Will a water accumulator tank fix this?

[MaungaMoana]

We have a a water system all getting pressured by a single water pump with a pressure switch (PAR-Max 4) and after the pump its all 1/2" hoses around the boat (Galley sink, cockpit shower and bathroom sink)

When we open our galley water it flows at a decent rate to start with and then goes down to no pressure and still takes a few seconds before the pressure pump gets turned on which is where the cycle repeats .

Will an accumulator tank fix this?


Video of what I mean on our galley sink:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCYjZ83uk2A

We have a 37foot boat if that to give you an indication of scale

Thanks!

[Spot]

Hello,
I am thinking the pressure switch is defective in terms of responding too slowly to low pressure. MY RV does not have an accumulator or pressure tank but the flow was more uniform the last time I tried it.

Is the pump running by itself at all without any faucets open?

[MaungaMoana]

Originally Posted by Spot

Hello,
I am thinking the pressure switch is defective in terms of responding too slowly to low pressure. MY RV does not have an accumulator or pressure tank but the flow was more uniform the last time I tried it.

Is the pump running by itself at all without any faucets open?

It could be faulty, would this entail a open/clean operation for the pump do you think?

I was originally thinking this is happening since we have only a relatively thin hose all through the boat going from end to end. (water heater is in the aft while head is the bow of the boat)

Once the pump pressurised it seems to stay pressurised and off, we dont have any known leaks in the plumbing

[Spot]

Maybe a good cleaning of the switch is all it needs. That is always my hope when I tackle a project, something simple, yes?

Brochure and service manual below, you may need exact model # to map it it to pressure and voltage options:

https://www.xylem.com/en-us/products...documentation/

[Seman]

I would check the pressure switch at the back of the pump. If its faulty you can buy a replacement switch, no need to replace the pump. you should have full water flow within a couple of seconds of the pump motor starting.

[sailcrazy]

I agree....check/replace your press sw. An accumulator basically will store some water(ie, the size of your accumulator tank) under system pressure. That will allow you to open the faucet and draw an amount of water (a glassfull?) without cycling the pump; its purpose is to reduce the pump cycles. What your video shows me is that your pressure sw is very, very slow to recognize the reduced pressure in your waterline and then turn the pump on. Replace it!
PS IF you have an accumulator in the system, it will )eventually) become waterlogged(water replaced the air cushion in the accumulator) and will stop working. Then-just turn the sys off, drain the water out of accumulator and replace that space with air(compressible) and reconnect the system for normal ops.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by MaungaMoana

We have a a water system all getting pressured by a single water pump with a pressure switch (PAR-Max 4) and after the pump its all 1/2" hoses around the boat (Galley sink, cockpit shower and bathroom sink)

When we open our galley water it flows at a decent rate to start with and then goes down to no pressure and still takes a few seconds before the pressure pump gets turned on which is where the cycle repeats .

Will an accumulator tank fix this?


Video of what I mean on our galley sink:

We have a 37foot boat if that to give you an indication of scale. Thanks!

My 42' cutter does not have an accumulator and I don't have that problem. So, the problem is with the pump sensing the pressure...if you can adjust it give it a try, otherwise get a new pump.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[chasfgr]

I do not think an accumulator will have any effect on your current problem - that is caused by the pressure switch being lazy. That switch is usually on the pump and the most feasible solution is to fit a new one - they're peanuts compared to the sweat you'll shed getting to it.

An accumulator, is great for extended running as with a shower, and transformed my system when I fitted a new one. In fact the rubber bladder inside is the secret, the actual accumulator only needs to be about 1 litre capacity for a single-shower installation.

[MaungaMoana]

Thanks everyone, you were all right about your suggestion with regards to the pressure switch, I took it off today and played with it (clicking in and out by hand) and you can feel it getting partially stuck in the "off" (aka pressurised) position before being released back to "on" state.

I took our spare (and used) switch we had onboard and its a totally different and better experience, when we open the faucet now, water flows and within ~1 second the pump gets turned on. All while the water pressure comes out of faucet pretty at a relatively consistent rate.

Thanks again! Saved $80 on an accumulator which we didnt need to begin with.

[Searles]

If the outher outlets don’t have the same problem ,check for a kinked or blocked hose to the galley outlet ,if the outher outlets are the same problem vote for the pressure switch .⛵️⚓️

[MaungaMoana]

Other outlets had the exact same issue, and after replacing the switch with a different (used) one things are working really smoothly now! we're stoked it was such a simple fix

[Quadrille in JB]

It's good to hear that replacing your pressure switch corrected the problem.

Many pumps, and especially the Shurflo have a very tiny orifice that allows the system pressure into the cavity which pressurizes the switch membrane. This small orifice is to prevent the pump from cycling too often. Just remove your switch body, pull out the membrane and make sure the small orifice is clear. It's diameter is much smaller than a small sewing needle.
I just went through this exercise yesterday.

A system accumulator does wonders to reduce pump cycling. The accumulator pressurizes air, not water, so it can provide water pressure to much more volume than that of the accumulator alone.