How long will water pumps last

[Dsarazen]

Hi everyone. I have a freshwater water pump that is going on intermittently. No faucets are on. The pump is likely over 5 years old. The jabsco accumulator tank (1liter) is about 3 years old. Thanks

[a64pilot]

You most likely have a leak somewhere, I be there in nothing wrong with the pump.
A simple test is to remove the outlet hose and replace it with a short piece blocked off, if the cycling stops, start looking for your leak.
If your accumulator tank has gone bad it will aggravate the issue

[Dsarazen]

Well..... I probably screwed up. I read somewhere (not on CF) that the accumulator pump should have 10 psi, so I pumped it up. Been having the water pump cycling ever since. The accumulator is 3.5 years old. Time for a new one, I guess. Thanks for your help
Dave

[a64pilot]

The accumulator is a rubber diaphragm inside of a tank that has air on one side and water on the other of course, the air acts like a spring as air is compressible and water is not.
I'm not sure what your pressure should be, but would hazard a guess that even with zero water pressure, that 10 PSI would not have hurt it.
If you had the water pump on at pressure and put 10 psi in the diaphragm side, likely you let all the air out as there would have been way more than 10 PSI of water pressure, and you would have lost the spring, and then yes its likely your pump would cycle more, but you may have a leak cause I don't run an accumulator and my pump does not cycle, although my new pump is designed to not have an accumulator, but my old one was not.
Before buying anything, I'd try to find the servicing instructions for your accumulator and service it IAW the instructions

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Dsarazen

Well..... I probably screwed up. I read somewhere (not on CF) that the accumulator pump should have 10 psi, so I pumped it up. Been having the water pump cycling ever since. The accumulator is 3.5 years old. Time for a new one, I guess. Thanks for your help
Dave

Dave,

The accumulator tank pressure is typically set at 2 PSI below the cut-in [turn-on] pressure of the pump. [Note: not the shut-off pump pressure...]

Adjust that and resume your search for leaks using the procedures A64 advised.

Best wishes sorting it out.

Cheers! Bill

[HopCar]

A pump coming on intermittently often has bad valves. The pump builds up pressure until it hits the cut off pressure then water leaks slowly back through the pump until the pressure drops to the turn on point. Lather, rinse, repeat. If you can't find any obvious leaks, it's likely the pump valves.

[Lepke]

The pump valves could be failing. Water with debris will wear valves, diaphragm, or impellers. I use a shallow well pump for a salt water system and after a few years the impeller has to be changed to make pressure. On the coast, it's common to find fine sand in marina water.

[zeehag]

it could merely be leaky connectors, as was mine for many years.
when i found it i changed out pumps-- guess what--- within a month the new one also cycles. i just turn off the breaker and use the breaker to control my water pump. my original to me pump lasted from 2001-2017.
shur flo.

[James S]

I have a variable speed pump with no pressure tank and love it..

[Stu Jackson]

Every single water pump manual has troubleshooting guides in them, all available on the internet.

My pump is 30 years old, still works fine. Traced an intermittent leak down to an old hose and replaced all of them, only after I did the troubleshooting on the pump, and only because the hose replacement was a lot more work. The pump was fine. I also have a backup.

Plase know that the Jabsco variable speed pumps have had some serious teething problems in the past few years. Shurflo or Johnson, and there's another one - the name escapes me, but someone will know.

Leaks or the pump valves, just like the manual says.

Who woulda thunk!

Good luck.

[BayouGrande]

Our pump was kicking on intermittently as well. Didn't figure it out until water came pouring downstairs. I thought we had take a wave over the bow of our trawler. My wife's angry yells about the washer being completely full of water relieved that fear and solved the mystery of our water pump. Leaks aren't always where you expect them.... Good luck!