Salt water pump in galley sink?

[Jimmyhenry]

We have a sea water pump for the galley. Be aware that the water will smell of rotten eggs if not used for a while. Takes a few pumps to remove the smell. But worth it for the fresh water saved.

[David Gunn]

Circumnavigating, and would not be without hand operated salt water in galley. Wash dishes in salt, rinse in fresh.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by jesperrosenberg

I had one and used it a lot crossing the Atlantic. However, I have spend lots of money and time replacing O-rings, pump and hoses. A bucket would do the same job and saves you time and money installing a pump.

What setup did you use? I’ve never had to replace any rings, pumps or hoses due to the use of raw (sea or lake) water. I’ve been doing this for nearly 15 years now with zero issues.

[Peregrine1983]

Anyone have recommendations for a decent quality salt water pump/faucet? The models I've seen are $$$

[Gene Neill]

Second the last two questions. I'm willing to spend good money (within reason) for good quality. Happy wife, happy life!


Any brands/models to either look for or avoid?

[Mike OReilly]

My current salt water tap consists of a Whale foot pump attached to simple aluminum (Whale, I think) tap. Dead simple, and so far, bullet proof.

Now that I think of it, I did end up replacing a hand pump facet on my last boat. I neglected to include a strainer on the intake, and I managed to destroy the pump after sucking up a bunch of sand or gravel or something. Lesson learned.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by J.Kitchens

I'd personally never depend on a check valve.

You actually have to close the ball valve.

A one way diaphragm could fail or get some debris in it.

The risk is starving your engine of raw water for cooling. That being said it is your risk to take.

I said it was a bad idea and Groco seems to think it's a bad idea but not bad enough that they chose NOT to make a product that allows you to do it.

I agree. But if I'm not using my engine everyday I close off my Seacock and I put my keys on the handle so I cannot start my engine without opening my Seacock. That could just as easily be a y valve.

[chris in SG]

Have been catching up on this thread. Surprised how many cruisers are ambivalent about it. Seems likely to me that the majority of cruisers have watermakers but still consider fresh water to be precious. We all take care with the time spent in the shower. We all wish we could use more water to rinse dive gear, etc. Using seawater in the sink for initial rinsing of cutlery, pans, coffee pots etc seems like a no-brainer.

I strongly recommend using a pressurized system - you will make better use of it. The Jabsco mini-diaphragm pump shown in the photo draws only 1.9 Amps which is surely insignificant for short periods of pumping. Since I've attached a photo, I have to point out that I found this pump in a slightly dodgy chandlery in Singapore with the label cut-out. Apologies to Jabsco if it was not supposed to be sold. The demand pressure switch is the same as found on 'full-size' fresh water delivery pumps.


Also attaching a photo of the tap, which is the type used for filtered household water. It's reasonable quality stainless and priced for mass-market. The combined pump and tap deliver seawater at a suitable pressure and flow for the purpose of rinsing - any greater pressure would lead to seawater splashing around the galley.

[Marathon1150]

A sea water foot pump in the galley is IMHO really important. Ours does double duty - the seacock has two positions. One accesses the ocean and the other pumps out the refrigerator when required after eg. defrosting the freezer section.

As others have noted, we also use a seawater rinse of washed dishes followed by a fresh water spritzer rinse.

A fresh water foot pump (or other manual pump) is also very useful to save water and power. We have one in the galley and the head.

In all cases above we are using Whale Gushers. No issues with any of them after about 12 years of use. I did rebuild the sea water pump just after purchasing the boat because I didn't carefully troubleshoot the cause of its malfunction. After installing the rebuild kit, the pump still didn't work, and this was because the spigot was clogged with salt, not because there was a problem with the foot pump. A twenty-four hour soak of the on/off valve on the spigot in vinegar solved the problem. Sigh.....