Bilge pump and ski locker

[danielcasey01]

My bilge pump works fine but will not automatically come on (probably a float valve issue I am guessing). I noticed this when I had about 2 or 3 inches of water in the ski locker. Took a few minutes but got it all pumped out. The plug in the ski locker has been taken out (closest to the rear of the boat) and curious if this should be in or can it be left out. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[VitaminSea]

Not sure about your hull, but I have noticed other comment that the lowest part of the bilge is mid ship. I currently have my boat dry stacked (2012 SX210), and noticed water in the ski locker (with minimal amounts in the engine bilge). When I asked the fork lift operator to tilt my boat slightly, water exited front the transom plug for about 2 mins. When I trailered the boat, I didn’t have this issue, as my driveway is inclined and the water would drain on its own.

So, to your question about the drain plug in the ski locker, I am going to try to keep mine closed to prohibit the bilge water from entering the ski locker.

You can test your bilge pumps auto sensing feature by adding water to the bilge with a hose or bucket. If it doesn’t kick on, you should certainly investigate/consider a replacement.

 

[Julian]

My bilge pump works fine but will not automatically come on (probably a float valve issue I am guessing). I noticed this when I had about 2 or 3 inches of water in the ski locker. Took a few minutes but got it all pumped out. The plug in the ski locker has been taken out (closest to the rear of the boat) and curious if this should be in or can it be left out. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

This is one of those age old debates (like Ford or Chevy). The two sides are:

Plugs In while boating: this slows down the movement of water throughout the boat giving you time to react
Plugs out while boating: this allows water to move to the bilge so the bilge pump can pump it out

Both have pros and cons. I boat with mine out.

The stock pump on your boat is a back pressure bilge pump.....it doesn't have a float (it might have been replaced). Checking the operation on your bilge pump should be an annual (at least) maintenance item. It unclips from its base and has a screen under it - that needs to be cleaned annually. Then a simple check is to put it into a large pitcher of water and confirm that it pumps the water out. It isn't something you want to discover is NOT working out on the water once you have taken on water.....

 

[danielcasey01]

thank you!

 

[kjr6306]

Just pulled my bilge pump from a 2005 SX230. The case was cracked in several places and the impeller was seized. What model Rule pump is everyone using as a replacement? Mine has 2 wires....brown and black.

 

[Sccala]

This is one of those age old debates (like Ford or Chevy). The two sides are:

Plugs In while boating: this slows down the movement of water throughout the boat giving you time to react
Plugs out while boating: this allows water to move to the bilge so the bilge pump can pump it out

Both have pros and cons. I boat with mine out.

The stock pump on your boat is a back pressure bilge pump.....it doesn't have a float (it might have been replaced). Checking the operation on your bilge pump should be an annual (at least) maintenance item. It unclips from its base and has a screen under it - that needs to be cleaned annually. Then a simple check is to put it into a large pitcher of water and confirm that it pumps the water out. It isn't something you want to discover is NOT working out on the water once you have taken on water.....

I’m glad I found this thread because I’m currently dealing with a bilge pump issue myself. I have a twofold issue. The first one is that I think I might have a blockage. I know I’ve seen the pump dispose of water out of the side of the boat with more force than it currently is. When I saw your comment about how the screen underneath it can be cleaned, I immediately put my hope in the thought that that is what my problem is. Either that, or there’s a blockage in the actual hose, which seems like a nightmare to disassemble. May I ask how exactly do you unclip the pump from the floor of the bilge area? Do you kind of just grab it and pry it up and it in clips from plastic teeth? Or is there a proper method to it? My second issue is that I feel That the pump is not operating when it should. I’m probably wrong on this so correctly where I need to be corrected please… If there is water in there, the pump should automatically turn on and get rid of it, right? However, there is often several inches… 2 to 4 inches of water in the area closest to the pump, but it only comes on like… When it wants to. Somebody told me that they thought it was on a timer, but I don’t even feel like it’s coming on at regular intervals either. Thoughts on both of these issues I’m dealing with?

Steve

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Sccala Several inches of water there is a lot of water. How is all that getting in? What year and model is your boat? You can fill that area up with a hose and check if it auto comes on and also the force with the switch on your dash.

Still, that is a lot of water back there if it is coming up to the bilge pump that high, from normal use.

 

[Julian]

I’m glad I found this thread because I’m currently dealing with a bilge pump issue myself. I have a twofold issue. The first one is that I think I might have a blockage. I know I’ve seen the pump dispose of water out of the side of the boat with more force than it currently is. When I saw your comment about how the screen underneath it can be cleaned, I immediately put my hope in the thought that that is what my problem is. Either that, or there’s a blockage in the actual hose, which seems like a nightmare to disassemble. May I ask how exactly do you unclip the pump from the floor of the bilge area? Do you kind of just grab it and pry it up and it in clips from plastic teeth? Or is there a proper method to it? My second issue is that I feel That the pump is not operating when it should. I’m probably wrong on this so correctly where I need to be corrected please… If there is water in there, the pump should automatically turn on and get rid of it, right? However, there is often several inches… 2 to 4 inches of water in the area closest to the pump, but it only comes on like… When it wants to. Somebody told me that they thought it was on a timer, but I don’t even feel like it’s coming on at regular intervals either. Thoughts on both of these issues I’m dealing with?

Steve

There are 2 clips on the sides that you undo to remove it from the base. Very easy. It will look something like this:

 

[tdonoughue]

This is one of those age old debates (like Ford or Chevy).

I vote Ram.

<ducks and runs>
<remembers something, stops, turns around and comes back>

Oh, @kjr6306 , I don't recall the exact size, but they are sized to match with the exit hose. A bigger pump with the same size hose will still pump the same amount (only so much will go through the hose). Measure your hose and look on the sizing charts (believe there is one on the Rule website) to see the appropriate gpm rating for that hose. Use that one. Bigger is not always better. Getting the largest one for your hose will maximize how long you can stay afloat if you have a serious problem--no bilge pump will guaranty you can keep up with incoming water (a broken cooling hose on the engine will be hard to keep up with for any bilge pump). The bilge pump is providing you time to find and fix the issue.

And most of the bilge pumps I have seen have brown and black wires (for the positive and negative, respectively).

 

[Sccala]

@Sccala Several inches of water there is a lot of water. How is all that getting in? What year and model is your boat? You can fill that area up with a hose and check if it auto comes on and also the force with the switch on your dash.

Still, that is a lot of water back there if it is coming up to the bilge pump that high, from normal use.

I think it’s coming in from the ski locker. When I wash the deck, I think a lot of water is getting into the ski locker because I think the weather stripping is in need of replacement. That’s the only thing I can think of.

 

[drewkaree]

the pump is not operating when it should. I’m probably wrong on this so correctly where I need to be corrected please… If there is water in there, the pump should automatically turn on and get rid of it, right? However, there is often several inches… 2 to 4 inches of water in the area closest to the pump, but it only comes on like… When it wants to. Somebody told me that they thought it was on a timer, but I don’t even feel like it’s coming on at regular intervals either.

Find the owner's manual for your boat. Inside, it will tell you how your bilge operates. I have no idea what yours is - do you have a 23' boat, because I don't think those were made in 2020.

If you have that much water around the pump, have you observed water coming out of the side of your boat from the largest hole (not the pisser(s))? If you're not sure, sticking a garden hose in there and filling the area up will show you if your pump is working in a short amount of time.

 

[drewkaree]

I think it’s coming in from the ski locker. When I wash the deck, I think a lot of water is getting into the ski locker because I think the weather stripping is in need of replacement. That’s the only thing I can think of.

Depending on your boat, there's many places water can enter, and when you have enough, it can and will start to fill the ski locker, if conditions are right in your boat. If your ski locker fitting has no sealant underneath it, you will have water coming into the ski locker even if the plugs are in and fully seated. This was the case with my boat. After replacing that fitting and adding sealant to the new fitting, the only reason water entered my ski locker with the plug in, was when it rained.

You need to check that your bilge pump is working properly, first and foremost. Once you've verified that, start looking around here for threads about water intrusion, and check them off one by one. It sounds like you may have other things going on with your boat, but a shotgun approach only wastes your efforts. You can test all the known issues with these boats quite easily. The leak chasing info is in the FAQ here.

 

[Julian]

I think it’s coming in from the ski locker. When I wash the deck, I think a lot of water is getting into the ski locker because I think the weather stripping is in need of replacement. That’s the only thing I can think of.

Yeah....your profile is missing information. No Boat make, year and length don't match (if its a Yamaha) You can change it here;

https://jetboaters.net/account/account-details

 

[Sccala]

Find the owner's manual for your boat. Inside, it will tell you how your bilge operates. I have no idea what yours is - do you have a 23' boat, because I don't think those were made in 2020.

If you have that much water around the pump, have you observed water coming out of the side of your boat from the largest hole (not the pisser(s))? If you're not sure, sticking a garden hose in there and filling the area up will show you if your pump is working in a short amount of time.

I know that it’s working, because I do see it coming out of the hole in the side of the boat (yes, I know the difference between the pissers for the cooling system and the bilge pump-out orifice.) It does work, but it does not pump out at the speed/force that I have observed it pump out in the past. I’m going to try a suggestion from another commentor about on clipping the pump and seeing if there is a blockage on the screen underneath. also, to answer your previous question… I have a 2011 24 foot 242 Limited S.

 

[drewkaree]

I’m going to try a suggestion from another commentor about on clipping the pump and seeing if there is a blockage on the screen underneath. also, to answer your previous question… I have a 2011 24 foot 242 Limited S.

Like @Julian mentioned, updating your profile with the proper info will help us, as well as you, to give you better info to help with future issues. His link on that post will take you right to where you can make the changes, sometimes it's a pain to hunt down exactly where it is LOL

After you check the pump for blockage, once that's all back up and running (fingers crossed that all is well after that!), on your specific boat, there can be issues with the drain plug fitting in the ski locker that's allowing water in there from below. Your boat will hold quite a bit of water in the bilge itself before the pump will ever kick on, and it's possible that some of that water is what's coming in, in addition to the seal needing replacement. There should be two screws that hold that fitting in, and it's as simple as undoing both of them and removing the drain fitting to check - if there's no sealant on the underside of that fitting, get yourself some sealant and put some on the underside of that fitting.

The other thing to check for your ski locker is to make sure the latch is pulling the hatch snug enough on the seal to compress it. There should be a set screw on the little "ear" that turns under the decking, that can simply be loosened, and screw that ear upwards until it's more secure. I had that issue with mine on the ski locker hatch, as well as the dealer breaking part of that ear off on the cleanout hatch prior to me ever taking possession of the boat.

Good luck!

 

[Julian]

I’m going to try a suggestion from another commentor about on clipping the pump and seeing if there is a blockage on the screen underneath.

This should be on everyone's annual maintenance list (cleaning the intake screen on your bilge pump)

 

[Sccala]

This should be on everyone's annual maintenance list (cleaning the intake screen on your bilge pump)

Well, now that I know how to do it myself and it literally takes about nine seconds to check… I’ll do it mid season and then again at the end of every season (I am up in New England so I only get to boat seasonally. From May through October.)

 

[Sccala]

Like @Julian mentioned, updating your profile with the proper info will help us, as well as you, to give you better info to help with future issues. His link on that post will take you right to where you can make the changes, sometimes it's a pain to hunt down exactly where it is LOL

After you check the pump for blockage, once that's all back up and running (fingers crossed that all is well after that!), on your specific boat, there can be issues with the drain plug fitting in the ski locker that's allowing water in there from below. Your boat will hold quite a bit of water in the bilge itself before the pump will ever kick on, and it's possible that some of that water is what's coming in, in addition to the seal needing replacement. There should be two screws that hold that fitting in, and it's as simple as undoing both of them and removing the drain fitting to check - if there's no sealant on the underside of that fitting, get yourself some sealant and put some on the underside of that fitting.

The other thing to check for your ski locker is to make sure the latch is pulling the hatch snug enough on the seal to compress it. There should be a set screw on the little "ear" that turns under the decking, that can simply be loosened, and screw that ear upwards until it's more secure. I had that issue with mine on the ski locker hatch, as well as the dealer breaking part of that ear off on the cleanout hatch prior to me ever taking possession of the boat.

Good luck!

so there definitely was a blockage in the screen under the bilge pump. I cleaned it out and once I popped in back in and turned the pump back on… The water was really flowing out of the boat. Big relief. However, I do still think I need to replace the weatherstripping under the ski locker. I did readjust The setscrew and “ear” under the hatch handle to make the hatch tighter when it closes, but I feel like it still could use new weatherstripping. Haven’t done it yet because I can’t find the proper size or height profile weatherstripping that I need yet. Everything I look for in stores or online is too small. I did find half inch tall profile weather stripping at West Marine, but it was like $60 for a package of 7 only feet, (which isn’t even enough to do the ski locker anyway). That’s a ridiculous price and I’m not doing it! LOL. If you or anybody else reading this knows how I can get the OEM weatherstripping or even something beefier to make sure I get a really good seal, I’d appreciate any help.

 

[Julian]

so there definitely was a blockage in the screen under the bilge pump. I cleaned it out and once I popped in back in and turned the pump back on… The water was really flowing out of the boat. Big relief. However, I do still think I need to replace the weatherstripping under the ski locker. I did readjust The setscrew and “ear” under the hatch handle to make the hatch tighter when it closes, but I feel like it still could use new weatherstripping. Haven’t done it yet because I can’t find the proper size or height profile weatherstripping that I need yet. Everything I look for in stores or online is too small. I did find half inch tall profile weather stripping at West Marine, but it was like $60 for a package of 7 only feet, (which isn’t even enough to do the ski locker anyway). That’s a ridiculous price and I’m not doing it! LOL. If you or anybody else reading this knows how I can get the OEM weatherstripping or even something beefier to make sure I get a really good seal, I’d appreciate any help.

Keep in mind that all you are doing by preventing water getting into the ski locker is change the route by which the water gets to the bilge. Water than goes under the lip and into the edge drain goes to the bilge too. Now if you take ton of water over the bow you might limit the water getting under the lid...and maximize the water going to the deck scupper drain at the stern of the cabin.

 

[drewkaree]

I feel like it still could use new weatherstripping. Haven’t done it yet because I can’t find the proper size or height profile weatherstripping that I need yet. Everything I look for in stores or online is too small. I did find half inch tall profile weather stripping at West Marine, but it was like $60 for a package of 7 only feet, (which isn’t even enough to do the ski locker anyway).

Not sure what width or thickness you're looking for, but here's a few...what length are you looking for as well? I used this stuff on my cleanout tray, and it'll work quite well, in my experience. If these don't work, the search terms I used is "neoprene gasket weatherstrip", and then you'd just sift through the results to find something specific.

These two are 1/2" thickness, in two different widths:

Sponge Neoprene Stripping W/Adhesive 1in Wide X 1/2in Thick X 25ft Long: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Sponge Neoprene Stripping W/Adhesive 1in Wide X 1/2in Thick X 25ft Long: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

Sponge Neoprene Stripping W/Adhesive 1/2in Wide X 1/2in Thick X 15ft Long: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Sponge Neoprene Stripping W/Adhesive 1/2in Wide X 1/2in Thick X 15ft Long: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

There's other thicknesses, this is 1", but that seems like it's too much to me, not sure what your thoughts are, but this shows there's options available:

Sponge Neoprene Stripping W/Adhesive 1-1/2in Wide X 1in Thick X 15ft Long: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Sponge Neoprene Stripping W/Adhesive 1-1/2in Wide X 1in Thick X 15ft Long: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com