Bilge pump problems

[Hookset]

Problem; The bilge pump is tripping the circuit breaker. Cause, unknown at this moment. I first noticed this problem a few weeks back cleaning the boat. Turned on the pump, nothing..........noticed the breaker was tripped. After I drained the water, same thing. Finished cleaning the boat and tried again 30 minutes later, the pump turned on. So looks like the water is shorting out the wires. Checked the battery terminal first, looks clean. Appears to be a problemn inside the pump unit. I've tried the pump the other day and the breaker kicks off everytime.

Has anyone else experienced problems with bilge pumps, like wire shorts? Did you have to replace the pump or repair the unit? What's surprising is this unit isn't that old, only used a few times. Just like a boat isn't it, always something breaking down.

If the pump needs replacing, are there any differences between the different brands? The brand I've seen the most around here is Attwood.

Appreciate the help, thanks,

Gregg

[Pilar]

Hookset, does the pump shaft turn freely? Remove the motor and impeller from the lower case. It snaps together. Turn the impeller by hand. It should spin freely.

The last time your problem happened to me a length of 6# mono got spun up on the pump shaft and jammed the pump. I cleared the jam and the pump works good. Also check your ground wire for a good connection.

[Fishful Thinkin']

I had a feeling Pilar would be the first one to reply to a pump problem. Oh that's right your last one was a fuel pump. Sorry if I brought up any painful memories. Hehehe! Just jokin’.

Hookset,
Pilar may be right about the breaker tripping due to something impeding the impeller. Man that sounds stupid, "impeding the impeller". I can’t believe it came out like that.

After checking for obstructions, check for shorts. Electrical ones, not Bermudas. Another bad joke. One more like that and I’ll get kicked of this thread. Again Pilar is right about the ground wire but that is only half the battle. You also have to check the hot wire.

In fact it’s not very likely to be the ground wire because water would short to ground any way. However, if the hot wire shorts to ground that would trip the breaker.

In all honesty though Pilar is probably right about the clogged pump. Of course the pump itself could be screwed-up.

Good luck, I hope it doesn’t cost too much to fix.

[ 10-24-2001: Message edited by: Fishful Thinkin' ]

[dogfishboy]

Hook',
Rule and Lovett pumps are both good choices. I had a Lovett pump for 11 years and it worked none stop ...and the boat sat in salt most of the time. Look in the West Marine catalog for some good options or online at http://www.westmarine.com
Good luck,
David

[ 10-24-2001: Message edited by: dogfishboy ]

[Fish Hawk Adventures]

Hook,
Don't mess around with another brand besides Rule from here out. I commercial fished for 20 years in a 22' Dory and let me tell you one breaker in the surf would put a ton of water in the boat. I would not trust my life to any other than a Rule. I had one that lasted for 9 years and that was almost a non stop operation. We used it as a wash down pump when we had to wash the blood out of the boat from cleaning 200 fish a day. Just check the impeller and let it work.

Hope that helps
Joe

[Hookset]

Thanks Pilar, Fishful, Dogfishboy and Talons, appreciate the help.

I checked the wiring already up to the pump unit itself. Now I'll have to remove and unscrew the check the impellor. Hope it turns into something simple like a bound shaft.....or was that impeded impellor?

I'll also check out the Rule if I need a replacement.

Thanks,

Gregg

[Pilar]

Gregg, second on the rule pump. Its snaps together and apart easily for cleaning, self priming too. The base is attached to the bilge pocket and the top part swings up to the deck on the end of the hose for cleaning. Mine is 3 yrs and still going strong.

There are some things to cheap on, IMHO a bilge pump is not one of them.

Buy the biggest pump that will fit in your bilge. Then buy a spare for the fish box.

A float switch is good too. Last year I added a light. Its red and flashes if the pump comes on. That way if I am flooding the pump comes on and the light warns me something bad is happening.

Q. What is the difference between a leak and flooding?

A. You find a leak, flooding finds you.

[Floater]

Hookset, if all else fails, turn your batteries off and submerge your pump. Find the wires and use a multimeter to see if they've now shorted in any unwanted direction.

Pilar, do you have info on adding a float switch and light to a pump? I hate having to try and remember "when's the last time I checked the bilge" by pulling out the switch.