Bow washdown fitting replacement

[HeadedToTexas]

Our raw water washdown pump quit last year and I am taking the opportunity to also update the fitting at the bow. It felt like just a matter of time before I kicked the old one and either broke it or my toe. As is so often the case, it was not as simple as it appeared.

While it looks a lot like a Scandvick spigot, mine has male threads that screw into a through hull fitting in the foredeck. It looks like Scandvick makes only female threaded spigots these days.

Question is, how does that through hull fitting come out? It spins freely after disassembling to the point shown. I don’t see a nut threaded onto the bottom of the fitting inside the anchor locker. What am I missing?

 

[Mac2]

Very strange. I would have said they used a sealant, but that wouldn't spin. If all else fails, I would use a hole saw that barely fits over the fitting. You can always scrape out the coring around the hole and fill with thickened epoxy to drill for the new fitting. There is a thru hull fitting that sits flush with the deck that comes with a quick connect fitting for your wash down hose.

 

[O C Diver]

It looks to me as though the bulkhead fitting has a tube like a hose barb, with a swaged ring, acting as a clamp to hold the hose on. Don't know if you can cut the blueish green ring off with a Dremel tool, replace the hose, and secure it with a hose clamp.

Ted

 

[HeadedToTexas]

I am still just speculating, but I believe this is how it went together back in 2007. There is a 1" diameter hole in the bow deck. Into that hole went some sealant and a flanged threaded coupling (for lack of a better term). The through deck fitting was held in place by the flange on the bottom and the trim ring (not shown, but you can see where the old sealant was) on the top held in place by the spigot threaded into the top of the coupling.

Can't explain why it's loose now, but that is probably from me trying to unthread and remove it. Since I need to enlarge the hole to 1-½", my current strategy is to hole saw right through the fitting. The deck is almost 2" thick there, so I had to buy a deep well hole saw. Fingers are crossed! Thanks guys.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. H.. Drive a wooden dowel hard into the fitting to stabilize your hole saw.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

Still can't explain the old fitting, but it is gone now and replaced by a Jabsco Washdown Quick Connect fitting securely mounted and sealed to the foredeck. Reconnected the washdown hose from the pump in the salon engine room and (of course) the old pump does not run. I have 13 VDC at the pump, but there is no movement from the pump motor. I believe that means either the $40 pressure switch or the $300 pump.

If it's time for a new pump, I want one with as much flow and pressure as practical. It's raw water for washing down anchor, rode, and deck. The 4 gpm from the PAR-Max 4 pump was less than impressive. What raw water washdown pump is Helmsman putting on new 38E models? What is the best answer if I am upgrading?

 

[O C Diver]

I bought the below pump when doing my refit. It's 6 GPM at 70 PSI. I tried really hard to wear it out, but it's still going strong after 400 chain washings.

Jabsco Hotshot Hd6 Heavy Duty Washdown Pump - 12v - 6 Gpm - 70 Psi

Jabsco HotShot HD6 Heavy Duty Washdown Pump 12V 6 GPM 70 PSIHotShot HD6 Heavy Duty Washdown Pump 12V 6 GPM 70 PSIYears of clean decks and satisfaction in the form of robust and reliable highflow and highpressure diaphragm pumps The Jab...

www.hodgesmarine.com

The secret to getting exceptional performance out of it was to build a wand that the orifice allows the pump to run continuously at 60+ PSI. This requires drilling the orifice out with progressively larger number drill bits (normal drill bits increasing in 1/64th increments are too large a change) until the pump runs continuously. The above pump has a diaphragm switch which allows you to use a 1/4 turn ball valve.

Ted

 

[HeadedToTexas]

That is very impressive. How often have you found those Jabsco diaphragm pumps need taken down and cleaned out? Am I just looking at clogged or fouled components, or do I have a bad pressure switch or pump?

 

[O C Diver]

I never touched mine. The pump goes through a series of water filtrations. There is a strainer outside the hull on the main seacock, a Groco strainer after the seacock, and the strainer before the pump. I've checked the strainer before the pump and maybe cleaned a few bits of debris out of it once or twice.

If I were you, I would cut the wire between the pressure switch and the pump motor, and bypass the switch to see if the motor runs (a butt splice will reconnect it). I find it hard to believe the motor doesn't run or trip the breaker if the switch is working. Did you check to see if you had power to the diaphragm switch (circuit breaker or fuse?) And that the negative from the pump had continuity to the negative buss?

Ted

 

[HeadedToTexas]

That’s good to hear. I stopped short of cutting wire as a left my butt splice kit at home this weekend. Very good troubleshooting though to test the power after the pressure switch.

 

[Bmarler]

I upgraded my raw water wash down this year by adding a second pump. I now have a 4gpm 55 psi and a 6gpm 65 psi working together. I’m getting pretty good flow out of it now. If the pressure drops below the cut in pressure of the second pump it kicks in. I can use a regular 1/2 inch hose on it now.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

When I pulled the cover off the pressure switch I found one of the orange leads off its spade terminal. Thought I got lucky, but apparently that isn’t the problem as the pump motor still doesn’t run when the wiring is correct. The switch is closed when the pressure is low (atmospheric pressure in an empty line) and I get continuity across the leads of the pressure switch. Voltage is good too between the motor side of the pressure switch and the ground lead when the breaker is on.

The motor and entire pump assembly looks clean and good (and newer than 2007!), so it seems unlikely that the motor died, but I’m having the same issue with my windlass motor. Hope those things don’t come in threes!