Things that . . . Work: Paragon JR Water pump

This is a follow up to a prior post concerning house Water Pumps:

http://mvvikingstar.blogspot.com/2011/04/things-that-dont-really-work-jabsco.html

Pump and pressure tank - does take up more room then before.

As a summary, we had gone through two of the new 'smart' Jabsco variable speed water pumps - they just would fail after a short time on a Live Aboard vessel. It was too bad as the concept is brilliant, and worked very well (varying pump speed adjusting for demand). Maybe the newer designs work better, but I suspect much of what one finds in the 'marine' catalog these days recognize the fact that most recreational boats see perhaps 20 days of use a year - far different then what a full time boat will.

We installed this Paragon JR pump almost a year ago and I feel comfortable to declare it a Things that Work! With one modification - - -

Need to change out pressure switch.

The stock pressure switch is a weak point, causing way too much variation between the on/off cycles. Researching on the Internet called out this is a known issue. The solution is to go to a local supplier and purchase a standard water pump pressure switch - replacing the stock one. After doing this on Viking Star I have to say we can tell when the pump cycles (differences in pressure), but it is hardly noticeable and absolutely not an problem.

Couple of hints: make sure you get a switch that allows you to adjust the cut in AND cut out set points - open it up and look for two adjustment screws. What you need to do it set it for a rather small range (we have ours set for 25 and 30lbs) to get a seamless flow. And DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE A GAS POWERED BOAT - as domestic switches are not spark sealed. (the standard switch is..)

After using this pump for several months we are very happy with it. It flows well, is reliable, surprisingly much quieter, AND it is rebuildable! Wow.

Their downside: they cost a LOT. more then a Boat Buck. But they also show up in Surplus shops, we picked ours up for about what a new Jabsco variable speed pump would cost.

An additional followup - our backup house pump is now an old PAR style pump. The same pump I use to pickle the water maker!  And it also is one that can be taken apart, cleaned and put back together. AND that parts are available to allow for rebuilding if needed.