Will this pump destroy my freshwater system??

bjflink

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I have a 2000 GW 306 with the factory installed freshwater pump that feeds the sink in my head, the bait station sink and the transom shower. It works fine, but really doesnt have much pressure or high flow rate, which is fine for those applications. I would however like to replace it with a pump similar to my saltwater washdown pump, a Pro Blaster II Ultimate (60psi cutoff and 5GPM). Reason being, is I plan to add a second hose outlet that would be for FRESHWATER washdown capabilities so my "crew" can start washing rods/reels, stainless steel etc on the ride back in after a day out on the water. That said, if I install a pump of that size, will it end up blowing fittings/hoses off on the existing system (sinks and transom shower)?
 

journeyman

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The pump you are thinking about is a washdown pump and the info on the pump states that it is for intermitent use only. Overheating can occur if used for prolonged periods. They also state to minimize plumbing elbows and valves but I'm thinking that is probably for the suction as it is self priming and usually needs to lift water from the through hull.

The ShurFlo pump I have is rated at 45 PSI at 4 GPM. Seems plenty to me. Your pump may be "tired". The hose and fittings in your freshwater system may have their limitations, you'd have to check. Also, your fresh water supply is limited. Mine is 30 gallons. How much can you accomplish at 5 GPM?

My 2 cents. :hmm
 

bjflink

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journeyman said:
The pump you are thinking about is a washdown pump and the info on the pump states that it is for intermitent use only. Overheating can occur if used for prolonged periods. They also state to minimize plumbing elbows and valves but I'm thinking that is probably for the suction as it is self priming and usually needs to lift water from the through hull.

The ShurFlo pump I have is rated at 45 PSI at 4 GPM. Seems plenty to me. Your pump may be "tired". The hose and fittings in your freshwater system may have their limitations, you'd have to check. Also, your fresh water supply is limited. Mine is 30 gallons. How much can you accomplish at 5 GPM?

My 2 cents. :hmm


Thanks for the info! Yeah, I think my water tank is 39 gallons. While fishing we never use it...mostly just the saltwater washdown for blood/guts, etc. So, I usually leave the dock with 39 gallons of freshwater and return home with the same amount. I wanted to start putting that water to use...at least for rinsing fishing gear and small stuff. Do you have any type of spray nozzle type hose hooked up to your freshwater system, or just the little transom shower that was factory installed?
 

DennisG01

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On my Sea Ray I used one of those coiled hoses with a typical garden nozzle (I used the "marine" nozzle... all plastic :roll: ). That seemed to focus the water stream harder than a typical transom shower. Probably similar to what you have for your raw water washdown. You might just want to plumb a garden hose into the fresh water line and leave everything else as is - should be very easy to do with a simple T-fitting. If for some reason it's still not strong enough, you can put everything back together with a slip fitting.
 

journeyman

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bjflink said:
Do you have any type of spray nozzle type hose hooked up to your freshwater system, or just the little transom shower that was factory installed?

Nothing other than factory OEM. I will say though that the transom shower sprayer has much less "umph" than the bait prep sink sprayer. Same system, pump etc. except different sprayer type. I'll use the transom shower to rinse off after a dive or swim and use the bait prep sprayer to rinse my reels on my way back to the dock just to get any heavy salt off of them. Everything else gets wet and sudsy once I'm on the slip, that includes me!