House Water Pump Suggestion

[Hat52MY]

For the past 12 years we have relied on the Galley Maid MR24-10 pump (24v, 10GPM) to supply the boat with fresh water. For the most part, it has been one of the most reliable pieces of equipment onboard. This past May we arrived at the Highbourne Cay, Exumas anchorage, watched an unbelievable sunset and settled in for the evening. I went to wash my hands and noticed the water pressure was low. Popped opened the hatch, heard the Galley Maid pump running at a high RPM, which typically suggests, the tank is out of water loosing prime or the Stator (impeller) tore and needs to be replaced. The water tanks where full, so I grabbed the tool bag and a new Stator from the spares locker and went to work.

Disassembling the Galley Maid housing the Stator was in good shape. To my astonishment, the shaft of the pump sheared off 1” into the Rotor. The next morning, I called Galley Maid, Raz, etc… and no one had a replacement pump readily available. Quickest ETA was a minimum 2 weeks. Not having any fresh water on the boat, it was quickly setting in, this could be a trip ender. Thankfully, I was able to cannibalize an old raw water wash down pump (24v, 5 GPM) and plumbed it into the fresh water system to supply the boat with Fresh Water. Immediate catastrophe of trip ending avoided.

Not knowing how long the cannibalized pump would last, I had two Jabsco HD6 Freshwater Pumps (24v, 6 GPM each) flown in to Staniel Cay as backups. To my surprise, the old washdown pump has worked without an issue for the 6 weeks in the Exumas and is still working today. The pump has cycled well over 2000 gallons since May and is still running strong.

Now I am at a point, do I replace the Galley Maid MR24-10 (10 GPM) or do I install the two Jabsco HD6’s (6+6= 12 GPM) in parallel? Both have pro’s and con’s. AC pumps are out for us, as we spend a lot of time with the Generator off. Interested in what others may have done. Thoughts?

Galley Maid MR24-10 (10 GPM)
- Pro: Rock solid industrial
- Pro: Stator and Seal Set Maintenance easily Serviceable
- Con: Expensive and Units not readily available
- Con: Shaft sheared off, completely inoperable….common or anomaly?

Two Jabsco HD6’s (6+6= 12 GPM) in parallel
Pro: Built in Redundancy
Pro: Easily swap out entire pump, pump head, or run on one pump
Pro: Rebuild kits available
Pro: Units Readily available
Con: One pump, outside washdowns does not provide ample water flow

 

[Pascal]

Having a back up already installed and to go is a must have as you have now learned

As a back up a single 6GPM pump is ok. On my 53 I have a 120v flojet shallow well pump as a primary and a Jabsco Hotshot 6 GPM DC pump as a back up. I used to run an 84 with that same pump as a back up to the headhunter. It put out 70PSI which would even flush the headhunter heads. Limited flow for a big boat but worked fine.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Get a Groco. I have had one for nearly twenty years. Every part of the Groco FW pump is rebuildable or replaceable. Not that I have had to do much to it. Their equipment is made in the USA in a Maryland factory, they are a small family-owned business over a hundred years old, and they are a local outfit.

They are not the cheapest, but I have a box of disposable pumps I wore out, and the Groco has outlasted all of them combined. They make a variety of FW system pumps, and also a really nice pressure tank as well.

Like Tony The Hot Dog King (not affiliated with any other) said, "if you wants the quality you gots to pay the price". But really they aren't any more money than anyone else's good FW pump.

 

[carolinacoast]

We have a 32v galley maid as #2. #1 is a shallow well 110 volt to create redundancy for pumps and voltage. low pressure switches are a must. valve over, change breakers. I have a backup 110 volt in the box also.

 

[q240z]

I checked Groco's website. They don't have a category for freshwater pumps. What model do you have, Jim?

 

[Sadey]

We put a Head Hunter FW pump in and love it. Three years with no issues and excellent water pressure. The only complaint we had was the HH will force you to find every leak in your FW system. After a few days of no use we would have to bleed the whole FW system. Never had any evidence of a leak however when we removed the charcoal filters at both dock water input and both guest head faucets we haven’t had to bleed the system since. Not sure which was the problem but no more bleeding required.

 

[Pascal]

We put a Head Hunter FW pump in and love it. Three years with no issues and excellent water pressure. The only complaint we had was the HH will force you to find every leak in your FW system. After a few days of no use we would have to bleed the whole FW system. Never had any evidence of a leak however when we removed the charcoal filters at both dock water input and both guest head faucets we haven’t had to bleed the system since. Not sure which was the problem but no more bleeding required.

They re great but indeed are very sensitive to air leaks on the intake size. They re also supposed to have a 1” intake pipe from the tank. How is it working with the smaller Hatteras plumbing between the tank and the pump?

 

[Lmcruiser]

We have a Groco PSR Paragon Senior for our fresh water. It pumps up to 11 gallons per minute. The prior owner installed. It is completely rebuildable, comes in multiple voltages dc and ac Including up to 230 volts ac. It supports all our on board needs which includes a clothes washer too. It has run dry protection which got tested when we developed a leak from pump to accumulator tank one weekend. No cheap but seems very reliable.

 

[zigzag930]

I would second the Headhunter, but you might want to set it to a lower (than default) pressure setting. I have had to fix a few leaks which might not have been leaks if the pressure was less than the 70psi created by this beast of a pump.

They aren't cheap but if you want quality you have to pay.

I was actually thinking about what would I would do if our FW pump (and a few other key components) went out when we were in the Exumas last month. I had a few Jabsco pumps that I figured I could probably j-rig.

Fortunately for us the only failure we had on the trip was the tilt/trim motor on the tender. I have added spare fresh water pump, trim motor, davit motor and spare davit cable to my list of spares.

 

[firbanks]

I have a Jabsco HD6 as my DC backup. We’ve run it as primary for weeks at a time and found it to have enough flow for showers and laundry. Good idea on the parallel HD6 pumps - it would give great flow and redundancy if you don’t run the gen. A 24V GalleyMaid came with our boat but wasn’t rated for continuous duty and would get very HOT if running laundry and a showers. If you go with something else, confirm it’s rated for continuous duty. For others, I have a 230v shallow well jet pump as a primary water pump but added a water pump saver to shut it down to prevent damage from a low/no-flow condition. Google Littlefuse Pumpsaver for more info. Used mostly in industrial applications and homes more than boats but functionality is same. A big accumulator also helps if you can fit one.

 

[Scarlett]

If you get the Jabsco pump, they come in 45 PSI and 60 PSI, the 60 works very well for our boats.

 

[Sadey]

No issues with the reduced supply line.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Look on Defender.com for FW pumps including Groco's. That said, it's possible that they don't make the smaller ones now. I think the model number of the one I have was WPS-80 or something like that. I'll try to find out more. Mine is not as elaborate as the ones they now sell, but perhaps they still make the ones like I have.

Looks like the one I have may have been WSC-80, and there was a WSC-60. There is actually a NOS one I saw on Ebay in WI, with the pressure tank, which looks like a good deal. Apparently never installed.

 

[Eddieclemons]

I had the dual inline 24v shurflos and they were very noisy and had very poor pressure consistency. I upgraded to the HH 24v unit and it's as quiet as a mouse and the pressure is as consistent as being on shore water hookup.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I also looked in Depco's catalog- they know more about marine pumps than just about anyone. They show Groco FW pumps, but not the smaller ones, which may no longer be produced. Might be worth asking Groco if they still make the smaller ones, they provide plenty of water and pressure.

 

[Sadey]

When I called HH to add a DC pump backup pump they talked me out of their 24v so I put a Jabsco. Go figure.

 

[Eddieclemons]

Several owners have mentioned have a AC voltage pump and a DC pump for a back up. Do you have them online together, how are they installed?

 

[Pascal]

Mines are plumbed with valves on each side of each pumps.

Since my original reply, the flojet shallow well pump failed and I replaced it with a Groundfos Scala 2 240v pump. I usually use the Scala at the dock and switch to the Jabsco HD6 when on gen

When I had to replace the Flojet a few months ago, I checked the current price on the Headhunter Mach 5… went from around $1100 to $1800 in about 3 years. Inflation? What inflation.

 

[Eddieclemons]

My current dilemma is, My beloved headhunter DC pump has a leak and needs to go back in for warranty repairs. I would buy me a spare but they are back order until 2025. They have also gone up over $500 since last year. I don't like the feeling of being dependent on that pump and am thinking about trying to make a redundant system.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Eddie, when I've seen AC/DC fresh water systems, they have been plumbed in parallel with input and output valves on each pump. That should give you the flexibility you need. I would assume the pressure vessel would go on the output line after the outputs from the two pumps are united.