Yet another fresh water pump thread…

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UrsusMaritimus

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
41
Location
Canada
Vessel Name
Midnight Sun
Vessel Make
1985 Hershine 42 Sundeck
My trawler came with a Shurflo water pump (unsure of the model), that was incredibly loud and lacking in pressure and water flow. I have been searching for a good replacement for some time now, and in the meantime I have resorted to a cheap Amazon RV pump that is both quiet, and has good pressure and flow. The problem is that this pump fails rather quickly. Amazon has been good about it, and has sent replacements numerous times, but I don’t want to keep replacing the pump every 6 months or so.

So, I am searching for a quality pump that has a good flow rate and good pressure, and is also quiet. I’d love to hear from the forum members here who love their pumps. What are my options?

Thanks!
 
My trawler came with a Shurflo water pump (unsure of the model), that was incredibly loud and lacking in pressure and water flow. I have been searching for a good replacement for some time now, and in the meantime I have resorted to a cheap Amazon RV pump that is both quiet, and has good pressure and flow. The problem is that this pump fails rather quickly. Amazon has been good about it, and has sent replacements numerous times, but I don’t want to keep replacing the pump every 6 months or so.

So, I am searching for a quality pump that has a good flow rate and good pressure, and is also quiet. I’d love to hear from the forum members here who love their pumps. What are my options?

Thanks!
I would start by looking at what the specs are on the Amazon pump that works so well. Then look for a pump from a quality manufacturer that has similar specs. Not sure what "quality" means in this context, but I'm sure you will get lots of opinion. I would tend to look at ShurFlo and Whale, only because I've used both of those successfully in the past.
 
I'd be interested in seeing those specs, too. I assume it's a gear pump, since it's so quiet. I've been thinking about going with something quieter, too.
 
The Amazon pump is rated for 6gpm and 70PSI, although I take those numbers with a grain of salt.

Based on the feedback I’ve gotten here, and other threads I have read, I am going to go for the Marco UP3/e.

Hopefully it lives up to the hype. 👍
 
I have never used them but it sounds like Marco would be the way to go.
 
Just ensure it is oriented that the motor is above the pump, like any pump should be.
 
The Amazon pump is rated for 6gpm and 70PSI, although I take those numbers with a grain of salt.

Based on the feedback I’ve gotten here, and other threads I have read, I am going to go for the Marco UP3/e.

Hopefully it lives up to the hype. 👍
Let us know how it works out for you.
 
Let us know how it works out for you.
Yes please do. One review I read raised questions about whether it would have the lift to service a sink and ice maker on the flybridge. I suspect it would just fine, but I'd love to hear your experience.
BD
 
The lift on a Marco isn't a problem, if you mean after the pump. Marcos are different than most domestic water pumps, in that they are not self priming. A four lobe pump will self prime 10 feet at least, but a Marco is challenged to do 3. If the pump is mounted below the tank, no problem. There is a priming bleed screw which will help prime it to a few feet of suction. More than that and I might avoid the Marco. And you cannot have any suction leaks on the intake side, or it will lose its prime frequently as air leaks in. After the pump it will do at least 40 psi, so unless your flybridge is over about 60' above the WL, no problem.
 
The lift on a Marco isn't a problem, if you mean after the pump. Marcos are different than most domestic water pumps, in that they are not self priming. A four lobe pump will self prime 10 feet at least, but a Marco is challenged to do 3. If the pump is mounted below the tank, no problem. There is a priming bleed screw which will help prime it to a few feet of suction. More than that and I might avoid the Marco. And you cannot have any suction leaks on the intake side, or it will lose its prime frequently as air leaks in. After the pump it will do at least 40 psi, so unless your flybridge is over about 60' above the WL, no problem.
Thanks. That's why you don't trust everything you read on the internet.
 
+++ for the Marco. Worth every penny. Quiet, variable speed maintains even flow, no burps and surges like the Jabscos. The closest you can get to city water afloat. Nothing else comes close.
 
Is everyone using pressure tanks when talking about the performance of the Marco pumps? I'm wondering about the surging of the water flow without the pressure tank.
 
Actually, I like the fact that the pump makes enough noise when it runs so I can hear it. Let me know several times I had blowback , a leak, or had to switch from an empty tank.
 
The Marco will work well without a pressure tank in a reasonably large system. When I put one in my truck camper, it had some surge problems. The controller has to have a little bit of dead band at it's pressure set point, and the camper with a very limited system, short pipe lengths seemed to cause it some problems. Solved with one of the tiny Shurflo pressure tanks (1/2 L I think?).

The Marco is also not silent, but purrs a little more pleasantly than the rattle from a four lobe. Its controller has several fail-safe features, among them is it will shut off if run open too long (5 minutes I think), also recogonizes a slow leak, a locked motor, and a dry tank. There are a couple of LEDs that wink out the error problem. One of the variable speed Jabscos from history had some of these features, and they were a world of trouble from false alarms. That does not seem to be a problem with the Marco.
 
I left the pressure tank in place when I swapped the Jabsco out for the Marco with no problems. A slight surge to catch up with the bladder when I open a faucet then smooth flow thereafter. I failed to sufficiently tighten one of the fittings when I made the swap, and the sound of the pump was loud enough to alert me to the leak without burping like the Jabsco. Cost is the only reason not to get a Marco.
 
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