Wash down pump

[Northporter]

I'm not happy with the amount of water pressure from my fresh water wash down pump. I recently changed the bib to a garden hose variety from the factory installed self coiling narrow gauge hose.

In order to get good pressure to blast clean your deck what gallon per minute is recommended? Anyone with experience changing out this pump. My boat is a 2001 coronet.

[Chris Burkard]

Your fresh water pump is likely a Shurhold 4-7 gpm (gallons per minute) pump. Normally this fine for a vessel such as a Coronet. The fresh water wash-down is meant for small clean ups and not to wash an entire vessel. The self coiling hose is designed not to kink and is just about the right interior diameter to keep the pressure up. By switching to a regular garden hose (more prone to flattening and kinking) you may actually have reduced the available pressure.

Water pumps are rated by gallons per minute and psi. Check your pump to see what it is rated at. They make pumps in a variety of gpm and psi. If you do upgrade, make sure not to go too high on the pressure. A very high pressure pump could easily overpower your fresh water hoses in the boat and cause all kinds of leaks.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

[Northporter]

Chris. One of the things that was discovered when my boat was surveyed was that I have a pump designed for the sink where my fresh water wash down pump should be.

It is a surflo pump but lighter duty than should be there. And yes I'm aware that by going to the regular hose bib I've increased diameter and lowered pressure.

I'm hoping to find a surflo pump that will be an easy replacement. What is the black cylinder next to the pump? Is it a filter?

[Chris Burkard]

That black cylinder is likely a pressure tank (pulse regulator). The filter is usually located on the suction side of the pump and is small with a clear spin off cover and stainless screen inside. I believe it is designed to reduce the pulsing sensation created by these smaller pulse style water pumps. I'm not sure which pump would be an easy replacement and give you better flow and pressure. I would look up Shurflow pumps and see what they offer that is of similar size and inlet and outlet diameters that gives you more flow and pressure.