Hurricane Matthew and plumbing😬

[rastamon]

Filled fresh water tanks a day before the storm. No damage😎 Now can't get pump to prime. Suggestions?


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[DDabs]

Do you have inspection ports? Perhaps some debris got sloshed around and is blocking something in the tank?

[Franziska]

Take hose of at tap, poor in some water with a funnel, run pump.
Works on my manual pumps.

Good luck!

www.ladyrover.com

[rwidman]

Without a lot more information, it's pretty hard to troubleshoot. Was it working before you filled the tanks? Did you do anything else besides filling the tanks?

[zeehag]

mebbe matthew stole your water-
have you checked to make sure you have no tank leakage...
have you checked to make sure they are filled now
have you checked your breaker switch
have you checked your pump and connections(electricity)
have you checked all waterlines for properly tightened hoseclamps and integrity of lines
ok now go back
start over and do not forget to check your bilge for water in the process.
helpful hint--when filling tanks make sure water in boat is running so pump maintains prime.
could be an air bubble in your pump oops had that
could be........and yes i have had em all ... my boat 40 yrs old.

[rwidman]

The last time my water didn't work it was because I had accidentally closed the valve at the bottom of the tank.

[rastamon]

Thanks for the suggestions. Had no problems with system prior to the storm. If the breaker was off, the pump wouldn't run. My manual whale pump in the galley is not working either. Yes, tanks are still full.I briefly went through the the system for obvious problems, leaks, clamps etc.
All valves are open. Was also thinking about debris in the tanks. There are no observation ports for a visual. Was also wondering if the air vents were flooded, would this be suspect?



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[lonesoldier0408]

Is it possible, that the feed has broken loose from the bottom of the tank, and is now floating on top of the water.? 🤔

[rastamon]

I will be removing the valves at the tanks tomorrow to check for flow. Im sure they need replacing anyway. Am considering draining the tanks to check for debris.


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[Dave22q]

Open a faucet and turn the pump breaker on. If you can feel or hear the pump vibrating your power is fine. I would be very surprised if a marine fresh water pump requires priming. Most are self priming. Running you tank dry is not a rare event. I know you think it should be full but a clamp failure can empty you out overnight. Check the water in your tank, if good leave the pump on and check the bilge for a leak. You should be able to hear a leak to approximately locate it. If no leak disconnect the pump intake hose to see if there is a blockage. If so a wire snake might solve your problem. If the pump went bad it still might vibrate when connected. In that case it's replace or repair. If you have to replace make sure you know the size of the pump hose connectors so you don't have to mess with connectors. Many pumps offer a choice of connectors. Good luck with your investigation.

[Capt n Ron]

Just a thought I have 4 water tanks with a 4 valve manifold, one for each tank, if more than one valve is in the open position I get nothing I thought I had a similar problem until
i closed the valve to the empty tank and opened ONE valve to the next tank. never had an issue with the pump losing its prime as mentioned earlier most or all are self priming
Have no idea if your's works the same way

[pesarsten]

Turn on the pump, turn on the faucet, and suck on the faucet! If it's air bound that might prime it.

[rastamon]

Thanks for the advice!
Here's an update. Because the system worked fine on shore water I narrowed the problem between the tanks and the pump. After inspecting the tank outlets, tank valves and several tees, I disconnected the tee feeding the Whale manual pump and the sure flo pump. I found a blocked fitting with a small crack leading to the manual pump. Removed and replaced tee and replaced the feed hose to the Whale. Powered on,Opened faucet. System is back to prime and operating properly. Took a while but the plus is all valves replaced and system is updated two weeks before our departure to the Abacos⛵️🐬



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