Water Pump Problem

Hi all,

I have a Silverton 453 and just recently started to have water pump problems.
Under the middle stair leading down to the midships there are two pumps one sitting atop the other and i guess that there are two just to give greater pressure to the boat and it worked great.
The other day the pumps wouldn't switch off after turning off the water in the main shower and of course i checked for split pipes because in the past on other boats when I have heard the pump running without turning on the water it was simply a split pipe and a simple repair.
After checking all the faucets, showers and heads for split/damaged hoses I have found nothing and the pumps still ran so I have turned off the pumps and hooked up to shore water supply which works great but of course i will not have water when away from the dock.
Does anyone know if there is some kind of switch that could have gone bad somewhere in the water system that tells the pumps when to turn on and off?
I should also mention that I have issolated each pump separately hoping that it was simply one of the pair that was bad so that could replace it but one pump always runs even when its partner is unplugged.
Any help with this annoying little probem would be greatfully appreciated and as a new member I would like to with everyone Happy Holidays....

regards,
Doug.

Hi,

the tanks are full but did run empty a day or two before this happened.

regards,
Doug.

Hi AMG,

these are the shureflo sealed electrical pumps and changing them out is not that difficult even though there are two linked together with a series of hoses so i will check into leaks and bleeding although i have never had to bleed an electrical water pump in the past. I think that I will lok further into leaks before calling in the pro's.

thanks again,
Doug.

Hi Andrei,

when it first happened the water pressure dropped in the shower while the wife was in there so as you can imagine the pumps were the least of my problems...

The first thing that i noticed after locating the water pumps was that even though one pump sits on top of the other the top pump had come loose from the bracket that keeps in on top of the bottom one. Also the tank is almost full...

I will check everything that you have suggested.

thank you,
Doug.

Hi all,

well I finally found the info on the dual pumps in my engine room and they are in fact made by Jabsco and not Sureflo as i had first suspected.

They are Dual-Max model 30670-Series and they not only have dual pumps but they also have an accumulator tank beneath them..

In the next few days i am going to remove the unit and start looking it over but any help with what to look for would be greatfully appreciated as always.

I should also mention that the top pump has worked its way free from the bracket that holds in both in place and directly above the lower pump so this may be a simple fix.

regards,
Doug.

Ok, here's what i found..

The two pumps are attached to the water accumulater by four large bolts and a cradle type bracket that keeps them all in line atop of each other and the top pump had most likely vibrated itself free.

The pumps are connected to each other and to the accumulator with a series
of small hoses and "y" splitters which meant that every joint had a clamp and because of the loose pump was leaking slightly.

There was also a makeshift repair from the water line from the pump to the ships water faucets etc which was repaired with duct tape of all things... Hundreds of thousands of dollars for a yacht and the previous owner has a five dollar hose duct taped..

Anyway, after removing the whole unit and cleaning it out before rebuilding it replacing it and bleeding all the lines the pumps are now working as they should.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you that participated in this annoying little problem and let you all know that I will be watching in the future for something with which i may be able to return the favor.

Thanks again and a Happy Holiday to you all...

regards,
Doug.