Accumulator

[seadog42uk]

I hope someone can help, all the diagrams I have seen for installing an accumulator show the pipes at the bottom of the unit thus causing a pressure bubble at the top of the tank. However the accumulator on my boat has been installed the wrong way up with the pipes at the top of the unit. How can this work?

 

Stuart

[Biggles]

Cant see it would make much difference. The pressure inside will be greater than the weight of the water on top of the diaphragm.

 

I might be wrong.. It should be easy enough to turn up the other way.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Biggles

[springy]

 

 

Usually the accumulator has a rubber membrane which separates the air from the water

 

 

so it doesnt actually matter which way up it is - mine is on its side, but there may be

 

good reasons why vertical with the inlet at the bottom is 'prefered'

 

 

 

 

springy

 

 

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

It depends if you an reach the air tyre type nipple to pump more air in if necessary.

[PhilR]

It depends if you an reach the air tyre type nipple to pump more air in if necessary.

 

Yep. That is the main consideration. Otherwise it shouldn't matter how the accumulator is mounted.

[Tony Brooks]

I hope someone can help, all the diagrams I have seen for installing an accumulator show the pipes at the bottom of the unit thus causing a pressure bubble at the top of the tank. However the accumulator on my boat has been installed the wrong way up with the pipes at the top of the unit. How can this work?

 

Stuart

 

 

There are/have been a few without a rubber diaphragm and those must be mounted vertically but the diaphragm ones are fine in any position.

[seadog42uk]

The nipple for adding more air is at the bottom with no room to connect a pump to add more air.

 

It depends if you an reach the air tyre type nipple to pump more air in if necessary.

[Justme]

I would fit it with the pipes on the bottom. That way you wont get a build up of solids collecting.

[Alan Saunders]

The nipple for adding more air is at the bottom with no room to connect a pump to add more air.

Mine needs pressurising every year or so. It is a common item purchased from Calcutt but a standard tyre pressure guage does not open the valve. I use a bicycle pump with flexible connector to a Schrader valve. Typically, with the pump switched off I can draw ~2l of water. As when reinflating a tyre I put some spittle on the valve to check for a leak. Mine passes this test, no bubbles, so maybe the air pressure is lost via a membrane leak.

 

Simple test: turn a tap full on, when the pump starts turn the tap off. If the pump contiues to run for 5 seconds or more you do not have a problem.

 

Accumulators are not essential. I fitted one to my first boat even though I had not noticed a problem. Later I throttled back the shower to use less water - it was still better than many 'power showers'. When the accumulator lost pressure I had an intermittent shower (one second on, one second off) with the shower head jumping up-and-down.

 

Most likely your accumulator has compression fittings. If you need to adjust the pressure you can loosen the fittings (place an old towel below to catch drips) and rotate the accumulator to give acess to the air valve.

 

Alan