Variable speed water pump (or at least quiet)?

[mcavage]

Hi (first time posting here),

We bought our first sailboat this summer (Jeanneau 37), which has a Jabsco ParMate 2.5gpb pump on it, which works fine and supplies enough pressure to the faucets, but is incredibly loud; this is particularly annoying overnight as everyone on-board is sure to be woken up when somebody uses the head/wash.

I did a bunch of searching (been lurking here for a while), and found lots of conflicting advice on this, but asking what the recommendations are for a quiet water pump, whether that's variable speed or something else.

Thanks!

[sailormed]

Buy a pack of baby wipes for nightly comfort for your guests and switch off the water pump. Who is the captain ?

[gwalker]

I have the same pump, incredibly noisy at all time of day/night. Let us know what you end up with. I was looking at Marco pumps as I used their gear pump for my oil exchanger.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by mcavage

Hi (first time posting here),

We bought our first sailboat this summer (Jeanneau 37), which has a Jabsco ParMate 2.5gpb pump on it, which works fine and supplies enough pressure to the faucets, but is incredibly loud; this is particularly annoying overnight as everyone on-board is sure to be woken up when somebody uses the head/wash.

I did a bunch of searching (been lurking here for a while), and found lots of conflicting advice on this, but asking what the recommendations are for a quiet water pump, whether that's variable speed or something else.

Thanks!

Whatever you use, a lot of noise can be abated by installing the pump correctly. I wonder if the current installation is hard-mounted? Sounds like it might be.

I mount my Shurflows on the proper soft rubber legs to insulate them acoustically from the hull and cabinetry. They are not too noisy.

[Statistical]

Accumulator tank is an option. It holds a few gallons under pressure which means the pump (pressure activated) doesn't need to turn on with every use.

Of course once the pressure drops sufficiently in the accumulator tank the pump will kick back on (unless you have it turned off) so it isn't unlimited water without the pump but it will reduce the amount of pump cycling.

[sailorboy1]

My boat has a constant flow pump with an accumulator. I once was on a sister boat that had VFP pump and no accumulator instead. I could believe how much louder it was.

[s/v Jedi]

OP wants suggestions for a good pump, why not try to help him instead of telling him to use wipes or fix flawed installation? Arguing is not the purpose of the forum.

So here’s the pump we love and use. It is rather high capacity but there is a smaller one as well. Be sure to use flexible connectors for input and output plumbing to optimize silencing.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[gwalker]

I have rubber mounts and also a small accumulator, 0.2l I believe. I have purchased a 0.5gal accumulator and am looking for a very quiet 4-5gpm pump now. Also adding a whole boat water filter for god measure.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by gwalker

I have rubber mounts and also a small accumulator, 0.2l I believe. I have purchased a 0.5gal accumulator and am looking for a very quiet 4-5gpm pump now. Also adding a whole boat water filter for god measure.

The pump I listed above will work and you can remove the accumulator. For filters, get two Pentek housings (all linked below) and put them in series. Use 1 micron pleated sediment cartridges in the first and an NSF rated carbon block in the second. Use the output from the second filter for a consumption water faucet in the galley and the flush for the watermaker. The rest can all come from the first filter so connect to a T fitting in between the two filters.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Sediment-Cart...7684893&sr=8-8

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[redneckrob]

I installed the Marco and did everything possible to reduce noise including mounting via rubber standoffs designed specifically for this, use of soft flexible silicone hoses, and even wrapped the whole thing in fiberglass insulation behind a closed panel. Still has a loud whine that while quieter than my previous pump is still annoying at night even with my head 20' away in bed.

At this point I've given up on it. If I ever pick it up again I'll probably look at using a 12v watermaker boost pump as mine is nearly silent. I would need some kind of pressure regulator and maybe a bypass to avoid overheating it since it's made for a much higher pressure.

BTW, get ready for a bevy of folks telling you how useful the noise is since they have guests who apparently have not yet mastered the skill of turning off faucets after use and they use the noise to go close taps after them apparently.

[antoha]

I installed a Marco pump, and while I agree there’s some whining noise, it’s a lot less than what my old itt / par/ jabsco 36950 used to create. If Marco is reliable (I only installed it this year), I’m happy.

[zemurray]

A good quiet pump without the need for an accumulator tank is on my project list as well. Our boat has a loud jabsco, not variable speed that was designed for an accumulator setup, but we dont have one. It’s like a jackhammer and chatters when using a small flow of water. We use the foot pump most of the time and avoid it.

I have been eyeing this one https://www.defender.com/product3.js...4231&id=151034

Anyone have experience with that pump?

I’ll add that one Jedi has linked to my list as well.

[RaymondR]

Most of the noise from these positive displacement pumps is water hammer. One of the things done to quieten this is a pulsation dampener installed as close as possible to the pump output. You can buy water hammer dampeners at plumbing stores.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Most of the noise from these positive displacement pumps is water hammer. One of the things done to quieten this is a pulsation dampener installed as close as possible to the pump output. You can buy water hammer dampeners at plumbing stores.

The variable speed pumps slow down before coming to a stop, which eliminates water hammer. We do have dampeners at the solenoid valves for the toilets though.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by zemurray

A good quiet pump without the need for an accumulator tank is on my project list as well. Our boat has a loud jabsco, not variable speed that was designed for an accumulator setup, but we dont have one. It’s like a jackhammer and chatters when using a small flow of water. We use the foot pump most of the time and avoid it.

I have been eyeing this one https://www.defender.com/product3.js...4231&id=151034

Anyone have experience with that pump?

I’ll add that one Jedi has linked to my list as well.

I see that you are looking at smaller capacity pumps. There is a smaller AquaJet and even though it’s almost the same price, it uses less power as well which may be a factor if the electrical circuit can only supply the smaller pumps. You can find it at specialty stores; the one in this link I highly recommend from years of experience with them. Pumps, filters, consumption rated water hose etc. https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/aquajet-aes-12v-pump

Edit: I recommend you avoid the chandleries for pumps. Jabsco used to have a good one at $250 but the new models all break down. I rebuilt mine until they fell apart after more than 10 years. There are still good ones in the $700-1,500 range for those with that kind of budgets but most cruisers in the know have switched to the AquaJets