[C320-list] water pump replacement

[Martin Raphael]

Thanks Jeff, and others, for suggestions.  I'll check my setup again this 
weekend and decide whether to go for a new pump or try Jeff's alternative.
--marty
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeffrey Hare" <Catalina at thehares.com>
To: "'C320-List'" <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 7:01 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] water pump replacement


> Hi Martin,
>
> If you don't want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a new pump, there's 
> a
> solution to the noise using the stock pump.
>
> Our solution is in two parts.
>
> 1) Unscrew the pump from the mounting board, and re-mount with some layers
> of chunks of closed-cell pipe insulation below and above the pump feet to
> remove all the direct connection between the pump and the mounting board.
> This helps a lot.
>
> Next part of the noise problem is due to the water hammer in the hard 
> pipes
> (not to mention that the pipes are clipped directly to the hull.
>
> 2) To solve this I installed a 1 gallon expansion tank from Home Depot
> mounted right in the compartment with the pump..  This absorbs the water
> hammer and quiets the whole system down a great deal.
>
> Another great benefit of this is that you have very steady water pressure
> even at very low flow rates.  It's even more steady than you get with a 
> vsd
> pump.  You also have about a pint of water available without even turning 
> on
> the pump switch, which is great in the middle of the night.
>
> The expansion tank was about $25-ish bucks, an extra Whale "T" fitting and 
> a
> threaded whale fitting for the end of the tank will add another $10-ish
> bucks.  The result is a water system that is close to the sound volume of 
> a
> variable speed pump for under $50 bucks and an hour or so of time.
>
> As a side note, I read a review or two that says the Shur-Flow Extreme 
> Smart
> Sensor pumps are more reliable and easier to service with replacement 
> parts
> than the Jabsco VSD.  The reviewer indicated that in a cruising 
> environment
> he went through two Jabsco pumps and a few service kits before switching 
> to
> the Shur-flo, which he never had to service.  For what that's worth.
>
> We now have a Shur-Flow Extreme 4gpm pump (and still have the expansion 
> tank
> setup), but only because the Shurflo guys gave us one at a marine trade 
> show
> last year.  We were completely satisfied for 5 years with the previous 
> pump
> using the above modifications.  We were terribly annoyed with the stock
> setup.
>
> -Jeff
>
> PS: We suggest you move the water tank valves out from under the aft cabin
> bed.  It's a super simple project and is SOOOO convenient.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Martin Raphael [mailto:mraphael at zhonka.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 9:26 PM
> To: C320-List
> Subject: [C320-list] water pump replacement
>
> Hello -- I have grown annoyed with the noise made by the stock water pump 
> in
> my 1994 boat and am considering a replacement.  I was looking at models 
> from
> Jabsco and West Marine but wonder if any of you have replaced the pump 
> with
> something that has quieter operation.  Is the replacement fairly straight
> forward or are there some tricks I should anticipate?  What capacity
> (gallons per minute?) should I be aiming for?
> Thanks,
> Martin Raphael
> Rhapsody #108
>
>
>
>
>
>