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bilge difficulty

1K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  bkr43050 
#1 ·
I replaced my old bilge pump and hose. I went as far as upgrading to a 750 GPH unit from my 500 GPH. Well, I get it all hooked up and flip the switch....it works but it doesn't seem to be working very good. The voltage is fine, I double checked the connections and tightened the clamps, but the pump doesn't seem to push water the way it should. It isn't shooting water out the drain, it just trickles. Any suggestions?

Eric
 
#2 ·
Need a little more info I think. Where is the pump and what is it used for? I have one at the base of my transom for filling my bait tank. It seems to create an air lock and won't work well until it "primes" itself. Does it sound like it's working well? Are the blades turning like they should?
 
#3 ·
The bilge pump is much like your aerator pump for your livewell/baitwell. Except it pumps water out of the hull of your boat back out into the wilds. It's not a major issue since my boat doesn't leak any water, but if I get caught in a storm it would come in handy.

The pump is larger than my aerator pump, but it doesn't pump water any better. It should stream out the side of the boat, but its just trickling.

Eric
 
#4 ·
Do you have enough water in your boat to let the pump fill up & push water ?? If it's not in deep enough water, it will suck air and not push the water out. I know when I would use my pump in the rain, when it was about done, it would trickle, then I'd turn it off a few seconds & then back on & it would pump a little more out quick & then be done.
 
#5 ·
I also noticed when I had one set up in my big bait tank at home that if there wasn't enough water in the tank it didn't work well. There needs to be a certain amount of water pressure to get it going good. I needed about 6" or more water above the intake to get it to work well.
 
#10 ·
I am reluctant to reverse the leads until I ask this.....

When I installed the new hose it was a heavier duty hose. I couldn't bend it like the other, old one I took off. When I attached to the outlet, it made an elbo in the line, like a trap in a sink. I'm wondering if it is causing the problem. I can always trim a few inches off, but I can't really see this causing that much of a problem.

Eric
 
#14 ·
If you suspect that the problem is a kink or blockage then try unhooking the hose on the pump and run it without anything hooked to it. It should shoot a good volume of water out. If it does not do so, then I would suggest trying to reverse the polarity of the leads. I think it could possibly pump a very small volume of water with the impeller spinning backward which sounds similar to what is happening. The most that will happen by reversing the polarity is that the pump spins backwards for a bit. With the pump unhooked from the hose this should eliminate any problems with installation. Beyond that I would head back to the store for an exchange.
 
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