How often should fresh water pump kick in with no demand

[Whaubner]

Pressure relief valve on hot water tank is another thing to check

[Saqqara]

Thanks everyone.

[foggysail]

Sometimes the manufacturer has made splice in the waterlines in hard to see, hard to get at places. I found several in my boat and they leaked. Not easy to find! The best answer is to consider replacing the lines with PEX tubing and fittings.

Several years ago the original pump on my boat had trouble shutting off. I could have taken it apart, instead I replaced it with a better, more expensive pump. It had hte same sut down problems. Finally I added an external, adjustable shutoff commonly used for wells.

[mnrdtl]

i just joined when i read this thread. i had the same problem, let me know if you fixed it.

[Jim Cate]

This may be too late, but to check if the leak is internal to the pump (and I think it might well be endemic to those pumps) simply disconnect the outlet hose and block the outlet. Then if the pump cycles it is definitely an internal leak.

Cheers,

Jim

[SV Sea Monkey]

Originally Posted by foggysail

The best answer is to consider replacing the lines with PEX tubing and fittings.

I just replaced most of my freshwater plumbing with PEX a few months ago. The installation is rock solid, but it's a pain to get the crimper into spaces that aren't even all that small. I just tied into the old system for the forward half of the boat since there were no leaks there and the runs were pretty tight. If you're going to go with PEX, I recommend borrowing the tool first (there are a few different styles to choose from) and trying it out on your boat before buying all the fittings. In retrospect I probably would not have gone this route if I had done that.

[MarkSF]

I recently went through the same issue, and found multiple small leaks at various hose connections around the boat. The problem is, as the PVC gets old, it loses it's elasticity and that leads to leaks. I had to replace quite a lot of hosing, some T pieces, and clamps, before the system was leak free.

Note that persistent leaks can lead to rotting wood - especially plywood as it sucks up water like a sponge. I had an area of the cabin sole, and some nearby teak ply, rotting partly due to leaking fresh water.

[MarkJ]

I have had this problem for 4 years...My water pump would cycle on 2 or 3 times per day or when I turned the electricity on......... till a few months ago... I was working on some other part of an under-the-sink catastrophy when I found a cool spot in mid air... I am in the tropics and it was like a lil air-conditioned hole in the air about the size of my fist behind some pipework.

After cooling down I wondered what was causing it and found a tiny split in a cold water hose a long way from any fitting. The tiny split was atomizing the water into a fine spray that would then evaporate without causing a drip....

Fixed with a hose clamp over a bit of waste plastic... the water pump stopped cycling

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

This may be too late, but to check if the leak is internal to the pump (and I think it might well be endemic to those pumps) simply disconnect the outlet hose and block the outlet. Then if the pump cycles it is definitely an internal leak.

Cheers,

Jim

I'm sure this is good advice. We just put in a new pump and it goes on every now and then during the night. We have an accumulator. The old pump which failed was not doing this. Checked for leaks and don't have any.

[JPA Cate]

DumMad,

Sometimes the diaphragm in the accumulator fails, too; the timing for you would be really strange, though not impossible. Maybe it's your new pump with an internal leak, but if not, it might be the accumulator, especially if it's really old.

Ann

[Dennis.G]

If your fresh water tank has a shut off valve on the supply line, close it. If your pump does not cycle-on with the valve closed you are leaking back to the tank due to a bad backflow preventer valve. If continues to cycle you have a leak downstream of the pump (don't keep valve shut with pump cycling on however).

Most all pressure pumps have a backflow preventer valve (i.e., check valve) internally. Nothing to stop one from adding one externally if this is issue.

Yes I know you installed new pump, but new stuff can leak too.

[DumnMad]

Dennis.G Also a good idea.
Ann, No, I have a new diaphragm in the accumulator. It seems like a small amount of water seeping past a seal within the pump.

[mnrdtl]

This is for saqqara. Do you have a strainer right before the pump? I had a small crack in mine that let air in. i have a link here with a pic of what it could look like or close to it.http://www.surfsideelectronics.com/images/31468.gif they are only a few dollars, worth looking into.