Fresh water pump

C

Captain Mike

Active member
Joined
Aug 9, 2020
Messages
31
Fluid Motion Model
C-248 C
Water Pump is making noise but very little water is moving through the kitchen and bathroom taps.
perhaps there is air in the system?

Is there a way to drain the fresh water tank without using the water pump?
Where is the water pump?

Ranger tug 2016 25' classic
 
Could be a pump failing. But my money is on “stuff” from the fresh water tank plugging up the line into/at the pump. The factory wasn’t great about cleaning “stuff” out of the tank during final assembly. By “stuff” I don’t mean air. These water pumps are pretty good self-primers.
Could also be that “stuff” got through the pump and is now stuck into the screens at the faucets. Have you checked the water pressure after taking the faucet heads off and turning the water on? That may help identify the problem(s) location.
 
Once you locate the pump, remove the filter at the pump and check for debris. (open the faucets first to reduce pressure in the line)

pump.jpg
 
I second the "stuff" as the culprit. Mine did the same thing and when I checked the filter it had a lot of plastic shavings from drilling the holes for the inlet and pickup tube during installation.
 
So, it would appear that my pump froze last winter, cap on the filter was broken and after we fixed that the problem persisted. Lots of air getting into the system, so we get sprouts of water mixed with gust of air out of the taps, but the pump itself runs consistently, not just when the tap is engaged so I think it is toast. Have ordered a new pump and see if that is the issue.
 
When replacing pump consider a variable speed pump like Johnson 5 gpm. In my 2020 R29 it was a simple replacement. Same size and same inlet/outlet fittings.
 
Ok, so I changed the water pump and the problem persists, so there must be a broken water line or something wrong with the water tank itself.
I believe the water tank is under the floor toward the front. Any idea how one would access the tank and the water lines, the lines are behind the kitchen cabinets?
 
On my Cutwater C24 I had the same problem. After changing everything including a new pump it turned out to be that the pick up in the the tank was a bit to long and in my opinion the top of the tank through two years had dropped and the pick up was on the bottom of the tank. I pulled the pick up tube out cut it about a 1/4 in shorter and angle cut it. I have had no problems now for three or more years.
KKRCRACE
 
Captain Mike said:
Ok, so I changed the water pump and the problem persists, so there must be a broken water line or something wrong with the water tank itself.
I believe the water tank is under the floor toward the front. Any idea how one would access the tank and the water lines, the lines are behind the kitchen cabinets?
Click to expand...
I have the exact same issue and like you replaced the fresh water pump this past week (Aug 27), but the problem persists. Called Ranger support and they suggested I may need to remove plywood panel from floor that is below dining/"coffin" bunk on starboard side to get to the tank. But still need to troubleshoot cause. All exposed valves/fittings were dry for hot and cold water lines from head to stern. The new pump I used was same vendor but increased gpm flow. The pump built pressure and would turn off on its own with all the faucets closed, and when I opened any single one would get a short 1 second burst of water before going to a trickle again. If I get to the tank and inspect the "feed" lines to the pump and from the fresh water fill to the tank, I will post what I discover.

(Sep 8) For troubleshooting, we disconnected the line from the fresh water tank to the pump and replaced it with a short piece of braided tubing and connected one end to the pump and the other end into a bucket of water. When we turned on the pump, we suddenly had pressure and water flowing to all the faucets. So it is clear that the pump was never the issue and the constriction was ahead of the fresh water pump. After locating access to the fresh water tank which in the R27 was in the "cubby" bunk under the dinette and towards the foot of that space (yes it is a crawl), there were 3 screws to get access. After using small channel locks, to unscrew the connection and pulling the clear plastic "feed tube", we noticed there was a dark spot in the middle of the tube. Upon blowing it out we found that it was plastic shavings that were being sucked up in that line and when the pump turned on these tiny fragments would compress together and slow the water to a trickle. (I believe the shavings may have been from the initial tank install). All is working now.
 
Last edited:
When I turn the water pressure switch on, the pump runs constantly and we only get spurts of water mixed with air. Only way to turn the pump off is to shut off the switch on the main panel.
 
Dcsqatar said:
When replacing pump consider a variable speed pump like Johnson 5 gpm. In my 2020 R29 it was a simple replacement. Same size and same inlet/outlet fittings.
Click to expand...
What about the current amps? Will this work with current fuse?
 
Captain Mike said:
When I turn the water pressure switch on, the pump runs constantly and we only get spurts of water mixed with air. Only way to turn the pump off is to shut off the switch on the main panel.
Click to expand...
Have you tried to turn on the pump and open all the faucets on the boat at the same time? It's possible that air is trapped high in the system and can't escape. Keeping all the faucets fully open for 10 seconds so that all air can be purged together, and then shut off might help here.
 
Ok, so after much fooling around it would appear I have fixed the problem, it was as simple as a loose pipe fitting.
Apparently my pump froze at some point last winter. The cap of the filter was cracked but when I put a new pump in, the problem was still there, so it turns out that when the pump froze, so did the water line and one fitting close to the pump was pushed out creating a air leak. Even though no water was leaking, just a minor air leak is all it takes to make the pump fail to push water.
So, if your water pump does this, take the time to check all of the fittings first (don't ruch out and buy a new pump like I did).
 
Captain Mike said:
Ok, so after much fooling around it would appear I have fixed the problem, it was as simple as a loose pipe fitting.
Apparently my pump froze at some point last winter. The cap of the filter was cracked but when I put a new pump in, the problem was still there, so it turns out that when the pump froze, so did the water line and one fitting close to the pump was pushed out creating a air leak. Even though no water was leaking, just a minor air leak is all it takes to make the pump fail to push water.
So, if your water pump does this, take the time to check all of the fittings first (don't ruch out and buy a new pump like I did).
Click to expand...
And the filter cap is only about $20 on Amazon. Just beware of the fragile o-ring in The cap. If it’s not just right air will leak in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top