Replumbing Murrelet

[Fortin024]

Hey folks,
I’ve replaced my water pump due to the old one drawing too much power. I’ve come to the conclusion that these water pumps don’t like pushing water in the 3/8 poly and makes them work harder.
The new jabsco Parmax hd4 max current draw is 10 amps and I’m at 10 amps each time I use it.
So I’m redrawing my plumbing setup right now and would like to know if any of you have tips and tricks to get the two hose fed from the galley under the settee to the head up forward.
Do I have to cut access under the settee or will I be able to tie something to the end of the old poly hose and pull it through? Our boats tend to have stuff zapstrapped to the haul and then everything was built over it.

Any suggestions is welcome,
Cheers,
Mike

 

[mpearson]

Hi Mike - where are your water tanks? We have a 1983 384, and we have a tank under the starboard settee and under the v-berth. I know some 382s have the tank on the port side instead of starboard.

I just did a major re-plumbing and tore out (almost) all of the old grey 3/8” polybutylene & replaced it with 1/2” PEX.

The run from the galley sink to the head was the easiest part of the whole project because we don’t have a tank on the port side. My guess is you do?

I’ve got a gigantic post that I’ve been writing about our project that I’ll post today or tomorrow. Lots of pictures, etc.

 

[terry_thatcher]

The hoses and pipes in the port run, next to the water tank, get mixed up and won't always pull through. I would recommend you get a fairly stiff electricians snake to make the first effort. I have created easier access in the head by cutting out the forward part of the vanity, then screwing it back in with teak battens. Otherwise, getting to the forward end of the run is virtually impossible or at least, very hard unless you have a 4 year old child doing the work. In the galley, you may need to lift out the water heater. 10 amps seems very high; but I have never measured my current flow. Now I will.

 

[Warren Holybee]

Even with the aux tank, there is *a lot* of room in that chase way. Just from memory, it's got to be 4" wide, and 8" tall.

I would think you should be able to attach the new PEX to the old poly, and pull it out and through at the same time. If that doesn't work, it isn't a big deal to remove the top of the settee , and then you can access the channel from there.

 

[Fortin024]

Thanks for your answers. I do not have a tank on port side, only under the starboard settee. I should of mentioned that. I have storage under the port settee. Haven’t decided yet whether I’m doing it all in flexible hoses or if I’m going the pex route.

 

[Fortin024]

Even with the aux tank, there is *a lot* of room in that chase way. Just from memory, it's got to be 4" wide, and 8" tall.

I would think you should be able to attach the new PEX to the old poly, and pull it out and through at the same time. If that doesn't work, it isn't a big deal to remove the top of the settee , and then you can access the channel from ther

Warren, any tips on where to start if I should remove the top part of the settee? Mine has storage lined with a fibreglass liner.

I should also let you guys know that I’ve redone the shower plumbing already and created the access ports behind the head and in the shower under the faucet already.

 

[Warren Holybee]

I can only speak for mine, which has the aux tank. There was a vinyl cover glued on top. I ripped that off, and it exposed screws. I had to cut one end, being careful not to cut too deep.

But try to fish the hoses through first. You might be surprised how easy that is.

 

[mpearson]

Without a tank on the port side it will be (should be?!) super easy. I have hatches every 24” or so, so either pulling of tubing or pushing of PEX is quite easy. I’d go for PEX on that long run - it’s cheaper, semi-rigid, and installs really easily. We pushed 10 ft chunks from the quarter berth, thru the door/hatch under the galley sink, thru the hole behind the sink, and all the way to the head. The stuff bends enough to get it around the corners. It’s about 600% easier with two people (versus one).

FWIW we had 4 pipes on that run: 1) hot, and 2) cold feeding the head. Going the other way: 3) v-berth water tank feed to the galley, and 4) shower drain pumped line on its way to the torpedo tube drain.

I normally get focused on the task at hand and forget the big picture. For once in my life I planned ahead a little and also pulled some wire on these runs. We want to install a water maker, so we ran power for that up near the head. We also installed USB ports on the port side of the table (for charging phones/tablets), and in the head, and we ran the wire for that. We also installed a water tank level sensor in the forward tank and ran a wire for that. So we are all set for everything to finish going to wireless.

BTW: like Terry said, 10 amps seems suspiciously high for a pump that’s just putting out 40 psi or so, and low flow. I need to think on that one.

 

[Fortin024]

Without a tank on the port side it will be (should be?!) super easy. I have hatches every 24” or so, so either pulling of tubing or pushing of PEX is quite easy. I’d go for PEX on that long run - it’s cheaper, semi-rigid, and installs really easily. We pushed 10 ft chunks from the quarter berth, thru the door/hatch under the galley sink, thru the hole behind the sink, and all the way to the head. The stuff bends enough to get it around the corners. It’s about 600% easier with two people (versus one).

FWIW we had 4 pipes on that run: 1) hot, and 2) cold feeding the head. Going the other way: 3) v-berth water tank feed to the galley, and 4) shower drain pumped line on its way to the torpedo tube drain.

I normally get focused on the task at hand and forget the big picture. For once in my life I planned ahead a little and also pulled some wire on these runs. We want to install a water maker, so we ran power for that up near the head. We also installed USB ports on the port side of the table (for charging phones/tablets), and in the head, and we ran the wire for that. We also installed a water tank level sensor in the forward tank and ran a wire for that. So we are all set for everything to finish going to wireless.

BTW: like Terry said, 10 amps seems suspiciously high for a pump that’s just putting out 40 psi or so, and low flow. I need to think on that one.

Awesome thanks for sharing your experience.

As far as the pump goes, 10 amps is the rated maximal power draw from the pump… so I’m just assuming here, but I’m assuming it’s working too hard trying to push what should be 1/2 into 3/8… at least that’s the only logical explanation I could come up with. I have no other restrictions, strainers are clear.