Replaced my OEM water pump - amazing!

[FLynes]

On 6/23/2022 at 11:17 AM, Bob Jones said:

This one below is well liked by a lot of people. I have used several of it's little brothers, the $98 Max-Flow Flow Max DS-01230-D2 and it's excellent. The 55 series is apparently their high end version.

SEAFLO 12V Water Pressure Diaphragm Pump 5.5 GPM (20.8 LPM) 60 PSI

The 55-Series is our all new heavy duty water pressure pump with the most heavy duty pressure switch on the market. It provides high volume water flow with reduced pump cycling and smooth flow thanks to the large five-chamber diaphragm. It provides up to 5.5 gallons per minute. The 55-Series pumps are self-priming, can run dry without damage, and are performance reliable. This automatic demand water system pump has a built-in pressure switch which automatically starts and stops the pump when the faucet is opened and closed. Easy to install service and winterize. This pump works best when paired with a SEAFLO Accumulator Tank.

Technical Specifications
Voltage: 12 VDC
Dimensions: 8.25" X 5.30" X 6.0"
Inlet / Outlet: 1/2″-14 MNPT
Flow Rate: 5.5GPM
Amps: 8.0 (17.0 Max. Amps)
Shut-off Pressure: 60 PSI
Weight: 6.1 lbs

That is the exact model I installed in our old 1976 Monaco Winchester (Class C gasser), when I restored it several years ago. It worked flawlessly.

[Tom Cherry]

On 6/27/2022 at 4:17 PM, Bob Jones said:

That's a good point since I'm running 185F on the hot water lines to my toilet and washer/dryer. I think at that temp the PEX is rated to 100 PSI so it's a very real danger point. More testing is showing that it's flaring up to 90 PSI now and properly cutting out. This seems to be in keeping with what a lot of reviewers mentioned. 

Mine is making a truly horrible racket. It's rattling every pipe in the joint. I have long flexible lines going to and from it and even holding the pump in my hand while it operates doesn't make it quiet down. I've got the feeling that if I want to run this pump - I'm going to have to WORK for it !!

Curious. Did you state that you are running 185 Deg F from your water heater to the washer and the TOILET? Typically, that is 125 D F.  Also, WHY Hot Water to the Toilet? I did not think that the seals and flush valve were rated that high.

Again...With all the comments....the Remco Pump has been the mainstay for Monaco and many others. Some folks LIKE the 65 PSI. You CAN turn it down easier than putting in an expensive regulator and also having a restriction.

I have not heard of read of a pressure explosion in any plumbing system....  Lots of "I didn't winterize" or keep the heat on and it froze...but NOT it blew up.

Whatever pump works is up to the individual and the lower cost pump seems to be, at first glance, a good alternative. But, for me and many, the MH came with the AquaJet....now called the Remco....and that is what I will use....Others might not....

[Bob Jones]

3 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

Curious. Did you state that you are running 185 Deg F from your water heater to the washer and the TOILET? Typically, that is 125 D F.  Also, WHY Hot Water to the Toilet? I did not think that the seals and flush valve were rated that high.

Again...With all the comments....the Remco Pump has been the mainstay for Monaco and many others. Some folks LIKE the 65 PSI. You CAN turn it down easier than putting in an expensive regulator and also having a restriction.

I have not heard of read of a pressure explosion in any plumbing system....  Lots of "I didn't winterize" or keep the heat on and it froze...but NOT it blew up.

Whatever pump works is up to the individual and the lower cost pump seems to be, at first glance, a good alternative. But, for me and many, the MH came with the AquaJet....now called the Remco....and that is what I will use....Others might not....

Yes, the washer and the toilet are fed straight off the tank before the thermostatic mixing valve on a dedicated line. This means, when the tank is at full temp, both see ~ 185F water. The reason for that is that the toilet is now largely self-cleaning. It's actually steam-cleaned each time you use it. Also, the white throat of the toilet going down into the black tank stays very clean too. I talked to the manufacturer about using hot water and they had no concerns, and for a few years now, it's been great. Mind you, I neglected to mention using 185F....The PEX line feeding both is very high quality, I'm not concerned about that. But you are right, in the end the toilet is the weak leak if there is any. This is why I place a proper brass ball valve right before the toilet. 

Same thing with the washer, although it's now less important as it was just replaced, and the new one has its own water heater. But the high temperature is very good for removing stains. Some of that benefit has been negated by the new washer though - it as native steam cleaning etc built in as well as sterilization. And they work. But if you're washing something really bad, like greasy shop rags, 185F will melt it all away. 

They don't see 185 all day long though. The hot water heater is run up to 185 in the morning before I get up. This is done on a timer or manually turned on with my phone. Then I hit the shower for an automatic temperature controlled shower from start to finish. No cold water needed as the mixing valve handles it. You just turn the hot on full, wait for the lines to purge, and jump in.

When I get out, in the summer, the tank is usually down to ~145F. It's then shut off and not turned back on unless I'm doing dishes or something like that. Don't get me wrong, both devices do see 185F from time to time, but not all the time. I also have the ability to set the water tank temperature to anything as both gas and electric are digitally controlled. So I don't have to run it as a boiler. Temperature can be turned up or down by pressing a button. 

The reason I run the tank at 185F is that it basically triples the tank size. Instead of having 10 gallons it's more like a 30 gallon tank. You cannot physically stay in the shower long enough to exhaust it. At least, I can't. And like I said, the temperature is held the same the entire time. In a conventional system you would be adjusting the hot water continuously as the tank cools down due to cold water replenishing. 

If you look at the reviews on the Remco around the Internet you'll see a few Dynasty's that had their plumbing blown out by them. And no, they aren't BS. There is a reason Remco changed over to the PCB controlled pressure switch with the potentiometers I pictured earlier. Btw, I'm not sure people picked up on that, but now people can see that you can control the cut-in and cut-out pressures on the new Remco's with the 'computer' controlled pressure switch by adjusting the potentiometers, just like the factory does. Although they seem to have set the upper limit at 90 PSI. 

Here's a couple of pics of the hot water tank (now boiler) to make it easier to understand.

In the first one are two Inkbird digital temperature controllers. I used two so I could set the cut-in/cut out of the gas and electric individually. So the tank temp and the offset (when they come back on) can be set to anything just by pressing some buttons. In the second you can see the thermostatic mixing valve which controls the maximum hot water temp to the rest of the unit (not washer or toilet those run at actual tank temp). The white box on the wall is a 25 AMP Wifi Switch that my phone runs. It tracks energy usage and also reports how many watts the heating element is drawing as well as amps and voltage. The digital Inkbird control units have their own built in relays but it is not wise to use them for switching such heavy loads so instead they switch a high-quality Siemens relay that actually shunts the current to the element in the tank. 

The native Atwood high temperature cut-out switches (snap disks) have been replaced on both the gas and electric side and now open at ~190F. Functionality of the wall switch on the vanity, as well as the gas switch on the KIB has not changed. So at any time you can still operate it as it came from the factory and shut it all down with the flick of a switch.

The interior of the cabinet is lined with insulating foam. At 185F the interior gets toasty and this is done to mitigate heat loss. When the tank is at 185F and you open the door, you can watch/feel the heat leave on the digital controllers (they display actual tank temp at all times.)

In my case, the water pump is like the last piece of the puzzle in my revamped water system design. Park water is ~42 which is sad. It needs to be augmented with the pump. I'd like to see the Remco address that, it certainly has the power to do so. We shall see. But it is noisy, and that's even with a large residential accumulator in the system. 

[Pduggs]

OP update: I finally installed my second new water pump. Easy install and appears to be working quietly and with good pressure. 

 

Pressure at the kitchen faucet. 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2022 by Pduggs

[cbr046]

I'm afraid if I had pressure like that I'd drain my water tank.  Started out with a much smaller tank and hard to believe I have 60 gal to play with.

Nice work.

- bob