Manual sink faucet in pressure water system

[Mike OReilly]

Q: I plan to install a manual water pump downstream of a pressure water pump. Will this work, or am I asking for trouble ?

Details:

My current pressure water system uses a simple Jabsco pump. No accumulator tank. It feeds, through a filter, directly to two faucets; the head and galley.

I am replacing the head faucet with a manual Fynspray brass version. It will draw from the same pressurized line so it has to pull water through the pressure pump AND be able to block the line when closed (not leak due to the pressure in the line).

Bypassing the pressure pump would be a major project (copper piping), so I’m hoping this will work. Am I nuts?

[peghall]

Why do you want to do this?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by peghall

Why do you want to do this?

As I say, b/c bypassing the existing pump and system will be a major project. I’ve got enough of those on my list already .

[Kenomac]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Leave it alone.

If you absolutely must do something, install an accumulator tank which will improve your system... and it's cheap and easy to do.

[Jason Flare]

Does this mean that the Fynspray is going to have water supplied to it under pressure? If so I don't think it will work.

We have a Fynspray at the galley sink with an electric switch that actuates a water pump. That water is not under pressure until the pump is actuated. We can also pump water by hand with the Fynspray, pulling water through the electric water pump.

The sink in the head has a separate pump with a pressure switch. Turn on the faucet and water is pumped.

Note: These are separate systems drawing water from common tanks.

[Cheechako]

Tee in between tank and water pressure pump with hose. That cant be too hard can it?
I had a boat with foot manual pumps and pressure, IIRC they were tied into the tank outlet though.

[janice142]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Tee in between tank and water pressure pump with hose. That cant be too hard can it?
I had a boat with foot manual pumps and pressure, IIRC they were tied into the tank outlet though.

ON Seaweed between the filter and the water pump I tee'd in a line to the hand pump at my galley sink. It MUST have a one way valve on that line or the whole system won't work. One way valve was ten bucks as I recall.

Mostly I use the hand pump leaving my pressure system off unless I'm taking a shower or washing dishes.

Good luck. I like having the hand pump and continue to look for a foot pump. I'd like one however not at retail prices!

[TJ D]

Mike, I don't think that you there are any of these hand pumps that will tolerate being on a pressurized line.

You'll either have to tee into the suction line for FW pump, or you will have to install a ball valve near your hand pump, keeping it closed unless you want to use it.

Of course, the bummer with that is that you will have to shut off the pressure system every time you want to use the hand pump, and the residual pressure will probably give you more water than you would have used anyway. Basically, if you go to the pressure side of the system, you will have accomplished just about nothing...

I hope that make sense.
TJ

[roverhi]

Hand pumps are near worthless, ever tried washing a hand with itself. Foot pumps work great letting you use both hands to do things like one hand washing the other. The whale lever foot pumps can put out nearly as much water as a pressure pump if you want volume while greatly decreasing water wastage. Just bought a boat with only hand pumps and drove me crazy as I constantly needed a third hand to work the pump while I did something useful with my other two hands.

You can't put a manual pump after a pressure pump. The pressure pump will force water through the manual pump and out its spigot. A real water waster as well as reducing pressure to your pressure faucet. The manual pump works fine before the pressure pump but may require a one way check valve though shouldn't if the valves in the pump are working properly.

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks folks. Just to be clear, the existing faucet is broken, otherwise I certainly wouldn’t bother with this annoying job. I have this brass manual faucet on hand, and I’ve been wanting to install a separate manual water system for some time. My boat’s water system is plumbed with copper tubing, so it not easy to re-route or work with.

I’m sure I can figure out some way to T before the pressure pump, but it will turn a simple job into a major PITA.… But from what most of you are saying, it looks like I’ll have to bite the bullet.

Damn I hate it when I learn what I’d hoped I wouldn’t .

[janice142]

It won't be too bad Mike. And having the ability to get water out of the tank without power is a real boon when you're messing with the 12-volt side of your boat. I like mine especially when underway. More than one sailor has had their water tank empty accidentally when a hose clamp fell off a pressurized system. That is the main reason my pump is off except when doing dishes or showering.

Using the hand pump is no big deal when I simply want a cup of tea...

[slowpoker]

Mike;
If you try to blow air into the inlet of this faucet you want to install and the air goes right through to the spout, then anytime the pressurized water is in the line you are feeding that faucet with, will just pour out of the faucet.
I'm sure you can still keep most of the line that now snakes it's way to that new faucet without altering it's path to it; but where it is now connected to the pressure line, (usually branching off it); a short section of that branch must be cut and plugged with a cap or a shut off valve.
Now connect this existing feed line for the new faucet you just cut, adding some more fittings and some new line as an extension, by also cutting into and installing a 'tee' anyplace you can have space on the line that comes from the water tank as long as it is before the pressure pump. That plastic, flexible, translucent tubing sold in hardware stores, of the same diameter as your copper, works well for all the turns you may need to make to reach this new location with the new 'tee'.
Compression fittings are fine. Even those 'shark bite' push on types are OK and easy to work with. Buy extra fittings you think you may need and when finished, return them if you did not have to use them to save you trips back and forth to the stores. Not a bad project.

[Dave22q]

Putting a manual faucet downstream of the pump makes no sense. If the pump is off, you will be unable to pull water through it. If the pressure is on you will probably have issues as well. The simple solution is either feed the manual faucet/pump from upstream of the water pump or just install an ordinary faucet. The only good reason for a manual faucet/pump is to draw water if the regular pump fails or the power is off.

[sailorbobdeb]

Peg Hall -
I'm trying to PM you about a question I have from your book and it won't let me because I haven't posted a lot and become a trusted member. How can I contact you, please?

[sailorchic34]

If your using the manual pump and never plan on using the pressure pump you can connect it to the copper water line. But you never want have the manual pump connected to the pressurized water system as that would get messy in a hurry.

The issues is working pressure of the manual pump. It's about 2-3 psig (10 feet). The seals, gaskets, etc will leak very quickly if served with pressurized water. It would not be pretty.

While a PITA running a separate line (hose/pex) is a one time job. I far prefer the manual pump BTW.