Mahe 36: Plumbing and Water Heater

[Rufduck]

We sail year round and avoid anti freeze. Instead, I have 2x 600w heaters, 1 in each engine bay, and a pair of 800w heaters, 1 in each head plus the dehumidifier in the galley. Another project for this year is to make the engine room heaters a permanent install and hard wire them to a dedicated secondary shore power circuit.
The two head heaters just plug into the 110vac shore power outlets along with the dehumidifier.
This year I was caught 2000 miles away from home. I install the heaters before the traditional seriously cold weather. Normally, if it gets really cold, <10f, we just take the boat out and live in it for the duration, rarely more than a few days.
Cheers

[Rufduck]

“The 2 pump mystery may be solved. 1 pump for cold and 1 pump for delivery to the hot water heater. Guess it keeps from pressurizing both hot and cold at the same time?”

Well, not quite. The two pumps are fitted in parallel. Either or both (?) feeding essentially a manifold that delivers cold water to either the cold circuit or the hot water tank, as needed. Perhaps, one is to serve as a backup should the other fail. Seem to be wired to a satellite electrical box with a rocker switch. Hopefully, it selects pump #2 manually, unless both pumps operate at the same time.
My manuals are all in French so “learning” the boat is an ongoing adventure.
Will know more after Thursday when the new part arrives.
Cheers,

[Rufduck]

Well, the mystery freeze damage leaks are solved.
Turns out there are two freshwater pumps. One is a primary pump that operates when the switch on the electrical panel is turned on. The other is a back up pump that has a separate electrical switch in the engine compartment. That switch disengages power to the primary pump and engages power to the secondary or backup pump. It receives power from the switch on the electrical panel.

The freeze damage that I experienced broke the filter site glasses on both pumps. Replaced those and discovered a third leak. Turns out the primary pump, which has been kaput since we bought the boat and I didn’t know it, froze in the pressure switch on the pump. No visual external damage but it had a slow leak. Interestingly, the pump freezing also fixed whatever the problem with the pump was that caused it not to work in the first place.
After taking the electrical system apart that feeds both pumps I discovered how it was wired. I replaced the broken primary pump, a Johnson WPS 2.4, with a Johnson WPS 2.9. The replacement part was half the $85 cost of the new pump. Whether it is an actual truth or just a coincidence, the 2.9 is an order of magnitude quieter than the old 2.4. I cannot determine any significant difference in water flow volume at the faucet.
As an aside, the quick connect fittings are things of beauty. A simple push on one end of a sliding lock unlocks it and a tug pulls it from the pump or filter body. Installation is just as easy, insert and push the locking mechanism home. If you have to force it, you’re doing it wrong so, look for a cause.
Cheers and hope this might help someone else.