressure from the intake side. And how would a pinhole leak on the pressure side do anything more than cause the pump to kick on randomly when the taps were closed? Ie when pressure dropped in the pressurized side? The pump cycles rapidly when the water is turned on only... Instead of smoothly pressurising the tank for 10 sec, then turning off for 10,then on agsin as long as the water is flowing.... Does that make sense?
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Old 30-03-2020, 05:30   #29
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

I know that you said that you already tried it but I am pretty sure that the accumulator has too much air pressure. Another possibility is that the tank has a protective plastic plug inside the fitting that needed to be removed before installation.
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Old 30-03-2020, 06:17   #30
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Re: Freshwater Pump Help!!!

The pressure switch in your picture can become clogged with debris inside the inlet and subsequently the diaphragm. Unscrew it and check the pipe inlet on the base. usually easier to replace than attempt a repair. It originally controlled a pump without an integral switch. Installing a pump with switch has probably rendered it redundant unless it is a voltage setup.
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