Freshwater pump keeps turning on every couple minutes

[LouN]

If you have a manual foot pump also plumbed in, it can be a checkvalve. Mine is on the suction side of the manual pump.

[SeaFeret]

It is a leak. Segment the system in to 2 pieces. Then segment the failing half into 2 segments... on a 32 foot there is not that much system... It only took me 2 hours to find the leak
Good Luck

[TheBadger]

Check deck shower hose trigger. Same issue on my Jeanneau 34.2. No water in bilge...so couldn't be a hose leak. I eventually found the hand-held shower at stern was leaking due to not being fully shut off. Fresh water leaking overboard. Reassembled trigger mechanism and it all works fine. No more pump turning on randomly.

[AndyEss]

Check and see if you have an accumulator tank. Old style ones with no internal membrane become waterlogged, and need to be recharged through their filler valve (usually bicycle tire Shrader type). Newer tanks may have had membrane failure or the Shrader valve has leaked air pressure.
I usually pump up my accumulator tank to 5 psi (300 kPa?) less pressure than the pump output pressure.

[IBlake]

Check accumulator tank. If it is waterlogged instead of full of air that could cause the problem you are having. The pump should not cycle fast if the accumulator tank is full of air. The water in the accumulator tank can absorb some of the air over time to the point where it becomes waterlogged. Shut off pump open system so as to drain water out of accumulator tank. If after reinstalling the tank you still have fast cycling then I would suspect water leaking back from the pump to the supply tank from the check valve.
I agree with prior post which I didn't see!

[_m_miles]

I have a 2003 331. It sounds like a leak. I found one at the strainer connection. You could actually watch the water bubble between the strainer and the pump.

Good luck.

[AndyBan]

I had something similar and it took forever to discover that the hot water tank had a VERY small leak (a drop every few seconds) in a spot difficult to examine. Because the leak was so slight, the bilge water level did not noticeably change. The good news is that I found the leak. The bad news is that the HWT needs to be removed to fix it, a major undertaking! recommendation: use your hand to examine every single join on the high pressure side of the pump, eg at the pump itself, the accumulator, faucets, shower handles, etc. I suspect you will find one of them is wet because it leaks.

[RickG]

We see this when there is air in the pressurised side. Run all of the faucets at the same time. After that, cleaning the pump head is a good approach. We had a very small leak where our transom shower hose connected; teflon tape solved that.

My lady has magic ears and her usual perch in the salon is above the water pump. She does not rest until the pump stops running. Me? I burned out a pump recently because I did not hear it running. Too many Black Sabbath concerts I guess.

Cheers, RickG

[Mike Cunningham]

We had the same symptoms. In our case, we WERE getting a small amount of water in the bilge.
Turned out it was our hot water heater. Small leak underneath it where we couldn't see easily.

[sv Stella Maris]

Had this on our Beneteau (Lagoon 450 cat). It was a small but visible hole from wear on the rubber of the 'valve kit' in the pump head.

If no water present anywhere indicating a leak in the pressure side, consider this issue or a suction leak.

Pumpvendor.com has been my resource for two years to assist troubleshoot and order correct spares.

FYI, they outlined spares in order of failure to be:

1. Pressure Switch
2. Valve Kit
3. Diaphragm Kit
4. 'Head Structure' fatigue (plumbing or screw fittings)
5. Motor failure.

Most accumulator tanks are grossly undersized.

Pressure switches can be bypassed indefinitely by:

1. Leave the OEM pressure switch in place to maintain water seal.
2. Disconnect the red/positive wire running from motor to pressure switch (cut it at pressure switch)
3. Add a 'Well Pump Pressure Switch' at your desired system pressure parameters ($20-30usd, replacement contacts $12usd, Amazon. Good for tens of thousands of cycles)
4. Wire red/positive wire from pump motor to 'Well Pressure switch' then onto the 12/24v terminal as before. 'Well Switch/Cutout' can be located anywhere on the pressure side of the pump, but before a hot water heater with check valve. Placed near the pump you'll have no issues.
5. Check voltage with pump running at 12/24v terminals to confirm adequate voltage WHEN pump is cycled on.

No more Jabsco Garbage switch failures...

[Subtandard]

Originally Posted by George_SD

Tank is plastic in the bow
No water in bilge or tank compartment

Hm, i thought the pump pressurizes everything downstream from itself (hoses, faucets, etc), but the tank is not pressurized?

Two likely causes:


The accumulator has ruptured or needs to be pressurized.


The check valve is leaking water back into the tank.


Of course you could have both.

[Sofa King Fishy]

Originally Posted by HopCar

You’ve got a leak. It’s that simple. If you can’t find water leaking out of the system, the valves in the pump are bad. If the valves are bad, and they all fail eventually, water will leak from the pressurized side back through the pump to the tank side.

First look for a visible leak on the pressure side. If you can’t find a leak, rebuild the pump.

Second that - you’ve got a leak. I went through the same thing- headlamp, hanging upside down i discovered a leaky Whale fitting.

[Gerrycooper56]

Could be leaking pump non return valve or the pressure switch is on the way out.

[zaco]

Originally Posted by George_SD

Hi all,
Beneteau 323 2005 - Whenever the 12v switch for freshwater pump is on, the pump turns on for 2-4 seconds every 5 minutes or so.

My understanding that the pump should only run when there is demand for water, such as an open faucet. I think this is a pressure system, so it builds pressure and holds it until it drops (because a faucet is open) and it runs until it reaches that pressure (when faucet is closed).

I don't know if what I'm seeing is a potential sign of a leak somewhere (leaky faucet, line connection, etc)?

Freshwater tank is not pressurized as I understand, so even if the top filling cover is not sealing the tank - this should not turn on the pump, right?


Pointers?

On my boat I used to have the same problem. Of course you can have a leak or some sort of malfunction on the system, but in my case, after one year or so, I've found the culprit: the shower at the bow (rarely used) has a very small leak... Better check this before any expensive repairs...

Fair winds!

[marcus02]

You have a leak. Unplug it.