Bilge Pump Conundrum

[Firemedic38]

Ok. Quick back story to make sure all is clear. I have an 08 AR230 with a Rule 500gpm Automatic Bilge located between the motors towards the back of the engine compartment. For the record…complete pain in the ass to access the bilge pump. Anyway, realized recently that the pump has been popping the breaker at the helm repeatedly. So I left it off until I got it home. Got the pump off the strainer (still connected to power and discharge hose) and found debris in the strainer. Assumed the issue was that i had a clog which was causing the breaker to trip. Cleaned that all out and the pump ran fine for a long time out of the water.

Today, back on the water. Pump starts tripping again. This continues through multiple power cycling attempts throughout the day. I then simply Turn it off until I get it off the water. Back on the trailer I run the pump and it discharges like normal. WTH!? Either work or don’t work! Don’t fail when i need it and work when I don’t. So now I’m confused and reaching out for help and any ideas you guys may have short of replacing it. That is in the cards and I’ve ordered a replacement but I’d still like to pinpoint the overall problem so I know and am not just replacing things just because.

Thanks!

 

[Cambo]

It’s very old get a new one with a float switch those things are junk. It has water sensing technology that is probably faulty. More importanty get a cheap water alarm from amazon that runs on a 9volt battery hang the sensor 2” above the pick up of the bilge hang the siren in the engine compartment they are loud. This saved my 2005 boat from sinking since that pile of shit bilge pump wasn’t working, the one time my boat took on water the water alarm let me know my boat was on it’s way to sink. The 3 pack of water alarms with batteries for $20 saved me a lot of aggravation and could potentially save lives.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Ok. Quick back story to make sure all is clear. I have an 08 AR230 with a Rule 500gpm Automatic Bilge located between the motors towards the back of the engine compartment. For the record…complete pain in the ass to access the bilge pump. Anyway, realized recently that the pump has been popping the breaker at the helm repeatedly. So I left it off until I got it home. Got the pump off the strainer (still connected to power and discharge hose) and found debris in the strainer. Assumed the issue was that i had a clog which was causing the breaker to trip. Cleaned that all out and the pump ran fine for a long time out of the water.

Today, back on the water. Pump starts tripping again. This continues through multiple power cycling attempts throughout the day. I then simply Turn it off until I get it off the water. Back on the trailer I run the pump and it discharges like normal. WTH!? Either work or don’t work! Don’t fail when i need it and work when I don’t. So now I’m confused and reaching out for help and any ideas you guys may have short of replacing it. That is in the cards and I’ve ordered a replacement but I’d still like to pinpoint the overall problem so I know and am not just replacing things just because.

Thanks!

Did you check it again for debris? Have you tried rinsing the bilge out to remove debris?

Sounds like you have a couple of things that need to be done, add another bilge pump, and figure out where all the water is coming from, usually it’s the clean out tray not being sealed, the anchor locker drain is another, or it could be the deck drain scupper is failing, lots of folks have swapped out the factory plastic scupper thru hull for a stainless steel one. While it is a bit of work to find where the water is coming from, chances are good you could end up with a dry bilge at the end of the day.

Anchor locker drain upgrade thread. https://jetboaters.net/threads/replaced-my-anchor-locker-drain-fitting-due-to-leaks.32891/

 

[drewkaree]

Did you check the wiring? Tripping the breaker constantly sounds like you might have a break in the line or arcing somewhere. At the very least, you have to get down there again, so take a multimeter and start testing - continuity sounds like it might be hit or miss, depending on if the wires are moved or bounced around, maybe there's a splice that's gone bad, a fitting that's corroded, etc.

The pump should be checked for continuity, but @Cambo makes a valid point, it's 16 years old. It may just be time for replacement. Testing/checking it first would be what I'd do, and while you're in there fiddling around - in for a penny, in for a pound - add a second pump and a water alarm.

Given the age, have you replaced the scupper valve with a stainless valve? If not, I'd say you're on borrowed time, and with a wonky bilge pump, I'd be waiting to take it out until I did that and/or addressed the bilge pump.

 

[Billtex2000]

https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-1000GPH-Ultima-Combo-4-Inch/dp/B001Q8KQFY/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CXhnoKjmdGI3HGaN5DPE8c6EF9qSDAHobLKWROnFSi0YLmgaUentxBYVQABZalsFEQlK6HiPVdt9wtVLNs-NCPtUWvVNIwpFuN8of-6syJK7A5eD2dzTU9P600p7d5r4VH5_-YNm7rtVG4Ftb1OWidFXtEho5Q-GSBAd5iLIH21HtURoNtcnsi5MGLEHDJ5vU7O9dVLkt6sYDU_637SThWLt46j71Uu8e8Db-EcL2hB0YGDFWotxK44mwgMiG9abbFxDGDN5Tr-jhmhV2-PPLiiDFlmfN3z-_iElzdCQDP4.oiCv0EMKnipPXvRSzQgiaAGr2QMwOMyHnpFyqSEjTHc&dib_tag=se&keywords=johnson+ultima&qid=1719683404&sr=8-3

 

[Firemedic38]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I resealed the bilge pump as it has a short and then ordered a new one. Also finally swapped out the scupper and now I don’t have water to pump out at all! So that’s that! Thanks again

 

[Firemedic38]

Did you check the wiring? Tripping the breaker constantly sounds like you might have a break in the line or arcing somewhere. At the very least, you have to get down there again, so take a multimeter and start testing - continuity sounds like it might be hit or miss, depending on if the wires are moved or bounced around, maybe there's a splice that's gone bad, a fitting that's corroded, etc.

The pump should be checked for continuity, but @Cambo makes a valid point, it's 16 years old. It may just be time for replacement. Testing/checking it first would be what I'd do, and while you're in there fiddling around - in for a penny, in for a pound - add a second pump and a water alarm.

Given the age, have you replaced the scupper valve with a stainless valve? If not, I'd say you're on borrowed time, and with a wonky bilge pump, I'd be waiting to take it out until I did that and/or addressed the bilge pump.

Yep. There was a short at the boot I believe. I simply siliconed the area up and reinstalled Also ordered a new pump. Likewise, I Replaced the scupper and it solved my water issues.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Another scupper related problem… everyone should make it a point to change that out to a stainless steel one.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I resealed the bilge pump as it has a short and then ordered a new one. Also finally swapped out the scupper and now I don’t have water to pump out at all! So that’s that! Thanks again

Was the scupper broken or just not sealed properly?

 

[Firemedic38]

Was the scupper broken or just not sealed properly?

Not 100% sure but it did break when i was trying to remove it so it’s possible it was already broken.

 

[drewkaree]

Was the scupper broken or just not sealed properly?

Someone reported that their OEM scupper looked perfectly fine, but when they manipulated the hose, a crack showed up, and it would only open when underway, so it'd never be noticed until it failed catastrophically, UNLESS you went in there and moved the hose around and inspected it well. I really need to track that post/poster down, @Julian should probably add it to the leak thread and the FAQ right at the top, to move the hose, and sight inspection isn't enough. I don't think the OEM's are UV stabilized, or else the plastic is some sort that goes brittle quite quickly.