Changes to plumbing

A while ago, I started wondering why our water pump was connected the way it was...

The water entered from the water tank top-right and went through 2 x 90 degree joints before entering the pump bottom-left. On exiting the pump, it then went through another 2 x 90 degree joints and an isolation valve before heading off up the boat to the sinks and shower. I couldn't understand why the pump was not rotated through 180 degrees to allow the water to go straight in and out.

I had also become aware of a thing called an accumulator which would act as a buffer and allow water to be drawn from the taps without immediately triggering the pump. We did not seem to have one... Also having the pump at the bottom of the locker meant that stuff tended to get dumped on top which did not seem like a good idea in case we ever wanted to get at it quickly!

I posted a query on the Narrowboat Users group on Facebook and got some helpful comments confirming that there did not seem to be any good reason for the multiple 90 degree joints and that an accumulator probably would be a good idea.

So I got measuring and planning and ended up with a much better set-up (even if I do say so myself!).

I fixed the water pump, the new accumulator and a new isolation valve to a new base which I mounted near the top of the locker. By cutting the locker lid into two pieces, This gave better access to the water pump and more storage underneath. I also included an electrical isolation switch to allow us to turn off the pump quickly if necessary without running to the other end of the boat and also a small water filter to catch any bits in the water.

All in all, well pleased with the result.