Ballast Pump Impeller Maintenance?

[francis3]

I'm a jet boat newbie... My family and I are very excited about our first jet boat -- a 2017 212X that I picked up in October and sadly had to bring straight to our Yamaha dealer for winter storage.

The dealer is now asking me about some preventative maintenance. They are suggesting that the impellers on the ballast pumps should be replaced on a regular basis. Since the are just rubber, they say they wear out with time and also degrade due to lack of use and drying out during our 7 - 8 month off season.

Makes sense, but not sure if it's really necessary? They are asking about $420 to replace all three impellers. I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone regularly replaces the ballast pump impellers or if you just wait for some sign that they are failing.

 

[Stang7tl]

Do it yourself. Impellers cheap and easy to install. In my old boat I had Jacob pumps and impellers were 10-12 bucks.

 

[spatty99]

You can wait until they slow or stop pumping (or do it yourself). As the impellers fail you'll lose output but otherwise shouldn't have any issues. They aren't like engine water pumps where a broken impeller can get downstream and cause catastrophic damage.

 

[buckbuck]

I have only had to replace mine once on my 2008. I doubt you have problems yet. It is a simple job and low cost part.

 

[buckbuck]

 

[haknslash]

Change them when you notice long or slow fill and drain times. They are not an annual wear item unless you’re running the pumps dry and prematurely causing wear.

As for replacing them, it’s definitely a DIY thing.

 

[francis3]

Thank you all for the great feedback -- I appreciate it! I'll save my money for now and do a DIY fix when needed.