Bilge Pump Issues

Hey!

Bought my 1978 E27 at the end of April and the bilge pump was working perfectly. Went to use it the other day and it doesn't work. I am thinking it is one of three things: 1) Fuse 2) Bad wiring 3) Bad Pump

Here is the situation: I would flip my bilge switch on my electrical board and the pump would run, even with no water in there. I'm not sure if it had a float, I can find anything attached to it in the bilge. Maybe the float is built in? A couple months later of very little use I flipped the switch to pump out a little bit of rainwater and nothing. No sounds, no movement, nothing at all.

This past weekend I spent a couple hours cleaning the bilge, getting out the water and doing some general TLC. While I was there I figured I would take a look at this bilge problem. Other than being dirty the pumps seemed to be fine. I cleaned it up and flipped the switch still nothing. There was a button on the side of the pump saying something along the lines of "press and hold for 5 seconds to test" but when I pressed it, nothing.

I am extremely new to bilge pumps, troubleshooting them, and electrical issues overall. I am hoping this is just a fuse issue. I am still trying to track down how the electrical wires run from the panel to the pump but from what i can see, I don't see any fuses? Is there a place where I could find them all, maybe something like there is in cars? I have a multi-meter but I can't get a reading from the switch, I actually can't get a reading from any of the switches (even though they work). I am probably not placing the positive and negative on the right connectors?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to figure out which of the 3 problems I have?


Thanks! Chris

Hi,
Assuming your batteries are charged (all other circuits working properly and measure voltage at battery terminals with multi meter), I would start at the pump and work backwards from there. Often there is an in line fuse in a fuse holder along the wiring for the bilge pump. If so, replace the fuse even if it looks good cause sometimes it's hard to detect a burnt out fuse. Carry a good selection of spare fuses on board. Use your multi meter to check if you're getting voltage at that fuse connection. If not, follow the wire back until you get power, trying to determine where there's a bad connection, loose wire, dirty connection, etc.
Is your bilge pump in the bilge or mounted elsewhere, with only a float switch in the bilge? Ensure none of your wiring is getting wet in the bilge.
This should get you started, but others with more knowledge will also chime in soon.
Frank

Bilge pump

My bilge pump experiences are

clogged with hair/dirt/.... disassemble and clean
the pump out hose was full of water when winter hit and the hose froze and split. ... replace hose
the wiring was backwards... re-wire

Not specific to your problem but a check list none the less.

MJS

Frank Langer said:

Hi,
Assuming your batteries are charged (all other circuits working properly and measure voltage at battery terminals with multi meter), I would start at the pump and work backwards from there. Often there is an in line fuse in a fuse holder along the wiring for the bilge pump. If so, replace the fuse even if it looks good cause sometimes it's hard to detect a burnt out fuse. Carry a good selection of spare fuses on board. Use your multi meter to check if you're getting voltage at that fuse connection. If not, follow the wire back until you get power, trying to determine where there's a bad connection, loose wire, dirty connection, etc.
Is your bilge pump in the bilge or mounted elsewhere, with only a float switch in the bilge? Ensure none of your wiring is getting wet in the bilge.
This should get you started, but others with more knowledge will also chime in soon.
Frank

Click to expand...

Hi Frank,

The batteries are at a nice 12.57 volts, everything else seems to be working properly. The pump sits at the bottom of the bilge and I believe the power connection was submerged but I'm not sure if that was before it stoped functioning. I believe my pump is a rule-mate 1100 GPH, I'm sure of the brand not sure of the GPH

Does a completely submerged bilge pump mean its dead or that it blew a fuse?

Side note: I am planning on building a small wood frame for the bilge pump to sit in so it doesn't sit at the bottom and doesn't have a chance of moving/rolling.



mjsouleman - good note, thank you

I am familiar with Rule pumps, but have never owned one, so I am not sure. I'd think it should be water tight and able to be submerged. Can you get to the wiring close to the pump and check with multi meter for voltage? Can you hook up the pump with new temporary wires and a fuse on the positive wire, connected to the battery to test if it works then?
Frank

Ill have to take a better look at it to see if I can access the wires. I tried to pull them out, thinking they just plugged into the back of the pump, but they didn't budge.

I am not a fan of inexpensive centrifugal pumps, like the Rule product.

OTOH, if it did work in the past and not now, then your task is to find what changed.
If there is voltage at the pump and it does not turn, take the pump apart and check the impeller. Usually these have a snap-apart base fitting. Look at the Rule models on the 'net and find some info on the one that you have.

As others have pointed out, you will likely end up trouble shooting back to the power and switch source.

Best wishes,
Loren

The rule mate has a built in switch. If it used to run without water present it was defective, sounds like it is even more defective now.

Think calm thoughts about the cost of boat ownership and buy a new pump and a spare.

From Dead to... Deader...

mfield said:

The rule mate has a built in switch. If it used to run without water present it was defective, sounds like it is even more defective now.

Think calm thoughts about the cost of boat ownership and buy a new pump and a spare.

Click to expand...

Conjuring up an ad campaign from Rule: " Now with even 20 Percent More Defectiveness!!! "



Sorry, just could not resist.

mfield said:

The rule mate has a built in switch. If it used to run without water present it was defective, sounds like it is even more defective now.

Think calm thoughts about the cost of boat ownership and buy a new pump and a spare.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure if when I switched it I was just switching on the power to run it. I'm not really sure if it was just "rigged" to work for the sale or if it actually worked.

I am going to take a multimeter to it and follow the power.



@loren HAHAH!

Water usually gets into the switches in the pump thru the wiring via capillary action and ruins them. If the wiring connections were not heat sealed or the wiring jacket is damaged then a possible cause. Good idea to do so if you replace the pump. I'd replace the wiring as well just in case.

What type panel switch do you have? Is it a bilge pump switch or just a panel toggle switch? Possible that could be defective?

In my world submersible pumps stopped working every few years and were routinely replaced.

The Rule products can also be confusing--self-priming or not?

Some extended thoughts here:

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?421-Bilge-Pump-Systems-and-Considerations

Overkill? Maybe...

I have two centrifugal bilge pumps, one diaphragm pump with a strainer mounted in the engine compartments and a Whale Gusher!

It can can troubling when they start running.....where’s the leak?

To the OP of this thread, look for a fuse on the electrical panel by the switch for your BP. That might be the problem.

Sorry for the delay

Hey guys,

Just getting down to the boat to work on this.

I think ink I found the fuses. Are these them?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yZtYy6B9a6WlpIzh-NU2PJKE5ASv7FSF

here is a photo of my electrical panel
The bilge switch
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ky3hPD-Lof7PiaJmkHvskSYbRvVZdPHY

panel
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hIGxpnvQteybttm3qHBVzLF_fyDY8qLa

and some photos of my pump
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_7nssrg55rBjgKRPzn7BGiBVsNHa0hSf

The impeller moves when I push it with my finger

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pUDE3dY-KEmZfQJ98lkfVNDwL2rJ9ysU

let me know what you think is going on! Thank you again for the advice

The links don't work for me. Load them onto the forum if you can.

Ah! My mistake, I didn’t have the “link sharing “ on. They should work for you now.

I would load them in but I am on my phone currently. Thanks!

The first photo shows butt connectors--they just connect two wires.

There might be an in-line fuse elsewhere on the wires. The pump might connect to a circuit breaker.

That bilge pump looks ancient. Chances are it's just dead. They're not very expensive and they don;t last very long.

Touch the bilge pump wires to the positive and negative poles of the battery. Turn the pump upside down , shake it, etc.

If it doesn't run, it's toast.

Christian Williams said:

The first photo shows butt connectors--they just connect two wires.

There might be an in-line fuse elsewhere on the wires. The pump might connect to a circuit breaker.

That bilge pump looks ancient. Chances are it's just dead. They're not very expensive and they don;t last very long.

Touch the bilge pump wires to the positive and negative poles of the battery. Turn the pump upside down , shake it, etc.

If it doesn't run, it's toast.

Click to expand...

The more I am playing with this the more I am thinking buying a new one will be easier haha.

Is it possible that it doesn’t have any fuses or isn’t connected to a circuit breaker?

I tested the pump with the battery and it pumped but only one of the + lines worked. When it was connected to the battery it will keep running and won’t stop. I think the “float” switch line is not working properly. This would explain why it wouldn’t stop running while in the bilge.

You have three wires, but perhaps no three-way switch (that's OK).

This may help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FSYqslafTc

That video is perfect.

I am am going to test it out tomorrow. I’m going to put the pump in a bucket with some water to see if it will pump with the auto “brown” line. If it doesn’t with a good amount of water then I know my auto is not working. Still doesn’t answer to why is there no power to the pump.

I am am going to follow the wires again to see if I can find a circuit or fuse and also check the switch for faults. Thanks!