Pressure Water System

[jwspeck]

Yet another newbie question from a new Pearson 323 owner.

Today I messed around with checking out the "pressure water" system.

I flipped the DC breaker for the pressure water system and listened. Didn't hear anything. I then tried turning the faucet handles on the galley sink. No water, no sound. I then hit the black push button above my galley sink labeled "Water pressure." Immediately I heard the pressure pump turn on from the starboard sail locker and water started to flow from the galley sink faucet. Water ALSO started to trickle out of the spigot that is operated by the foot pump in to the sink. I turned the faucet to off on the sink, water continued to trickle out of the foot pump spigot and I could continue to hear the pressure pump run.

I then went and tried the shower, the cold water knob worked on the shower head.

So questions!
1. How do YOU use the pressure water system in your Pearson 323? When do you turn on the breaker? Does the pressure pump run for awhile then the system is pressurized for a bit?
2. What controls which fresh water tank gets drawn for the pressure water system?
3. How does the hot water tank get water in it? Does it fill when the hot water tank switch is on?
4. I think the sump pump on my boat is a big box under the center access panel in the salon. There appear to be at least 3 hoses going in and out of it, multiple of which are going up to the bow... any idea why?

I tried looking through the original owner's manual for these answers but it seems pretty limited on the "hows" and "whys" of it.

As usual, thank you so much in advance for your help! 
Thanks,
John Speck

[Now or Never!]

1. How do YOU use the pressure water system in your Pearson 323? When do you turn on the breaker? Does the pressure pump run for awhile then the system is pressurized for a bit?
2. What controls which fresh water tank gets drawn for the pressure water system?
3. How does the hot water tank get water in it? Does it fill when the hot water tank switch is on?
4. I think the sump pump on my boat is a big box under the center access panel in the salon. There appear to be at least 3 hoses going in and out of it, multiple of which are going up to the bow... any idea why?

1.  When the breaker is turned on, yes, the pump runs until pressure is attained.  My system includes an accumulator tank (or pressure tank).
2.  Now or Never! has 3 tanks.  There is a valve for each tank.
3.  The water heater fills when the water pressure breaker is turned on.  Never turn on the water heater switch when the pressure water breaker is off!.  If there is no shut-off valve for the water heater, I strongly recommend installing one.
4.  The bilge pump is located under the access panel in the salon floor.  There should be one hose from the bilge pump that goes overboard, probably on the starboard side of the cockpit.  The shower sump might dump into the bilge and that could be the hose that you see going forward, or the shower might dump into a box with its own pump.  The bilge pump is located halfway between the center access panel and the access panel at the foot of the companionway ladder.  It should have only one hose attached to it, going to overboard on the starboard side of the cockpit.  On Now or Never! there is a separate pump for draining the shower sump.  It is located in a box under the main access panel in the salon floor.  It has a hose from the shower sump and another hose that goes forward.  The shower/lavatory does not drain into the bilge.

As for the foot pump spigot running when the system is pressurized--I would guess that the foot pump is plumbed into the freshwater system and that there is no shutoff valve or a faulty shutoff valve for it.  My foot pump is plumbed to pump seawater or meltwater from the icebox.

I hope this helps a bit.  I hate plumbing!

[selene]

Every boat is set up a little differently; Now or Never did a good summary. Here is Selene's setup:

1.  When the breaker is turned on, yes, and the pump runs until pressure is attained.  My system includes an accumulator tank (or pressure tank). I always turn the breaker off when not in use (e,g, overnight), after one night when one of the old fittings failed and the pressure pump started draining my freshwater into the bilge!

2.  I have 2 tanks.  There is a valve for each tank, and a further valve for the foot pump.  My foot pump draws from the 2 freshwater tanks. 

There are three valves under the sink; the two freshwater tank valves - above the valves, these two lines come together into a single line, which divides into two again - one to a further valve and then on to the foot pump, the second aft across to the starboard side to the pressure pump/accumulator system.

3.  The water heater fills when the water pressure breaker is turned on. I always run the hot tap a few minutes to purge the system of air,  Never turn on the water heater switch when the pressure water breaker is off, or you will burn out the element. I do not have no shut-off valve for the water heater.  On Selene the engine coolant is cycled through the hot water heater, which is a great idea as after a day of motoring I have plentiful hot water.

4.  The big box mid-salon on my boat sounds like the pullout sink and shower sump.  Water drains from the shower/sink into this "box".  There is a funky switch next to the head which pumps it overboard (the pump is on the stbd side neat the mast, head throughhulls, etc).  As I recall it has three hoses going in to it: One for the shower drain, one for the sink, and one to the pump (then overboard)

FWIW, I have now set up Selene with two bilge pumps, a working pump at the bottom of the bilge, and an emergency pump (using a float switch) just aft of the shower sump.  It does make the bilge area rather full of hoses, which can be confusing:
- Engine raw water intake (with shutoff)
- Manual bilge pump hose
- Working Electric bilge pump hose
- Emergency electric bilge pump hose

Good luck!