General Info: Water pump keeps running

[Marjane]

Problem: fresh water pump keeps running until it throws the breaker. Seems to be a lot of water pressure when I shut it off. Any suggestions???? Can a water pump bypass the pressure tank if that is the problem?

[Allied39]

It could be and sounds likely the pressure switch is not working.
The easiest way to work this out is to cap or in some other way stop up the outlet, or very close to the outlet and switch it on.
If the pumps runs continuously until it throws the breaker......thats your problem.

[Darksyde]

It's the relay on the water pump
take a screwdriver and hit it soft and it will stop
Replace Relay

[Tin Tin]

There would only be power through the relay if the pressure switch allows it, so it would seem the pressure switch needs fixing depending on model.

[SV__Grace]

What kind of pump do you have? The pressure switch is the likely culprit but if it's a diaphragm pump the seals or diaphragm might be leaking/compromised.

As liveaboards our water pump is a crucial piece of equipment so we always have a spare.

When the water pump acts up, it is easy to swap it out and install the spare, then order a rebuild kit and replacement pressure switch, rebuild and repeat.

[dblanken]

Mine did this recently and I replaced the valve assembly, which cost about $10. Working great now. I'd guess its the most common failure followed by the pressure switch. Because yours is overloading though, i would guess pressure switch, especially if you are getting good flow.

[dennismenace111]

TInTin has it right...Youve got a stuck or defective pressure switch. The only other possiblity is a leak in the system somewhere that allows the system pressure to fall off enough to trigger the pump to come on

[Mikado]

I had a similar problem. Tuts out there was a small leak at my water maker. No water was leaking but it was picking up air preventing the pressure from reaching proper PSI for the pressure switch to turn off.

Good luck, Jeff

[gpridgen]

SV Grace has the best universal solution, you do not have to be a live-aboard for it to make sense. Cruising in Bahamas without A/C you do not want spend any more time below decks doing repairs than you have to. Two identical pumps makes for quick R&R, and avoids guessing which spares to carry

[Lepke]

If it's a diaphragm pump with the pressure switch in the front end, the switch commonly used is too small and eventually the contacts burn. Either welding together or failing to make good enough contact to run the motor. If you take it apart, the switch is usually a common micro switch and costs under $5. You can find one on ebay or an appliance store for much less than the average pump maker charges.

The switch is usually rated for 120 Ac, when used with 12v, it's beyond the rating.

[Stu Jackson]

Every single type of pump used for domestic water supply has a Troubleshooting Guide in the manual. It covers what to do with all the parts. Otherwise, it could be running because you have a leak in the piping.

[Tin Tin]

Originally Posted by Marjane

Problem: fresh water pump keeps running until it throws the breaker. Seems to be a lot of water pressure when I shut it off. Any suggestions???? Can a water pump bypass the pressure tank if that is the problem?

Is the Pump a Jabsco Diaphragm pump, got a photo of it, model number etc for example https://www.jabscoshop.com/spare-par...ode=30620-0292

[Huggi21]

If you cant find any water leaks in the system The quickest and cheapest electrical fault finding method is too disconnect the 2 wires to the pressure switch first ,turn on the circuit and touch together ,if the pump runs then its almost sure its the pressure switch not working, if the pump dosen't run when wires are connected , probably the relay is faulty . This how i found out my relay was the issue ,nice easy fix for a change