Is there a quiet/silent water pressure pump, or a way to make one quieter?

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

guess you never have guests, visitors or crew on your boat, or perhaps you follow them around checking all the faucets that they use.

I salute your 40 years of perfection.

Jim

Again I feel like I'm in some alternate universe where there's a problem with people failing to perform everyday tasks like turning a tap off! No, I don't have a problem with guests turning off taps just like I don't have a problem with them remembering to put their clothes on in the morning or close the refrigerator door or any of the other hundreds of routine tasks that everyone around me seems to manage do, as you would rather snarkily put it "to perfection" all day every day. Is there a place or a group of people (absent small children, but mine had it figured out by age 4) where "forgetting" to turn off a tap is really a thing? I guess I live a sheltered life mostly surrounded by folks with the capabilities handily exceeding those of a 4 year old! Who knew!

[Kenomac]

It’s actually very important that the water pressure pump make some noise in order to hear when things aren’t going as planned. People leave taps and showers dripping, hose clamps come loose and the main culprit for us is the stern sugar scoop shower being left on a crack. With the pump making some noise, we hear right away if there’s an issue and correct it.

Which is much better than having your entire fresh water supply getting pumped overboard via the bilge pump.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Again I feel like I'm in some alternate universe where there's a problem with people failing to perform everyday tasks like turning a tap off! No, I don't have a problem with guests turning off taps just like I don't have a problem with them remembering to put their clothes on in the morning or close the refrigerator door or any of the other hundreds of routine tasks that everyone around me seems to manage do, as you would rather snarkily put it "to perfection" all day every day. Is there a place or a group of people (absent small children, but mine had it figured out by age 4) where "forgetting" to turn off a tap is really a thing? I guess I live a sheltered life mostly surrounded by folks with the capabilities handily exceeding those of a 4 year old! Who knew!

Part way across the Atlantic this year I walked downstairs and heard the water pump on continuously. I quickly shut it off.

The source of the problem was a brand new reinforced water hose I fitted in Capetown failed, the hose was double clamped both ends,the actual hose ruptured under the little pressure the water pump puts out.

With out the sound of the pump I would of lost 830l instead of the 200l I did lose.

I had replaced the hose as a routine maintenance job, arguably it could have been left alone.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Part way across the Atlantic this year I walked downstairs and heard the water pump on continuously. I quickly shut it off.

The source of the problem was a brand new reinforced water hose I fitted in Capetown failed, the hose was double clamped both ends,the actual hose ruptured under the little pressure the water pump puts out.

With out the sound of the pump I would of lost 830l instead of the 200l I did lose.

I had replaced the hose as a routine maintenance job, arguably it could have been left alone.

Don't you all have alarms that go off when your automatic bilge pump turns on? Mine's loud enough to wake the dead and would let me know as soon as about 10 liters hits the bilge. If you don't have such an alarm I'd submit that knowing about unexpected water in your bilge is a heck of a lot bigger deal than knowing about a water line leak, and such an alarm solves both problems without the annoying pump sound.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Don't you all have alarms that go off when your automatic bilge pump turns on? Mine's loud enough to wake the dead and would let me know as soon as about 10 liters hits the bilge. If you don't have such an alarm I'd submit that knowing about unexpected water in your bilge is a heck of a lot bigger deal than knowing about a water line leak, and such an alarm solves both problems without the annoying pump sound.

Yes I do have an alarm but it's not set right at the bottom of the bilge so that it goes off everytime a little water ends up there.

My little bilge pump handles anything that gets above an inch and that includes the water pump if it for some reason accidentally pumps water in there.

My alarm float is mounted approx 3 inches up, if my normal pump can't handle the inflow then there's a problem and the alarm tells me, at the same level as the alarm float there's a 3,700 gallon per hr pump that kicks in if there's a serious problem.

I have a deep bilge. Also if I was to lose all my fresh water I can make 240 liters an hr therefore I'm not going to die.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Don't you all have alarms that go off when your automatic bilge pump turns on? Mine's loud enough to wake the dead and would let me know as soon as about 10 liters hits the bilge. If you don't have such an alarm I'd submit that knowing about unexpected water in your bilge is a heck of a lot bigger deal than knowing about a water line leak, and such an alarm solves both problems without the annoying pump sound.

Like Dale, we have two bilge pumps... well actually four.

1. A small one that handles up to a couple of inches which I don’t need to hear ablout since it’s just fresh water from the watermaker waste line.
2. A larger one set several inches higher up with an alarm
3. Manual pump in cockpit
4. High power portable macerator type for when SHTF

I want to hear if the water pump turns on, and wouldn’t like your system. I also like Dockhead’s idea to turn off the freshwater pump during ocean crossings.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Like Dale, we have two bilge pumps... well actually four.

1. A small one that handles up to a couple of inches which I don’t need to hear ablout since it’s just fresh water from the watermaker waste line.
2. A larger one set several inches higher up with an alarm
3. Manual pump in cockpit
4. High power portable macerator type for when SHTF

I want to hear if the water pump turns on, and wouldn’t like your system. I also like Dockhead’s idea to turn off the freshwater pump during ocean crossings.

Yes, DH's idea of turning the pump off on passages until needed is a good idea, used to do that and got out of the habit.

Something else I generally do is have two of the tanks (i have 5) turned off at the manifold, theres always a backup. In my case when the fresh water hose burst Id already switched over to my other tanks.

Ive also had a fresh water line come off one of the fresh water heads once when i wasnt on the boat, the PO in all his wisdom filed the barbs of a joiner to allow the hose to go on easier....grrrrrrrr.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Like Dale, we have two bilge pumps... well actually four.

1. A small one that handles up to a couple of inches which I don’t need to hear ablout since it’s just fresh water from the watermaker waste line.
2. A larger one set several inches higher up with an alarm
3. Manual pump in cockpit
4. High power portable macerator type for when SHTF

I want to hear if the water pump turns on, and wouldn’t like your system. I also like Dockhead’s idea to turn off the freshwater pump during ocean crossings.

I'm a dry bilge guy so something wrong somewhere if there's any water in the bilge, but I guess that makes sense if you're letting ac condensate or other known source of water into your bilge. Out of curiosity, why wouldn't you just route that into a sump drain box (if lower than the water line) or out a regular drain (if higher than the water line) instead of dealing with all the issues that come from always having some amount of water in the bilge?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

I'm a dry bilge guy so something wrong somewhere if there's any water in the bilge, but I guess that makes sense if you're letting ac condensate or other known source of water into your bilge. Out of curiosity, why wouldn't you just route that into a sump drain box (if lower than the water line) or out a regular drain (if higher than the water line) instead of dealing with all the issues that come from always having some amount of water in the bilge?

Because we need to be able to test the watermaker water, and there are three a/c units located in three different areas that need to drain. There’s really no way to have a dry bilge.

[a64pilot]

You can drain the watermaker “test” water and AC drains to the shower sump drain.
I do that cause if I don’t then the bilge begins to stink, it seems fresh water will go sour pretty quick.
I don’t have a dry bilge either, just find it better to drain everything to the shower sump.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Because we need to be able to test the watermaker water, and there are three a/c units located in three different areas that need to drain. There’s really no way to have a dry bilge.

Seems with the number of pumps you have already it wouldn't be a big deal to add 4 shower sump units, I've got 3 if you include the one on the shower and the two AC units. They're relatively cheap as boat parts go, I think mine were something like $50 a piece.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Juhana.

[Bycrick]

I’ve got two of the OLD Par belt-driven diaphragm pumps. They date from 1982. They were always loud enough to hear but not annoying because they were bilge pumps. The steel in the little vibration dampeners finally rusted away and I replaced them. The pumps are now so quiet that I can’t tell when they are running. I’m glad I’ve got indicator lights on them. These pumps may be an old design, expensive to buy new, physically large and clunky looking, but they sure can be quiet.

[charliepsycho]

I feel your pain. I had no problem with the thrum of the water pump, my wife hates it when she is having a shower though.

I gave up and put in a 240v single side negative head grundfos shower pump, in-line with the normal 12v pump. It wushes like a big fan and I will agree the whole showering experience is nicer.

On passage the 240v system is powered off and we use 12v, which thrums when it runs, and a bilge alarm should it leak along with multiple small water tanks so you cant lose everything.

Guests who know boats are always surprised by the smooth flow of the taps.

[Boatyarddog]

I've secured mine on several semi soft packing pads 1" thick, then built a small insulated box around it.
If your pump is in contact with much else other than the connections and wiring it'll make some noise,(agreed ,this is good), so you know when its operating.
As for running and not hearing it.
Install a small red or colored lite near your faucet or switch panel that comes on when the pump runs, then you'll know when it's running as it only lites when the pump runs.
Cheers
SV Cloud Duster.