Freshwater Pump Help!!!

[HopCar]

The Par Max series of pumps do have a built in pressure switch. I don’t know why a second one would have been added to the system.

Even with two pressure switches the only reason for the pump to turn on is for the pressure in the output side to drop. For the pressure to drop there has to be a leak.

It might be an invisible leak. The valves in the pump might be bad. This allows water to leak back through the pump. When this happens the pump runs a short time and shuts off. The water it has just pumped leaks back through the pump, the pressure drops again, the pump runs. Lather, Rinse, Repeat

[Cheechako]

Air in the system! A bubble in a hose that loops up so the bubble can't get out.

[captain38]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Many boats not meant to spend long times in Marina’s aren’t made for direct connection to Marina water, we just fill our tanks when they are low, I’d assume an Amel doesn’t connect directly to shore water.

Surely his pump has no pressure switch, or the external switch would make no sense.

Well, I think this pump has a pressure switch. Perhaps some previous owner installed the residential external switch when the pressure switch of the pump failed. And then the exteral switch was not removed when the pump was replaced. I would disable the external pressure switch and see how the system works. If good, then remove the redundant switch to clean up the system.

[Miniyot]

Originally Posted by jimbunyard

Don't know what pump was there before, but the 82600-0394 pump shown in the picture has a built in pressure switch factory set at 10 psi on and 25 psi off....

Accumulator tanks come precharged at 25 PSI. This sounds like where the problem is.

OPen your faucet and let the pump cycle. Let air out of the tank at the valve and when the pump quits cycling you have let out enough air.

[Tomaz473]

I would think that rapid cycling is accumulator tank problem.
It is either what Thumbs Up said, which is very likely or there is a blockage before the accumulator tank.
Try running the system (with rapid cycling happening) and then start slowly releasing air from the accu tank. Does air come out? Is the frequency of cycling changing?
In any case, make sure shore water is disconnected when you do the tests.

[Sojourner]

Hey all, I'm afraid I'm not very systematic, but I did fix the problem. How? I don't know. I took the whole freshwater system apart as much as I could, cleaned every valve, tightened every juncture, inspected the pump and switches again. Finally, with it all back together and the old pump and the new accumulator on, she worked brilliantly. So. At least now I know my freshwater system a whole lot better

Thanks for all the awesome replies by the way... they'll be great for the next problem down the line