Check your online boat supplies carefully

[bronze_10]

The year was 2 ought 18. It was spring and just warming up. The order of the day, everyday, was to get things ready for our first bimini trip in late june! Among the long todo list was to install a 2nd bilge pump in the boat. We decided to install a rule 1100 gph pump with a dedicated discharge tube and through hull fitting. We order stainless steel hose clamps for the discharge tube. The place that made the most common sence to place the pump was as close to the rear drain plug as we could get. This placed it under the center water box which has to be moved to get to the pump. The pump would be sitting on the hull of the boat so I used a plastic epoxy to mount it. I wired the pump directly to the battery with an Inline fuse. This has been our set up since 2018.

This spring 2020, my wife and I wet sanded the boat and I noticed that I did not hear the bulge pump come on at all. It is the kind that comes on and tests for water for a second and if none is found it turns off. I know many dont like this set up but I took comfort in hearing it come one every so often which allowed me to know it was working. Well while wet sanding the boat this year I noticed I never heard it come on. I tought I prob have not put the fuse back in from the winter storage. When i checked it, the fuse was indeed in. But the pump was not cycling on. The pump has a manual on wire that I ran to the battery area but never wired to a switch. Just never got around to it. When I touched that manual on wire to the battery the pump came on. So I started trouble shooting and traced electricity getting to within a foot of the pump its self with a test light.

Ugh! So we opened the back of the boat under the swim platform, moved the water box tried to pull the pump up from its base but the whole base came up. The epoxy finally gave way. So I decided to just remove the entire thing and test it on my work bench. When I pulled it around far enough to get to the discharge tube clamps I found this.



They were nearly rusted through. The clamp band appears to be stainless but the ratchet portion clearly is not. While trying to loosen them they both snapped inside allowing the bands to open without resistance. This was an eye opening moment. The clamps I ordered on line from somewhere that said stainless steel clamps. I will now look more closely.
I'm sure while trying to complete the long list of bimini prep I saw ss clamps, check! And moved on. Once out of the boat the pump works on manual but not on automatic.

Some things I have learned from this incident:

1 - look more carefully at what you are ordering on line. I am sure everything would have been fine for the bimini trip but years later I dont think the clamps would have held. If a catastrophic even happened where that pump was desperately needed I dont think it would have dont any good. The hose would have prob come off and not pumped anything over board.

2 - if something like this isnt working right dont put it off. In my mind it was a simple wiring issue. Prob a bad crimp on the in line fuse or just a loose connector. Or it is working and I'm just use to the sound.

3 - (this one I am gonna use on the reinstall). Dont over think the bulge pump placement. On the replacement install I'm putting it in the engine compartment right in the middle. I can easily see it, mess with it, smack it.. whatever I wont. Part of my delay this year was , "what if it is bad and I have to change it? I'll have to dig it out from under all that stuff! Again." A simple placement will mean closer monitoring and easier to get to.

4 - everyone has their preference. As stated above I liked hearing the pump come on. When I heard it come on I knew it was working. When we swim behind the boat and I could hear it come on and it Gave me a certain peace of mind that it was working as intended. I almost went with a float switch style pump. I feel in my case had that happened I would not have known it was faulty and the clamps were bad.

Anyway, these are my experiences and I hope other will learn from my failures.

 

[VitaminSea]

Sorry to learn of your experience here. Thanks for sharing it as a public service advisory. Glad you identified the issue in the safety of your driveway/storage facility vs being in dire straits.

 

[2kwik4u]

2 questions.

Why such a high capacity? How does one go about choosing capacity?

Was this your primary or secondary pump?

 

[Bluewater272]

More capacity the better, especially if something bad ever happens. I went with 750 for my auxiliary pump, sometimes I wish I had gone for more.

I do prefer the float switch kind because I know it won't run down my battery over time, should I leave the boat in the water. I just check it every couple weeks, easy to reach through the cleanout access hatch.

 

[bronze_10]

2 questions.

Why such a high capacity? How does one go about choosing capacity?

Was this your primary or secondary pump?

I still have the factory one in but its only 500 gph. That's not a lot. I remember thinking if I have to run a separate discharge hose I'm gonna get a much larger capacity pump. This pump even tales a large diameter hose and through hull fitting. Upon testing it was much much more water being spit out of the 1100 ph than the 500. If it came to a point where I needed both... I wanted a higher capacity.

 

[bronze_10]

More capacity the better, especially if something bad ever happens. I went with 750 for my auxiliary pump, sometimes I wish I had gone for more.

I do prefer the float switch kind because I know it won't run down my battery over time, should I leave the boat in the water. I just check it every couple weeks, easy to reach through the cleanout access hatch.

I wired thia one straight to my battery. If the boat isnt in the water it's on a charger so it was never as issue. But this one I think I'm gonna put on the bus bar I installed that is charged with the battery selector switch.