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water pump being weird


doratheexplorer

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Hello helpful forum people.

 

I have a little problemo with my water pump.  The pump which pushes the water from the tank to my taps.  Not my bilge pump or the one which lives under my shower.

 

It keeps coming on for about half a second every five minutes or so.  It's near my bed and keeps waking me up in the night.

 

I put my thinking cap on and decided it must be coming on because the pressure is slightly dropping but it's a bit weird that it's just a very short blip right?

 

Anyway, if the the pressure is dropping then that would be a leak, right?  So I set about trying to find a leak.  A lot of my pipes are hidden away behind things.  So my idea was, get my bilges completely dry and see if any water reappears.  Since we've had pretty much no rain for ages, if water appeared in my bilge then I must have a leak somewhere.  Except I've been checking for a week and my bilge is bone dry (first time ever - yay!).  So I can't have a leak. 

 

So why does my pump keep doing that?

 

It's a jabco pump if that matters.

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Could be

 

1.a visible leak

2.an invisible leak (back through the pump) 

3.overflow through calorifier prv

 

4.help me out here guys

5.toilet flush leak

6.internal calorifier leak

 

Edited by rusty69
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2 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Could be

 

1.a visible leak

2.an invisible leak (back through the pump) 

3.overflow through calorifier prv

 

4.help me out here guys

Yes Rusty, it could be a leak or a leak ;)

 

Dora - as Rusty was saying, there are only 3 likely possibilities. 1) It’s passing back through the pump because the internals are either worn or have a bit of crud in them. 2) It’s leaking from a joint but you haven’t found it yet. 3) It’s dribbling out of the PRV on the calorifier. 

 

3) is very quickly checked - is it wet?

2) might take some time to find. 

3) can be proven by closing the tank outlet valve. If the cycling stops then it’s the pump which will probably have to be replaced to stop it (although maybe you could fit an external NRV?). 

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2 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

7.sticky pressure switch. 

8.system cooling overnight

 

9.leak in expansion vessel 

7. Can’t see that being likely. 

8. It wouldn’t be a new phenomenon. 

9. Possible. 

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Does it only do it at night? - if so it could be the hot water in the calorifier cooling and contracting reducing the pressure. If the pump only blips on for a very short period it would seem you don't have an accumulator (expansion vessel) fitted ( or if you do have one then it has failed). With an accumulator working correctly then the pump will act for longer but far less frequently, if at all, in these conditions

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Just now, doratheexplorer said:

What’s a tank outlet valve. 

The valve between your water tank and your pump. 

1 minute ago, doratheexplorer said:

if it was a leak i would have water in my bilge 

Not if it is a small leak. It’ll just be making the floor wet in that area. 

 

1 minute ago, doratheexplorer said:

What’s a Prv?

Pressure Relief Valve - red thingy on top of the calorifier. 

2 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

 What’s a NRV?

Non-Return Valve. 

Just now, IDS said:

Does it only do it at night? - if so it could be the hot water in the calorifier cooling and contracting reducing the pressure. If the pump only blips on for a very short period it would seem you don't have an accumulator (expansion vessel) fitted ( or if you do have one then it has failed). With an accumulator working correctly then the pump will act for longer but far less frequently, if at all, in these conditions

I guess the accumulator could have failed. Next step - check the pressure. 

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3 hours ago, WotEver said:

7. Can’t see that being likely. 

8. It wouldn’t be a new phenomenon. 

9. Possible. 

8 - unlikely if it blips every 5 minutes as Dora claimed in the question. Not even if every 10 or 20 minutes - even without an accumulator.

 

One of the leaks far more likely.

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I have found over the years that slightly reduced pressure in accumulator can cause weird water pump effects. It has with three different makes of pump on two different boats anyway. My first port of call would be a pressure gauge on accumulator.
Also as suggested by Tim, a switch on the pump is excellent, especially if under your bed.

Edited by Guest
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1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

Mind, some jabsco pumps (parmax) claim they don't need an accumulator,although confusingly claim they are an important part of the system. 

Indeed! My latest pump is in fact a Jabsco that the manufacturers claim needs no accumulator, though I have one fitted from my Sureflo previous pump. The Jabsco behaves very badly if the accumulator is not at (IIRC) 15psi. Tends to cut out initially when up to pressure, then "stutter." This is when I know it is time to repressurise the accumulator.

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3 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Have you got a duck? The do have a habit of washing their hands feet during the night and starting the pump going.

Not only a duck, she has a tree monkey too! (and a dodgy hair cut) 

Quack!_Quack!.png

Edited by rusty69
  • Haha 1
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I would gladly swap the occasional sound of a water pump kicking in now and again during the night, for the sound of many ducks that seem hell bent on testing my new blacking to destruction at 3 am. What is wrong with them? :)

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12 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Not only a duck, she has a tree monkey too! (and a dodgy hair cut) 

Quack!_Quack!.png

I have a very nice hair cut thank you. 

 

Now, about this accumulator. I’ve found that. How do I check the pressure?  It’s just a metal thing the size of a football. No gauges on it. 

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2 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

I have a very nice hair cut thank you. 

 

Now, about this accumulator. I’ve found that. How do I check the pressure?  It’s just a metal thing the size of a football. No gauges on it. 

Footballs don't usually have gauges on them either.

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Just now, philjw said:

It will have a valve on top like the ones fitted to car tyres.  You need a guage that might be used to check tyre pressure.

Aha!!  What pressure should it be?

Just now, Dr Bob said:

Footballs don't usually have gauges on them either.

I wouldn’t know. 

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6 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

Aha!!  What pressure should it be?

I wouldn’t know. 

Pretty certain mine is 15 psi. I set it with the car pump (gauge fitted to that) with water pump switched off and water taps open. There is a definite pressure that it should be in relation to pump cut in/out but I can't remember off hand. Somebody will know.

Edited by Guest
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