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Post by drakesmith on Jul 10, 2022 16:16:48 GMT
I’m not sure how to clean the fresh water filter as it seems the air conditioning raw water strainer blocks access to the filter as shown in this photo (note red arrow pointing to water filter):  Also, I am not sure if there are any valves to close before performing this procedure. I assume I must at least remove power to the pump and relieve pressure in the lines by opening the fresh water faucets. No details whatsoever in the NC 1095 Owners Manual. Thank you. |
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Post by 1095user on Jul 18, 2022 0:57:12 GMT
Yes; it is very hard to get to and does need cleaning.
I turn off the water pressure and open a faucet like you said, then screw it off. I plan to relocate it and will tap into the blue line under the steps where it can be more easily reached.
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Post by drakesmith on Jul 18, 2022 10:10:27 GMT
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Post by 1095user on Jul 18, 2022 20:30:24 GMT
Hi again,
I plan to remove the filter and plug that outlet on the pump with a cap and will install a new, separate inline strainer in a more convenient spot along the same freshwater supply pipe. This way the pump won't need to be relocated.
I will post pics when done, but in the meantime I have my hands full with other modifications!
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Post by rene460 on Jul 20, 2022 12:46:12 GMT
Hi Drakesmith,
You mentioned that you are thinking of adding an accumulator on the pump discharge, a project that I thought long and hard about but concluded that it is not necessary.
Certainly, in some models, they are included, and there are many threads in the archives on getting the air pressure right.
The SO30i does not have it, and honestly, as carefully as I observed the operation of the system, I could not see any issues that an accumulator would solve. In fact no problems with the water system at all, although I did get a crack in the cover of that strainer on the pump inlet that is “so conveniently” placed in your installation. (What were they thinking?) But no bumps or thumps which might indicate the need for an accumulator.
The main purpose of an accumulator is to optimise the on/off cycle of the pump when the flow to an open tap is less than the capacity of the pump. When a tap is full open, the pressure is not high enough to cause the pump to cycle, and it just runs continuously. If the tap is only open a little, the pump does start and stop, but this is not often required in my experience.
The pump starts with no noticeable delay when a tap is opened, and no thumps or bumps when a tap is shut off. The inherent construction of the diaphragm pump may be an advantage in this situation.
I expect that on a larger boat, if you have a much higher capacity pump, the on/off cycling might occur more often, but I suspect that unless that condition continues for hours rather than less than a minute, no harm is done. Even if you have an accumulator, under some flow rates the pump will still stop and start. Of course, if you have a small leak in the system, the regular bursts of pump operation will soon drive you to find the leak, but the accumulator may give you a little more sleep in the mean time.
A very long winded way of saying I am not convinced that it is really necessary.
rene460
PS for what it’s worth, I would look at moving the pump. It looks like it is mounted on an internal bulkhead so could be moved towards the camera in your photo enough to provide sufficient access to that strainer, which of course must be on the inlet side of the pump to protect the pump valves from anything coming from the tank.
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Post by drakesmith on Jul 20, 2022 20:02:45 GMT
Hi, Rene460,
Thank you for your detailed assessment. You may be exactly right -- I don't have enough experience with the water system in that boat myself because the fresh water only ever worked the first few weeks. After that, most of the facets stopped working. I found that the filter/aerators for the salon, head, shower, and cockpit shower faucets were completely blocked with some kind of gritty sediment. After cleaning those out, the water runs better, but the system now seems to have lots of air in both the cold and hot water lines. That's why I asked about cleaning the water filter ahead of the pump (a job I will perform tomorrow). What's worse, the heating element may have burned out in my hot water heater because of insufficient water in its tank, perhaps due to a mostly-blocked water filter (I never let the main water tank run low).
After that is all working, I will confirm your recommendation on an accumulator.
--Drake Smith
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Post by rene460 on Jul 21, 2022 2:57:53 GMT
Hi Drakesmith,
You certainly have been through some trials on this one, but don’t give up yet, it’s still a great boat.
First, don’t worry about the hot water tank. The cold water goes in the bottom (or should!) and the hot comes out at the top. If no cold water goes in, then no hot comes out, and the tank sits there full of water with the heater controlled by the thermostat. Even a little air sitting in the top of the tank just gives a little cushion for the thermal expansion.
The whole saga can likely be due to a single event, dirt entering the tank prior to installation, or a fill with dirty water.
Cleaning the strainers at each outlet is always the first port of call with low flow issues, and of course the pump inlet strainer probably needs cleaning as well.
Air gets into the system if the tank is actually run dry. It can only enter on the inlet side of the pump, as the outlet side is always at or above atmospheric pressure. It can also get in if the cover of the inlet strainer is cracked, quite a common problem it seems, or not properly tightened, quite possible with that installation, or if there is any fault in the inlet hose connections or damage to the hose. Once the cause is fixed, it is purged by opening each tap in turn with the pump running. This is one task where I always just crack open the taps to allow some flow, otherwise, lots of banging and crashing as the air clears.
I would be investigating moving the pump as it’s obviously quite difficult to properly fit the strainer cap with that installation. Inspect the o-ring, apply a little of the white grease approved for potable water systems and re-fit the cover, being careful not to cross thread it. Is that pump mounted on an internal bulkhead, or on the hull skin? Finally purge the air out through each tap.
Let us know how you get on when you get back to the boat.
rene460
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Post by drakesmith on Jul 21, 2022 20:10:24 GMT
Rene460, It turns out that there is no need to relocate the fresh water pump. Mine is a Jabsco PAR-MAX 3.5 model 32600-7007 that uses a diaphragm strainer with a “plug-in” port. There is a blue tab on the body of the pump that, when pushed down, releases the strainer. Once released, you can move the strainer away from the air conditioning strainer and easily access the cover to get at the filter screen:  Note how clogged my screen is in the photo. Not sure what that greasy gray guck is, or where it came from, but for sure I am never drinking from the so-called fresh water tank. Thanks for your procedure to bleed air out of the system. I will do that later today. Concerning the hot water heater, I measure a few ohms across the AC line plug, so I assume the element has not burned out. I will test that later today as well. --Drake Smith |
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Post by rene460 on Jul 21, 2022 22:40:24 GMT
Hi Drake Smith, that is indeed good news on the strainer cleaning front.
I would guess that grey stuff is some sort of plumbers grease that was dropped into the tank at some stage, and nothing to worry about, but use the white tap grease on the cap threads. Probably worth seeing if there is an inspection port on the top of the tank, and opening it up for inspection and cleaning. Then tank treatment with bleach or rv tank cleaner, and drain and fill a few times if you are concerned. Also give all the lines a good flush through each tap, until the aerator strainers do not gather any more. In the mean time, showers, dish washing and toilet flushing with bottled water for drinking until you are happy that it’s all clean. Then I would use it normally, at least for when you will be boiling it anyway.
In the long term, water tends to sit in the tank for long periods under less than ideal temperature conditions, so bottled water for drinking is a good idea, especially if you use many different water sources and are not confident of them all. We were in a marina served by town water and normally used it for everything without any troubles.
That strainer cap is different from what I have seen and may not be so prone to cracking, but just go easy on re-fitting it.
rene460
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