Aquajet vs. Shurflo

[Silvertwinkie]

Ok, the Shurflo is very loud. I have been reading up on the Aquajet fresh water pump and it was also an "upgrade" that was avail for the Bambi as well.

The plastic plumbing in the Bambi appears to be rated at 100psi. There are 2 pumps I am looking at compared to the one that is installed.

Shurflo that is currently factory installed is the 2088-492-14 rated at 3.3gpm. Loud and lots of vibration. Also it pumps to 45psi. ShurFlo also lists this as a 115VAC unit although it is installed currently from the factory running on DC.

The others are the Aquajets:

5503-4V15-B636

It Pumps approx 5gpm and has a max pressure of 60psi. This has the power, but I am thinking a bit of overkill in a Bambi with a shower, two sinks and a head, most of which any two **might** be used at the same time. It is suppose to be much more quiet than what I have now and has a soft start feature.

The second is the Aquajet ES series. It pumps 3.5gpm and has a max pressue of 60psi as well and is suppose to be even more quiet than the other Aquajet.

Does anyone have any comparisons comments on how much more quiet the Aquajet is compared to the factory installed Shurflo? Anyone really think I need to go to the 5GPM model?

Thanks,

Eric

[john hd]

eric

have you tried to make the pump you have quieter?

perhaps you could try to isolate it from the floor or whatever it is screwed into with rubber or something like that.

does your trailer have an accumulator in the water system?

is it inflated properly?

i have a shureflow and it does not seem that loud...

then again it could be from all those years around harleys!!

john

[Silvertwinkie]

John,

I have tried by placing foam materials between the bottom and the floor (did this with my dishwasher at home and worked wonders for drone and vibration). I also adjusted the mounts. Still, it seems a bit loud compared to what I had in SOB. Maybe it's because it's so new. I'm not gonna swap it out soon, but I was wondering if the Aquajet is better overall, let alone more quiet. The cost is pretty low for a pump and conversion seems to be pretty straight forward.

There is some sort of valve/filter before the pump, but I don't think that is an accumulator because it's pretty small.

Harleys loud? What did you say?

Eric

[Pahaska]

I don't find that the pump itself is very loud. I suspect that the problem may lie in all of the E-PEX tubing running under/behind cabinets and, in my case at least, the bathroom. E-PEX is pretty rigid and pump pulsations may cause the tubing to vibrate against the trailer's structure.

By the way, I insulated every inch of the hot water tube that I can reach (red PEX). The insulation, in itself, serves as padding for the tubing. Water stays hot longer at the faucets, now.

I can hear the pump, but it is quite muted and certainly not intrusive.

[Silvertwinkie]

That is a very inexp mod. Think I'll give that a try. I've done the same thing at home.

Eric

[trailertrash]

I always change the pumps to a Jabsco- I find them superior in every way to a Shurflo, and much quieter as well.
I buy them from a marine distributor in Ft Lauderdale that will sell them over the net- lewismarine.com and they ship the same day you order.
Yachts are all using Jabsco for the most part. Shurflo is a cheap comparison when someone is looking for one for a boat. I put one in my personal trailer last sumer and I used a high pressure pump that delivered I think 3.5 gpm, and it works like a home shower- even pumps hard through the massage head...

[Silvertwinkie]

Thanks TT. I hadn't even considered that brand either. I'll have to include it as well when the time comes to make a choice.

Regards,

Eric

[garry]

I am also a Jabsco kind of guy having had three of them on my previous boat. They are easy to rebuild but initial cost is higher than most others. When you price be sure you look for the "on demand" type as some pumps only work with an external switch.


Garry

[femuse]

trailertrash

Jabsco- I find them superior in every way to a Shurflo

Our 1971 Trade Wind had a pump identical to a Jabsco, must have been made by the same company, under another name. Don't know if it was original AS installed. It was much quieter than the Shurflo.

[davidz71]

femuse,
Your pump was probably a PAR pump. PAR was bought out by ITT jabsco. It is a belt driven pump that is easy to rebuild and still available today. I was looking at them on the internet today and saw one of the models going for $215 and the other a little over $300.

[garry]

I have used the belt drive Jabsco and they are common on large boats but I see in Boaters World an new Jabsco "VSD" pump that adjust the motor speed based on demand ? Sounds like a good idea, I wonder if anyone has used this type of pump ?? I would think the advantage would be amp draw and quite operation !!

garry

[trailertrash]

The VSD series seems to be the best available right now- its what I use.
If you go to lewismarine.com and order from them, ask for a "50" account, its like a level of pricing just above wholesale dealer, and they'll set people up for it. They send out catalogs for I think $10.00 and they really are very complete with systems and high end parts that cross over to RV from Marine use. The catalog is about 1000 pages!
Anyone who orders one that isn't operated from pressure but the external switch didn't do their homework...

[Holzarbeiter]

I'm new to A/S and have a water problem. The pump is a PAR and appears to be original equipment. it will pump some water but will lose its prime fast and water just sputers out of the faucets. I have hooked up to city water and then i don't have that problem.
I have read in the repair manual ( whats left of it) that the diaphram on these pumps can go bad. Will Jabsco still make a rebuilt kit for this pump? Does anyone Know what the cost of a rebuilt kit is? I allready bought a cheap surflow that i carry just in case i can't get city hook up, i can return it as long as i don't install it.

[thenewkid64]

Yes there is a rebuild kit for the Par pump. If you cannot find one at the local RV place try a good size boating store like a west marine. Last time I looked the rebuild kit was running in the $40.00 range.

The biggest issue I have had trying to do the rebuild is getting the 2 halves of the pump apart. The bolts are brass and seem to shear easily . When ever I have had a pump problem I have just replaced it with a mid line sureflow and been fine. The sureflow usally draws fewer amps than the Par as well for all you boondockers.

[dtbw]

Eric,
The AquaJet was factory installed in my Bambi LS, so I don't have a comparison, but I can tell you that is very quiet. That does not mean it is silent. There is a mild purr when it is running, but even sitting on the sofa, with the pump directly underneath (in the armrest), it is quiet enough for a whisper conversation. The AquaJet has a couple of features beyond the Sureflo. It operates on a constant pressure, which means that with fewer faucets open the pump runs at a lower speed while maintaining constant pressure. This means fewer amps consumed and quieter operation. I have found that the AquqJet pumping capacity allows even ALL faucets (galley, lav, shower and toilet to be opened (hot and cold) and there is NO drop in pressure. We have never experienced any scalding or chilling showers due to another faucet being opened while on internal fresh water. The AquaJet is also a 5 chamber design which provides a NON-pulsating pumping action...the water flow from the AquaJet is the same smooth flow as when connected to external water.

The last neat feature of the AquaJet is that you can turn it on while connected to city water and if the city pressure is low due to either poor pressure of restricted volume capability, the AquaJet will kick on and draw water from the fresh water tank to suppliment the pressure from the outside, city hookup. If the city pressure is adequate, the AquaJet does NOT run. I have used this feature several time and it is really nice when trying to shower during low pressure times at RV parks such as when EVERYONE is trying to use water. Of course, this does use water from the fresh tank and therefore you have to refill the tank periodically.

Given that the AquaJet is around $150, it is not a bank acct breaker, so I would go with the AquaJet.