Bilge pump breaker drama

[Jetswu87]

2015 SX192 40 hours

- First day I went out this year when I flipped the switch for the bilge there was no light, I thought "weird, wonder if the light is burned out." When I got off the water and back to the house I pulled the pump and it wasn't coming on. The breaker didn't seem to be tripped but I played with it and it eventually switched on. Pump worked as normal.

-Yesterday- Learning from my mistake and not wanting to go out without a bilge pump again, I flipped it on in my driveway before leaving. No light, no pump. I pulled the switch panel and bypassed the breaker, pump works fine. I noticed this is a 3amp breaker, I was due to go out in 10minutes so I swapped breakers with the Interior light switch which is 5amps. All is good, and the interior lamp works on the 3am breaker? I'm not sure if the breaker is faulty or my pump is pulling more than 3 amps. The breaker has never tripped, wires weren't loose.

I'm already planning on adding a second bilge pump because this makes me uneasy. I guess I should be carrying extra circuit breakers too?

 

[Bruce]

Circuit breakers do fail but it is also possible that something is caught or corroded in the pump increasing the current draw.

You could replace the breaker with a new 3 amp breaker or use a multimeter to measure the current draw to determine which is the issue.

 

[ThatJeepGuy]

My 190 have the same issue with the blower. Faulty breaker

 

[Jetswu87]

Circuit breakers do fail but it is also possible that something is caught or corroded in the pump increasing the current draw.

You could replace the breaker with a new 3 amp breaker or use a multimeter to measure the current draw to determine which is the issue.

That was going to be my next step, but weird that it's not popping the breaker. I imagine these things are cheap, probably should keep an assortment of them in the just in case bag.

 

[swatski]

That was going to be my next step, but weird that it's not popping the breaker. I imagine these things are cheap, probably should keep an assortment of them in the just in case bag.

The breaker protects the boat (from fire - from wiring shorts) not the pump. Those aerator style pumps don't draw much, can run dry no problem and don't burn out (at least not quickly) even when the impeller gets stuck.

--