Watermakers

[Salis]

Has anyone had an issue with their Spectra water maker burning out?

[SailingHarmonie]

I assume since you said "burning out" and not "burning up" that real flames were not involved... but that's just a guess.

Can you be a bit more specific? or at least a touch more technical?

Does that mean a failure of the main pump motor?

[Salis]

The low pressure motor caught on fire all the electrical connections were burning

[Mr. Kevin]

Originally Posted by Salis

The low pressure motor caught on fire all the electrical connections were burning

Um, wow.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Well that’s a new one.
The Shurflo feed pump used on Spectra water makers should have proper breaker sizing to prevent an overheating runaway meltdown.

[toddster8]

Low voltage input?

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by toddster8

Low voltage input?

Low voltage = higher Amps
Higher amps = more heat

[Tin Tin]

You would expect the pump motor to have an internal thermal overload switch, and the right breaker for the wiring harness, although once we had a Jabsco shower drain pump start smoking up from the bilge with melting wires in a 1 year old charter boat, bad/corroded connections at the pump I think.

[Salis]

Thanks for the feedback I will make sure there the overload breaker on both inputs are the correct amperage. Any further thoughts?

[YANDINA]

Sounds more like a problem of salt water and poor connections rather than meeting design specifications.

[CarlF]

This may have happened because of corrosion on the wire connectors or a loose connection. Corrosion or a loose connection creates resistance that creates heat. This will not always blow a fuse (same thing as a risk of a shore power cable catching fire at the inlet due to corrosion or because it wasn’t turned to properly lock it in).

It’s a good reminder to inspect electrical connections once a year. Any that look corroded should be removed, cleaned to bright metal, coated with a dielectric grease, and any screw tightened securely.

The other reason is that the wire to the pump may have been too small for the fuse protecting it. Most boats have a few cases where a wire goes from large to small but a smaller fuse isn’t inserted at the transition. It’s also never a good idea to rely solely on internal overload protection. Add an ATC external fuse to the positive pump wire. It can’t hurt.

This is my favorite electrical grease (dielectric grease). Just rub on a tiny amount. Used by utility linemen for over 50 years. This tiny tub will last decades https://www.amazon.com/NO-OX-ID-Spec...s%2C107&sr=8-1