Fresh Water Pump Switch

M

Maxwell

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Joined
Jan 21, 2009
RO Number
31042
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378
Hi Guys,

I have noticed since the boat went in the water that my fresh water switch on the DC is turning itself off. I was on the boat yesterday all afternoon/night and it was on. However this morning when I woke up the breaker was off. Any idea what could cause this? The boat is full of water and seems to be operating normally.

Any help is appreciated.

max
 
Could be that the breaker needs to be replaced. They do wear out over time.

Bob
 
The breaker could be defective or the pump could be defective and drawing more current than it should be. You probably have more than one circuit breaker with the same rating so one way to test is to swap two breakers with the same rating. Just remember to disconnect the power before you begin.
 
" The boat is full of water "

That s not good!! I guess the water has damaged the pump, and it s tripping the breaker!

Seriously... Breaker could be bad but I doubt it on such a recent boat. Check the amp meter when the pump starts

Best guess? Pump pressure switch is acting up and pump shut off. Slows to a crawl, heats up, amps go up and trips. What kind of pump? Even those fancy electronic pump use a switch, could be dirt in the hole to the membrane. Pop the top off

Ps: last night Naomi and I raised a Kalik in your honor at the scene of the crime aka Staniel Cay YC!!
 
Look for bad wiring or connections, which could add resistance, cause voltage drop and cause the pump to draw more current? I had this situation with a bilge pump 2 years ago.

But along the lines of Pascal's comment - boat sitting all night, why would the pump even come on and have a reason to pop the breaker? When no one uses water, my system holds pressure pretty well.
 
Thanks guys. I'll have a look at the pump/connections and possibly try switching breakers next time I'm on the boat.

Pascal, I'm jealous. I'd imagine that place hasn't seen a suit since... Be sure Naomi spills a drink on somebody just for old times sake...

max
 
The point about the pump running at night is well taken. It shouldn't run unless someone is using fresh water or there's a leak.

One more possibility: The pump has a built in check valve to hold pressure upstream of the pump. These check valves can develop a leak where they don't hold pressure and a slight bit of water returns to the unpressurized side. Sensing the loss of pressure, the pump turns on and runs for a second or two to build the pressure back up. This repeats whenever the pressure drops.

But - the pump shouldn't be tripping the breaker regardless.
 
Depends on the pump, but I haven't seen many check valves. In the diaphragm pumps common on newer boats you could get a piece of debris to jam one of the valves inside the pump which will result in cycling

Again first thing I d do is pop the top (assuming it s a diaph pump), clean the pressure switch hole and check the valves
 
Ok. Last Saturday I switched out the breaker as well as cleaned the in line screen filter to the pump (which was clean). On Sunday morning I woke up and the breaker was tripped. I was planning on pulling the pump this weekend and cleaning or replacing. However I left it on when I left the boat on sunday and have used the boat/water system a bit this week and it hasn't turned itself off at all. Any idea what could be going on? The only thing that has changed between when the breaker was failing and now is the freshwater tank level. Could this mean anything? Could a vent be clogged or something that would make the system not work well when full?

I'm confused... Any thoughts are appreciated.
 
There's no reason the pump should run when no water is being drawn. If the pump doen't run, there should be no current flowing in the circuit unless something else is wired into the same circuit (normally, there wouldn't be) so the breaker shouldn't be tripping.

If the water tank vent is clogged, it would be very difficult to draw water out of the tank. You would probably notice this when drawing water. Of course, you could inspect and clean the vent filter to eliminate this possibility.

When you are on the boat, does the pump ever cycle on and off when nobody is drawing water?
 
Max - I know this is not necessarily a Tiara issue, but have you tried contacting their tech support to see if maybe it's a recurring problem? I've contacted them several times about different items, and they are extremely helpful.
 
Ron,
I will check the vent tomorrow when it stops raining... I have not heard the pump cycle at all when we're not using it however I'm normally asleep when it trips.

Jeff,

I did speak with Brian Kane at Tiara earlier this week. Although he is always extremely helpful and knowledgeable, he is stumped as well.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Maxwell

Ron,
I will check the vent tomorrow when it stops raining... I have not heard the pump cycle at all when we're not using it however I'm normally asleep when it trips.

Jeff,

I did speak with Brian Kane at Tiara earlier this week. Although he is always extremely helpful and knowledgeable, he is stumped as well.
Click to expand...

Intermittent problems are the hardest to fix because you can't really tell if you fixed it unless you find something obvious like a bare wire touching metal.

Again, the pump shouldn't run at night if nobody is running water. Or in the daytime for that matter.

You could cut the positive wire where it connects to the pump, do nothing else. If the breaker still trips , it's not the pump, it's a wiring problem and one you need to fix ASAP before something melts or burns.

You can check the current draw of the pump with a meter that has current reading ability. It should jump to start but then draw what the label states while it is pumping water. That's usually well below the rating of the breaker which is really there to protect the wiring.
 
Thanks Ron,

I will test the draw etc first and then look at the wiring. I'll follow up if/when I get it figured out.

I appreciate everyone's help.

ms
 
I guess if the vent is clogged, the pump could be trying to pull water out against an increasing vacuum... Doubt it though but you can eliminate that possibility by leaving the filler cap a bit loose...

What kind of pump is it? Maybe it s just "rusty" after not running all winter? :) I doubt it s a short in the wiring, it would likely keep tripping.

Ps: we have your SCYC shirts... But Naomi wasn't able to spill any drinks in your honor!
 
Sorry Pascal, I just saw your message now. The pump is a Shurflo Extreme 5.7 (#5901-0201).

It hasn't tripped in 2 weeks with a lot of use at all water tank levels. Its a pain that I can't find the cause however since its been working normally, I think this case is closed for now.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions guys!!

max
 
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