Jabsco or Tsunami 1200?
 

I've been reading everybody's postings and debating on which direction to go, with not having alot of money on hand I've been trying to decide to just piece together a Jabsco ballast system here and there or go the cheaper route and install the ballast system with the tsunami 1200 pumps. To me, the Jabsco pumps is the better way to go or is it? Just wondering if I would be just as happy with the tsunami pumps for the price. Any suggestions?

Seems like the Johnson reversible pumps are the way to go according to some of the reviews on it vs. the Jabsco and they are a few dollars cheaper. Also, people are wanting to use the 1200 but are finding it has an unusual thread pattern making fittings kinda difficult to find so they opt for the 800

As long as you design the system correctly so that you don't allow water to go in or out when not pumping, the Tsunami pumps are superior. They are virtually silent and pump twice as fast.

If you want simple, the Jabsco pumps tend to be less of a hassle. However, they are loud and they pump slow. You may not think a little noise would be bothersome, but it's a constant wirr for 10 minutes or more. So, either crank up the tunes or go Tsunami.

Does anyone know if the Johnson pumps use the same impellers as the Jabsco????

I just installed Tsunamis but havent used them yet. Is it really any cheaper over the Jabsco? I mean you need the vented loops, twice as many pumps, way more hose, wiring ect.......

I've used both types of pumps. As stated above, I'm not sure either one has a price advantage when the total system cost is added up. If you do a 100% perfect install, the Tsunami will work well. If the install is just slightly off (pump a couple inches too high, etc), your bags will not fill, not empty, fill on their own, pumps will cavitate, etc, etc. Maybe it was me but I was always tweaking my aerator pumps (Like rule and tsunami). No worries with the Jabsco (or other self priming pump) since they will prime no matter where they are or what is going on. My Jabsco pumps also empty the bags 100% where there was always water left with the other system. I don't know if the Jabsco pumps are under rated or the tsunami and rule pumps are over rated but I don't find the Jabso pumps to be any slower (though they should be on paper). I fill or empty 2600lbs of ballast with 3 Jabso pumps in 10 min. One other nice plus is that you only need to do 1/2 the pluming with a reversible pump since you don't need separate fill/empty pumps.

All that said, I've spent way more time with aerator pumps so I'm very familiar with the downfalls. I had aerator pumps for last 10 years. Now that I have the self priming, I love the difference and would never go back. I don't know how long the Jabsco pumps will last but they are more $$ to replace if one went bad. It also sounds like impellers need replacement every so often (I've not owned them long enough to worry about that yet). Aerator pumps are maintenance free. My old aerator pumps were slowing down and harder to prime year after year. Not sure if it was the pumps getting old or something else was going on but fill/empty time went up a lot over the years (I used rule aerator pumps and tsunami both). I replaced an old pump and that part of the system was fast again.

well designed aerator systems are hard to beat. I've had a 4 pump aerator system, this will be my fifth season with it. I haven't noticed the pumps slowing down and the system worked as designed from day one. Using Rule 1100s. I'll also say that when I built the system, impeller style pumps were just becoming mainstream for ballast pumps. Prices have come down slightly and there are more pump makers out there now.

To me, the reduced power draw, low cost and high flow volume of aerator pumps still make them viable pumps for a system. Also, most wakeboarders have one or two of these pumps laying around and its easy to incorporate those pumps into a system.

I'm adding valves this year to my system so its operated 100% from the dash. No valves to flip. Not that I minded flipping the 2 ball valves I had prior, just wanting to automate the entire system.

IF i were designing another system today, I would put one BIG fill pump for all bags and a smaller drain pump on each bag. Not that different from how its setup today.

I ran Simer impeller pumps for about 6 seasons in 2 different boats, and switched to T-1200's around the 2006 season. No way I'd go back to Simers. The Tsunamis are faster (per amp), quieter, and can run dry for hours without damage. I run a 1-1/2" scupper intake with an electric RV waste gate valve, and never have priming or self-filling issues. The total cost of a system is about the same for each type.

Trace,

I also have a Simer system that is nicely dialed, but I keep thinkning about switching, just for the noise and convience of not having to watch them finish. Can you post a link for the RV valves? I found them a very long time ago but lost the info.

Also, do you fill throuigh you T1200 pump? CorrectCraft used to do it that way and i think it is a good idea to gaurentee the priming of the empty pump. My concern was that is slows the fill time.

Thx.

Uj

decisions, decisions!!! Thanks guys for the information. I don't know which direction at this point to go. I'm leaning towards installing the Jabsco pumps and be done with it.

From what I have gathered in my research this past winter and during our install I have come to the following 2 types of people and which pumps they should choose.

Jabsco- These are for people who want to do a one time install and never have to worry about it again. Little to no design into the system is required and is quite flexible which allows the pumps to be mounted any where and the system just "works." Money is also not a problem for these people.

Tsunami T1200- These are for the people who want the fastest fill time possible but also have put in the hours and research to get the system to work perfect. Some tinkering and modification is going to be necessary after the initial install but after a few modifications the system will blow away any Jabsco setup.

UJ, I answered your PM, but I'll post here too...

valve:
http://www.drainmaster.com/staticpag...ex.php/dm_cart
Also worth noting, the switch it comes with fits a Carlingswitch mount hole.

My drain pumps are attached directly to a bottom port on each bag, towards the rear of the boat so they're at the lowest point.

And I agree with Matt's psychological analysis. :)