[C320-list] Fresh Water Pump Keeps Failing

[MARTIN and SUSAN RAPHAEL]

I'm sure we all have different experiences, but I replaced my OEM water pump with a Shurflo Extreme (http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|51|299222|121271|567586&id=614023) and have been very pleased with it.  It is much more quiet than the original pump.  I did have one issue with that pump when I first installed it:  I found that it kept cycling on, even when all valves were shut and I could find no plumbing leaks.  I called shurflo and they said it was a defective pump and promply sent a new one out.  That one has worked flawlessly for the past 2 years so far.

 

But it does sound like something is amiss in your system -- that failure rate cannot be normal.  I wish I had suggestions about what to troubleshoot, but I don't.

 

Martin Raphael

Rhapsody #108
 
> From: peteherron at mac.com
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> Date: Fri, 1 May 2009 10:27:32 -0700
> Subject: [C320-list] Fresh Water Pump Keeps Failing
> 
> Can anyone recommend a good fresh water pump? By good, I mean one 
> that lasts a few years. I've had really bad luck with the Jabsco 
> Sensor Max VSD pumps. My 5th one just failed, for an average life of 
> under 10 months, a low of 2 months and a high of 16 months. 
> Fortunately they had a three year warranty (I think they've reduced 
> that to one year).
> 
> I have no clue about the cause of failure. They simply work one day 
> and not the next. All failures have been at the dock while connected 
> to shore power through a True Charge 20 (I think that's the name) 
> charger. The tanks were never empty, the fuses were never blown, 
> polarity was always correct, there was no sign of corrosion. And 
> everything else on the boat keeps on working. On the plus side, I can 
> remove the sink cabinet, change the pump and replace the cabinet in 
> about 20 minutes. Maybe blindfolded.
> 
> The original equipment pump lasted 4 or 5 years before rusting out, as 
> did the replacement (with the same type of pump). Four or five years 
> looks great to me now.
> 
> Any suggestions? Shurflo? West Marine? Jabsco?
> 
> Thanks,
> Pete Herron
> Dreamtime, C320 #329