Help with Adding a Water Pump in Galley

[Trader Susan]

Just finished changing out the Head, (Pee-yew!) and all the sewer lines, (pee-yew-wee!) now I'm cracking the whip again for more/better water delivery in the Galley! We have a foot pump already, but would like to add an electric pump - yes, I'm demanding, but also a great cook! This will be for our 28' Islander so we have a nice deep single sink with spout faucet. I really wouldn't mind just installing the electric pump operated by a toggle switch - but if anyone has experience here I'd love to hear it!

[SkiprJohn]

There are several pump manufacturers who sell RV and boat on demand pumps that deliver water when you turn the faucet handle on your sink fixture. Shurflo is one and of course Jabsco. Of course, getting your boat parts through RV outlets just saves you a bunch of money but doesn't give you the prestige of having the costliest. Its a good idea to also have a switch you can turn off just in case you are starting to get low on water and want folks to be concious of water consumption. An in-line pressure tank will prevent the pump from running each time you turn on the faucet and let it run only when the pressure tank is at the low psi. This makes for a less often but longer run time for your pump which extends the pump life.
Hope this helps a little.
kind regards,

[Roy M]

Putting in a freshwater pressure faucet system is a little different than what you have at the moment, which is a hose from the spigot going to a foot pump and sucking water from a hose going to the water tank. To install a pressure water system you need to add a "tee" fitting to the existing hose BEFORE IT GETS TO THE FOOT PUMP. This tee will then connect to a pressure water pump intake port. On the other side of the pressure water pump you need a hose capable of withstanding the pressure of the water pump (reinforced vinyl hose or polyethylene plumbing systems). Then that hose connects to a faucet. The pump will require 12 volt electricity from a circuit that has a fuse or circuit breaker to protect you from overheating wires resulting from a short circuit or overwhelmed pump. This is not rocket science, just ask the store supplying the pump to show you what the current requirements are for your selected pump. With respect to that aspect, some pumps deliver smaller amounts of water using less pressure, others can blast water out for the fire department. On a small boat you should probably look for the smaller flow to conserve electricity, purchase cost and available water in your tank. Adding an "accumulator tank" is pretty simple and allows the pump to produce consistent pressure, without high and low spots, as well as make the pump live longer and happier. It can be added at a later time, if you wish, for economy. You can make the system more complicated, costly and versatile by installing the electric pump near the water tank and running other hoses (via tees and valves) to additional sinks, shower and water heater units, but in a 28 footer this might be overkill.

[Trader Susan]

Thanks! The Skipper says that will work! It's a never ending work in progress, isn't it? But we really enjoy it!

[osirissail]

With a small boat with small water requirements - rather than a fully pressurized water system you can get in the RV and boat stores a little electric pump (about an inch in diameter and about 3 inches long) that goes with a small "bar style" water spigot mounted on the sink. It would simply tee off your existing water pipe and feed the little "bar style" water spigot which would be useful for filling pots or bottles. For normal water/washing the foot pump system would continue to operate.