Too many volts through my water pump?

[captain flint]

I've just discovered my water pump is leaking (weeping plastic seam when the pump runs) 

 

Obviously I need a new one. 

 

Question: could this have been caused by the pump now receiving more like 13V from my new LiFePO4 battery system? And if so am I likely to have the same issue with a new pump? 

 

Since having the new battery system installed, the pump has sounded like it's got more power going through it, higher revs type sound, and a faster flow out of the taps. I don't want to get a new one and find the same problem recurs. 

 

Also, the floor around the pump is sodden and mouldy. I have a dehumidifier I can run and hopefully dry it out but is that going to work or do I need to think about chopping it out and replacing it (if that's even possible)? 

 

Not my favourite day on my boat I must confess. 

 

Perhaps more likely is that it's just wear and tear on a fairly old pump and any decent new 12v pump should be OK? 🤞

[Tony Brooks]

The maximum pressure is set by the pump's pressure switch, not the voltage. All 13V will do is allow it to reach pressure a little faster.

 

As long a sit is connected by flexible hoses, I doubt a new pump will leak for a good number of years. Have you tried gently tightening the screws that hold the two parts together.

 

If the flooring is ply or OSB 3 it stands a good chance of drying out--------------------eventually.

[BEngo]

The extra voltage from your lithium battery is a good thing for your pump.  More volts, less current, less brush wear. Unfortunately it has packed up.from old age.  Water pumps are generally hard to successfully repair.

 

Try the dehumidifier.  You are more likely to need to replace the floor as the water tends to destroy the glue in plywood, and.even waterproof ply over time.  MDF just turns to Weetabix.

 

You also will want to look for where the leaked water went after it soaked the floor.  Probably to the back of the cabin, under the floor. Bale it out with a wet vac and disposable nappies for the last drops.

 

N

 

[captain flint]

15 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Have you tried gently tightening the screws that hold the two parts together.

Thanks. I have now. It has considerably slowed the leak, but it's still there so I'll be getting a new pump

13 minutes ago, BEngo said:

 

Try the dehumidifier.  You are more likely to need to replace the floor as the water tends to destroy the glue in plywood, and.even waterproof ply over time.  MDF just turns to Weetabix.

 

You also will want to look for where the leaked water went after it soaked the floor.  Probably to the back of the cabin, under the floor. Bale it out with a wet vac and disposable nappies for the last drops.

Thanks

 

It's OB3 board. 

 

I don't think it's gone right through, it hasn't even spread to the edge of the board, and I have already checked the inspection hatch* at the lowest point in the bilge, expecting the worst but thankfully it's bone dry. OK, so, "hatch" is a bit of a stretch. It's just a square bit of floor you can lift out under the steps into the galley from the rear deck, but you know what I mean

 

I think what I'll do is replace the pump, get the OB3 board as dry as I can, and monitor it to see if it dries eventually. If not then I'll have to do something about it. 

 

Regarding getting it as dry as possible, I'm thinking using towels/nappies, then I was considering covering it in salt then hoovering that up before using hairdryer  and dehumidifier. The salt stage is the one I'm not sure about, might it be a bad idea around the pump, corroding metal etc? I would have thought it would be OK as the nuts and other metal bits are brass (or, I guess, "yellow metal"), but I'm not sure. Any thoughts? 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

Favourite cause of leaks from the joint in the body is letting the pump freeze.  The end plastic  body distorts.

If you dismantle it and grind the mating face flat again on a sheet of sandpaper on some thing dead flat it may well seal again.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Tracy D'arth

[FredW]

One handy thing for absorbing water after a leak are Towpath Talks. They’re like blotting paper. Just lay them unopened on top  of the wet spot for a day or two 

[Tracy D'arth]

1 minute ago, FredW said:

One handy thing for absorbing water after a leak are Towpath Talks. They’re like blotting paper. Just lay them unopened on top  of the wet spot for a day or two 

WELL DONE!  You have found a use for Towpath Talks!

[Tonka]

2 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

WELL DONE!  You have found a use for Towpath Talks!

Fire lighting also springs to mind

[Peanut]

I would avoid using salt, it is hygroscopic, and the area will stay damp forever and a day.

[captain flint]

21 minutes ago, Peanut said:

I would avoid using salt, it is hygroscopic, and the area will stay damp forever and a day.

It absorbs more from contact than from the air, I'm sure, and I was going to hoover it up, but you might be right, as I guess hoovering it *all* up might not be feasible. Thanks for the observation. 

[Barneyp]

Cat litter and nappies or puppy pads are great for absorbing water. But if the OSB has soaked the water up the only thing that will get it completely dry is time. 

[ditchcrawler]

My pump sits in a plastic tray with a water alarm so I know when it starts to leak, I think this is the fourth in 22 years.

[nicknorman]

7 hours ago, captain flint said:

I've just discovered my water pump is leaking (weeping plastic seam when the pump runs) 

 

Obviously I need a new one. 

 

Question: could this have been caused by the pump now receiving more like 13V from my new LiFePO4 battery system? And if so am I likely to have the same issue with a new pump? 

 

Since having the new battery system installed, the pump has sounded like it's got more power going through it, higher revs type sound, and a faster flow out of the taps. I don't want to get a new one and find the same problem recurs. 

 

Also, the floor around the pump is sodden and mouldy. I have a dehumidifier I can run and hopefully dry it out but is that going to work or do I need to think about chopping it out and replacing it (if that's even possible)? 

 

Not my favourite day on my boat I must confess. 

 

Perhaps more likely is that it's just wear and tear on a fairly old pump and any decent new 12v pump should be OK? 🤞

Not related to the Li batteries, just an old and knackered pump.

[Tacet]

6 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

WELL DONE!  You have found a use for Towpath Talks!

Indeed.  The print comes off for the unwary.

[MtB]

55 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Not related to the Li batteries, just an old and knackered pump.

 

Seconded. Water pumps all seem to leak after a disappointingly short time in my limited experience. 

 

 

 

 

[magnetman]

If you put the pump above the top of the water tank the only leaks that can happen are those related to pump pressure. 

 

In my experience the leaks which occur with water pumps are usually not on the pressure side. They seem to be related to head of water working against the pump from the tank. 

 

Result is air in water supply rather than water in the boat. 

[blackrose]

12 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

My pump sits in a plastic tray with a water alarm so I know when it starts to leak, I think this is the fourth in 22 years.

 

I do the same thing with a rectangular washing up bowl into which I've cut out a couple of slots for the in/out hoses. I only needed one leaking pump/sodden floor for it to make sense to me. Since then (about 15 years)  the alarm has sounded twice and saved me having to dry out the floor/ bilges again.

 

Fresh water pumps are notorious for leaking so I can't really understand why everyone doesn't put their pump into a container fitted with a 9v water level alarm?

 

9 hours ago, magnetman said:

In my experience the leaks which occur with water pumps are usually not on the pressure side. They seem to be related to head of water working against the pump from the tank. 

 

Not in my experience. All the fresh water pump leaks I've had were on the pressurised side of the pump. Anyway, the solution described by Ditchy and myself will deal with ALL pump leaks, not just low pressure leaks.

 

Also if you put the pump above tank height doesn't it struggle to draw water? Genuine question, I've no idea but wouldn't it start sucking air and need to be primed every time it activates?

Edited December 11, 2023 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

Also if you put the pump above tank height doesn't it struggle to draw water? Genuine question, I've no idea but wouldn't it start sucking air and need to be primed every time it activates?

 

I can only speak for mine, 

The water tank is in the keel (as it the grey water tank, the black water tank and the fuel tank). The water pump sits below the floor (lifting panels) and is in effect mounted directly above the water tank. If the pick up pipe is near the bottom of the tank it probably has a 3' lift to the pump.

No problems, water supply is instaneous at the taps, no priming needed.

[Tony Brooks]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

Also if you put the pump above tank height doesn't it struggle to draw water? Genuine question, I've no idea but wouldn't it start sucking air and need to be primed every time it activates?

 

Where can it suck air from if the tank water level above the bottom of the pickup pipe? The valves seem to be rubber so should make a good seal as are the diaphragms, so as long as the valves are free from dirt it will pump air and thus prime. Once the system is primed, there is no way for water to leak back from the system into the tank. The pump is, in effect, a non-return valve that holds water in the system. The only time you would get priming problems is after the tank has run dry and an old pump or a pump with clagged up valves.

[magnetman]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

 

Not in my experience. All the fresh water pump leaks I've had were on the pressurised side of the pump. 

If you get a leak on the pressure side then the pump will cycle on and orf so assuming the pump is audible you will be alerted. On tank-side leak you wouldn't know about it. A tank side leak can't happen if pump is above tank. 

 

I have had a Shurflo pump leaking from the casing with no power applied to the pump and the taps open. This is a tank side leak. 

 

Priming isn't a problem with pump elevated. In a way the best option would be to mount the pump in a container at a height where it could have a drain which goes to the sink waste so that a pressure side leak would also be dealt with. 

[Ex Brummie]

A take off from the top of the tank also eables it to be sited forward of the very lowest part of the tank, so that you do not draw sediment.

The pumps are designed to lift, and once primed, they retain the feed as long as you have no leaks on the incoming pipework.

[Tracy D'arth]

Mounting the pump above the tank top rather than on the floor below water level does make it more susceptible to freezing...............

[blackrose]

On 11/12/2023 at 17:23, magnetman said:

If you get a leak on the pressure side then the pump will cycle on and orf so assuming the pump is audible you will be alerted. On tank-side leak you wouldn't know about it. A tank side leak can't happen if pump is above tank. 

 

You obviously didn't read the solution from Ditchcrawler & myself. A leak from either side of the pump will be audible.

23 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Mounting the pump above the tank top rather than on the floor below water level does make it more susceptible to freezing...............

 

Yes, sounds like another good reason not to do it.

On 11/12/2023 at 17:14, Tony Brooks said:

 

Where can it suck air from if the tank water level above the bottom of the pickup pipe? The valves seem to be rubber so should make a good seal as are the diaphragms, so as long as the valves are free from dirt it will pump air and thus prime. Once the system is primed, there is no way for water to leak back from the system into the tank. The pump is, in effect, a non-return valve that holds water in the system. The only time you would get priming problems is after the tank has run dry and an old pump or a pump with clagged up valves.

 

Ok I was thinking that with the pump elevated above the height of the tank water might drain back to the tank, but obviously not.

[magnetman]

4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

You obviously didn't read the solution from Ditchcrawler & myself. A leak from either side of the pump will be audible.

 

Yes, sounds like another good reason not to do it.

 

I did read your solutions. For this you need to have an alarm which works. So basically you are relying on an alarm with a battery rather than gravity to solve the problem.

 

I admit I didn't think of the freezing problem but that would depend on how the boat is used and how cold it actually gets in reality.

 

 

[blackrose]

On 11/12/2023 at 17:23, magnetman said:

In a way the best option would be to mount the pump in a container at a height where it could have a drain which goes to the sink waste so that a pressure side leak would also be dealt with. 

 

For me the best option is the one I described earlier.