Singflo water pump

[monkeyhanger]

I've been keeping my eye open on Ebay for a 2nd hand Par max 2.9  pump to keep as a spare in case of emergency, and I keep coming across these "Singflo" water pumps which seem ridiculously cheap. Has anyone had any experience of them? I'm sure it's a case of "you get what you pay for", but I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried them.

[Ex Brummie]

As they all seem to come from Australia or the U.S.A., p&p makes them more expensive.

If you want a cheap pump, then look at Seaflo. The pumps are good, but use a remote pressure switch as the built in ones are a bit flimsy.

[monkeyhanger]

29 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

As they all seem to come from Australia or the U.S.A., p&p makes them more expensive.

If you want a cheap pump, then look at Seaflo. The pumps are good, but use a remote pressure switch as the built in ones are a bit flimsy.

Thanks for the help. I have a 2 year old Par Max 2.9 at the moment, and was looking for a direct replacement for when the inevitable happens. My previous Jabsco pump, a Sensormax, packed in when my son was using the boat and I was out of the country. I have a 24volt system, and pumps of that voltage are not so easy to get hold of.  I just want to follow the Boy Scout's motto.

[Tony Brooks]

7 minutes ago, monkeyhanger said:

Thanks for the help. I have a 2 year old Par Max 2.9 at the moment, and was looking for a direct replacement for when the inevitable happens. My previous Jabsco pump, a Sensormax, packed in when my son was using the boat and I was out of the country. I have a 24volt system, and pumps of that voltage are not so easy to get hold of.  I just want to follow the Boy Scout's motto.

 

In that case fit a decent remote pressure switch ASAP, whatever pump you have (apart form a load sense type).

[monkeyhanger]

17 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

In that case fit a decent remote pressure switch ASAP, whatever pump you have (apart form a load sense type).

Which pressure switch would you recommend please?

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, monkeyhanger said:

Thanks for the help. I have a 2 year old Par Max 2.9 at the moment, and was looking for a direct replacement for when the inevitable happens. 

 

Surely there's no urgency? My Parmax 3.5 is now over 10 years old and that's full liveaboard use. I never bothered to fit a separate pressure switch as it's always been fine. I've got the Square D switch following recommendations on this forum, just haven't needed to fit it yet.

Edited April 5, 2021 by blackrose

[Tony Brooks]

38 minutes ago, monkeyhanger said:

Which pressure switch would you recommend please?

Square D if possible.

[Ex Brummie]

2 hours ago, monkeyhanger said:

Which pressure switch would you recommend please?

Square D is the Rolls Royce of such switches, but there are many pattern/copy of that unit that have robust switching capacity.  I bought such a one on eBay that was Polish. The thing you see is a decent sized diaphragm, and two springs that enable you to set top and bottom switching, with something like a 20amp capacity. 

Don't look  for 'boat', as the common use is for domestic pumps on springs and the like.

[ditchcrawler]

I fitted one of these and a pressure switch to reduce the water pressure to between 1 and 1.5 Barr hoping that using a higher pressure pump running at a much lower pressure will lead to a longer life.

8 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

Square D is the Rolls Royce of such switches, but there are many pattern/copy of that unit that have robust switching capacity.  I bought such a one on eBay that was Polish. The thing you see is a decent sized diaphragm, and two springs that enable you to set top and bottom switching, with something like a 20amp capacity. 

Don't look  for 'boat', as the common use is for domestic pumps on springs and the like.

A fine selection at https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/2254570173

[monkeyhanger]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

Square D if possible.

Thanks. I now know what to look for.

[monkeyhanger]

2 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

Surely there's no urgency? My Parmax 3.5 is now over 10 years old and that's full liveaboard use. I never bothered to fit a separate pressure switch as it's always been fine. I've got the Square D switch following recommendations on this forum, just haven't needed to fit it yet.

You can never tell with these things, can you? I suspect that you've done quite well with your pump, and it doesn't owe you anything. However, I'd prefer not to be in the situation again where my son and his girlfriend had no running water for over a week because he was unable to source a replacement pump of the suitable type. You know the situation, I'm sure. If I have a spare pump, I'll never need it. That's why I'm looking for a simple, cheap, preferably second hand, swap over should my pump give up the ghost.

[monkeyhanger]

40 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I fitted one of these and a pressure switch to reduce the water pressure to between 1 and 1.5 Barr hoping that using a higher pressure pump running at a much lower pressure will lead to a longer life.

A fine selection at https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/2254570173

Thank you for all that info. I remember now that I had a square D on the first water pump I fitted on my boat 30 years ago. I can't remember the name, but it was a good pump, if noisy. The motor was  vertically mounted on top of a built in pressure vessel. All round, a large and very heavy device.  On the subject of pressure vessels, I have an pressure accumulator and an expansion vessel in my water system. Would this have any bearing on fitting  the square D?

  And what advantages would I gain using a square D. Are the Jabsco built-in pressure switches the weak point?

[Ex Brummie]

10 minutes ago, monkeyhanger said:

 

  And what advantages would I gain using a square D. Are the Jabsco built-in pressure switches the weak point?

I think it is generally acknowledged that built switches are the weak point of any pump, especially now manufacturers state that accumulators are no longer necessary.

[ditchcrawler]

41 minutes ago, monkeyhanger said:

Thank you for all that info. I remember now that I had a square D on the first water pump I fitted on my boat 30 years ago. I can't remember the name, but it was a good pump, if noisy. The motor was  vertically mounted on top of a built in pressure vessel. All round, a large and very heavy device.  On the subject of pressure vessels, I have an pressure accumulator and an expansion vessel in my water system. Would this have any bearing on fitting  the square D?

  And what advantages would I gain using a square D. Are the Jabsco built-in pressure switches the weak point?

Mine was because I didn't want a 60 psi water system

[Tony Brooks]

2 hours ago, monkeyhanger said:

  And what advantages would I gain using a square D. Are the Jabsco built-in pressure switches the weak point?

 

Easy adjustment of both the cut in and cut out pressure. It allows you to set a lower than normal cut out pressure so there is less tendency for leaks. I ran my system at 1.5 bar rather than 2.5 bar.

 

Square Ds are double pole switches so depending upon how you wire it there is a spare set of contacts in case one set gets burned etc.