Jabsco Freshwater Pump problems

[Paramotorgreg]

My Jabsco Par-Max HD4 freshwater pump has failed after less than 12 months. I bought it in Grenada and I am now in Colombia so I suspect my chances of getting it replaced here under warranty are close to zero and I’m not going to even bother with the stress of trying.

Although I haven’t checked it yet I suspect that the problem will be the pressure switch, this is the 3rd Jabsco pump pressure switch I have had that has failed. I will try to source a replacement pressure switch, but they are difficult to find and I will probably end up replacing the entire pump, which I would prefer not to do but have had to do previously.

Has anyone else experienced a similar repeat failure with these pumps?
Is it a flaw with the pumps or is there something I might be doing that is causing the failure?
In the absence of a replacement switch is there anyway to repair the faulty switch?

Thank you in advance for any helpful advice.

[Sailmonkey]

Do you have an accumulator?

Short cycling the pump is murder to the switch.

Your best bet is to find a plumbing supplier that has standalone pressure switches. Add a T downstream of the pump and wire the motor to the new switch, bypassing the switch in the pump

[bstreep]

We are on our 2nd in 12 years. Crossing fingers...



As others have said, you can wire in a separate pressure switch. They aren't that expensive.

[Simi 60]

They are a micro pressure switch
Jabsco don't make them
usually a couple of dollars each

We have had multiple Jabsco and Johnson pumps fail over the years.
Changed to Vetus, at least they have a 3 year warranty and it's been used a couple of times

But once this last lot of 24v pumps die I'll be reinstalling a 600w 240v pressure pump
Sure, it uses more power but pumps are only on for minutes
The pumps are cheaper and pretty much bulletproof.

[Paramotorgreg]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Do you have an accumulator?

Short cycling the pump is murder to the switch.

Yes, I do have a Jabsco accumulator tank, but the pump still pulses. That’s almost certainly what is causing the problem. There’s a valve on top of the accumulator tank, so should I add pressure or reduce pressure in the tank to stop the short cycling?

[thesaltytar]

Is it a Schroeder valve, the type found in bicycle tires? If so test the pressure with a pressure gauge. The way the bladder works is whatever the pressure if the bladder will be the potable water system pressure. The pump is likely short cycling because there is no air/not enough air in the bladder.

Check your manual for the operating pressure if your system. If there are any numbers on the accumulator (part numbers etc.) advice is to find and reference documentation. This is a system that is designed to work with the cut in/cut out pressure of your pump.

If you get 0 psi, and add some air, and still have 0 psi or it quickly returns to 0 psi, the bladder may be leaking or compromised.