This past winter season while cruising the Bahamas, our pressure water system developed a leak. I found that the Jabsco Accumulator Tank was leaking; not the fittings, the side wall of the tank! I replaced the fool thing a year ago for the exact same reason. The plastic tank just decided to start leaking.
When I complained to Jabsco, they said I had to take it up with my vendor (Defender) because that model of plastic tank had been recalled and taken off the market prior to 2006. Great, I bought mine in 2007??? Anyway, Defender made good on it, crediting my account for the purchase price.
Ok so far so good. I was able to plug off the plumbing to the accumulator tank and so completed the cruise without an accumulator tank. The pressure pump cycled every time a valve was opened but it worked fine otherwise except the shower now alternated between blasts of hot water and blasts of cold; Fun fun fun.
I decided to explore the leaking accumulator tank so I cut it open to see what was inside and to my small surprise, there was nothing inside?? It was just an empty cylinder of air on the output side of the pressure pump.
Anyway, this got me to thinkin' (always dangerous) why couldn't I just install say an 18" hunk of 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe capped off and installed vertically. It would have more volume than the old 1 liter plastic tank and probably last longer. It would certainly be cheaper. They get $50 and up for the new and (I'm sure) improved models. OR for that matter why not plumb in a used 2 liter Pepsi bottle (sans Pepsi) upside down? If I need a new one every year or so I could just get another one off the beach somewhere.
Any thoughts??? Anyone out there tried it?
When I complained to Jabsco, they said I had to take it up with my vendor (Defender) because that model of plastic tank had been recalled and taken off the market prior to 2006. Great, I bought mine in 2007??? Anyway, Defender made good on it, crediting my account for the purchase price.
Ok so far so good. I was able to plug off the plumbing to the accumulator tank and so completed the cruise without an accumulator tank. The pressure pump cycled every time a valve was opened but it worked fine otherwise except the shower now alternated between blasts of hot water and blasts of cold; Fun fun fun.
I decided to explore the leaking accumulator tank so I cut it open to see what was inside and to my small surprise, there was nothing inside?? It was just an empty cylinder of air on the output side of the pressure pump.
Anyway, this got me to thinkin' (always dangerous) why couldn't I just install say an 18" hunk of 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe capped off and installed vertically. It would have more volume than the old 1 liter plastic tank and probably last longer. It would certainly be cheaper. They get $50 and up for the new and (I'm sure) improved models. OR for that matter why not plumb in a used 2 liter Pepsi bottle (sans Pepsi) upside down? If I need a new one every year or so I could just get another one off the beach somewhere.
Any thoughts??? Anyone out there tried it?
Last edited: