Mach 5 Headhunter pump

[Thomas.misskelly]

I just installed a new Mach 5 fresh water pump on my 55’ SF as recommended by Hatteras. It frequently shuts itself off and I have to turn the breaker on and off (breaker is not tripped) then it comes back on. Seems frequent when using the ice chipper. My friend has the same pump on his Bertram and he has the same problem. Has anyone else had this issue?

[Reefgeorge]

That pump will shut down if it cycles too much. Try turning all the faucets on full blast to get all the air out of the system. Also make sure that there are no suction leaks or small pressure leaks anywhere. They upgraded the board many years ago to help with this problem but if its a new pump that is probably not the issue here.

George

[Pascal]

I ve had these pumps On boats I run for years and years. They re great but very sensitive to air intake leaks.

First make sure you don’t have any air leaks. Check the strainer gasket and most importantly the intake fitting. Use pipe tape. For a long time I assumed it was ok and was once again reminded of why the word assume starts with the word ass

Then purge it throughly. Headhunter has a video on you tube.

Open at least 3 or 4 faucets, then turn the breaker on. Let it run 20 seconds and turn off the breaker. Repeat a dozen time, the last time turn the faucets off while the pump runs

That s it. But again make sure you have no air leaks or after a few days or a week you ll be back to step one.

[Reefgeorge]

Watch those you tube videos as Pascal has recommended for a complete explanation of priming and suction leaks. The most likely reason why the ice chipper causes this is because of the low flow rate not expelling the air trapped in the pump.

George

[bobstorey]

I have a Mach 5 installed by the previous owner, that I've had a tendency to do the same thing. The previous owner noted that he initially had poor connections to his icemaker, which he thought caused excessive cycling and eventual shut-off.

I subsequently found some upstream air leaks, but also discovered that the problem would emerge as the water level dropped in my fresh water tank. Topped off and it runs flawlessly, but starts to act up as I get to about a half tank. The old suction line on the tank is smaller than the new supply line which probably doesn't help - and I likely have some leaks in the dip tube. Off season project.

You might also talk to Mach 5 about the alignment of your filter, regulator and pressure tank - I've heard some mixed stories about proper set-up that can impact the pump cycling.

[Pascal]

They told me the same thing... that having the main water filter too close to the pump outlet could cause errors. That wasn’t the case. It was just air leak on the intake side