Washdown Pump

J

Jack in Alaska

New member
My luck with a washdown pump has been bad. Can 't get one to last more than a month or two in saltwater. I have had 3 BLASTERS and all failed.
What brand are others using and are they durable??
Thanks.
 
Hi Jack,
I can't speak for those in your neck of the woods but down here in the Gulf of Mexico I have had good luck with my washdown pump. But I have to admit, I don't wash down with salt water. I installed a 30 gallon freshwater tank and would never be caught spraying saltwater over the interior of my boat on purpose anytime. Now that is just my openion on the subject.

Now to your question...Those around here that do the "unthinkable" by using salt water all swear by a good prefilter on the intake line to keep the sand grit and other crap from reaching the impeller of the pump and seem to get good service out of them.

Mike
 
WhalerGoFar":1984lxij said:
Hi Jack,
I can't speak for those in your neck of the woods but down here in the Gulf of Mexico I have had good luck with my washdown pump. But I have to admit, I don't wash down with salt water. I installed a 30 gallon freshwater tank and would never be caught spraying saltwater over the interior of my boat on purpose anytime. Now that is just my openion on the subject.

...

Mike
Click to expand...

AMEN, brother Mike - the salty stuff belongs on the outside (or on the rim of your margarita glass :wink )! Tell us a bit more about that 30 gallon tank... where did you install it?

Best wishes,
Jim B.
Wild Blue (with a fresh water washdown)
 
I tapped into my freshwater tank and use that for washdown. I bought a Jabsco Par-Max 4 Washdown Kit and haven't had a problem with it yet but it's only been about 6 months. I have the coiled hose coming out the hole in the bulkhead just under the gunnel. THe hose lays nicely on the gunnel shelf area.
 
Thank you all for the info. As I do not have a fresh water tank I will have to go with the Jabsco and a filter on the intake. Our salt water is pretty clean and I only use the pump when way out from shore I don't think a filter will help but it surely will not hurt.
 
Take a look at my photo album. I have a ShurFlow raw water washdown pump mounted on the bottom of my downrigger base. No holes in the boat, throw the intake hose over the side when I need to wash something down. I had a similar setup on my Arima. The only trick is that you have to be stopped to do any washing down. The pump on the Barrel o Monkeys is 2 years old, the one on my Arima is 5 years old. No problems with either.
 
Well, Jim
The tank is an "L" shape....and I built the Port Cabinet with sink and foward facing seat around it. In the photo below I outlined the tank in red to give you an idea of what it looks like in the not so easy to photo cabinet.

I dive a lot and find it much nicer to wash down with fresh water or to take a shower after a hot day and fresh water is a must. The pump is a auto pressure blaster that supplies the sink as well. It takes some self control to not run her dry, but I would rather pay a little attention to the amount of water I use and still have volume and pressure when I need it.

I have to say it is at the top of the list in projects I use almost every time I am on the boat.

FreshWaterTankOutline.jpg
 
Jack, I have used a Blaster in my boat here in AK and have not had any problems. I do have a filter and the pump is where it is not subjected to salt spray. Not sure why you are having problems with yours but mine is doing fine (expect I would like a little more volume than it provides).
 
Just a casual observation/thought about wash-downs, showers, and freshwater supplies:

All other considerations aside, it would seem that the higher the pressure and the finer the mist, the further you can stretch your freshwater supply.

High volume, low pressure would be the opposite, of course, and be the most wasteful.

By this consideration, you'd want to have the highest pressure system and the finest spray nozzle in tandem to stretch your fresh water supply.

Just be careful in the shower not to inject water under your skin!

Something to think about....

Joe.
 
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