Bilge Pump not pumping

T

timflan

New member
The Rule-Mate 1100 Automatic Bilge Pump just inside the cabin will run when there's water present, or when I turn it on. And it pumps water, which comes out the side of the boat. So far, so good.

Except that after about 30 seconds, water stops coming out the side of the boat. The pump is still pumping, but no water is moving.

Turn it off, turn it back on, and it works again. For about 30 seconds.

I was emptying/refilling the water tank today, relying on the bilge pump to carry the last water in the tank away. And since I had the hose rigged up, I hosed out the cockpit floor today. Bilge pump running constantly, of course. Except...the water level wasn't going down. That's when I discovered the pattern I described above. Had a lot of water to drain, so many chances to test it out.

It just WILL NOT pump consistently. It's as if it's got some sort of priming/vacuum seal/vapor lock sort of issue going on, even though the pump is submerged enough that water's draining out of that little sump and getting into the cabin.

Has it gone bad?

Thanks,

Tim
 
Pull the pump head (main body) out of the plastic screen which serves as a strainer as well as the pump mount. It is common to have garbage in there.
Mike
 
You mean all that crud that's blocking the pump intake? The crud that probably gets pushed away when the pump is turned off and the back-pressure of the water in the hose pushes back? That crud?

Yeah, OK. :-)

THANKS! I have high hopes that this will solve the problem.
 
Oh, I had enough water! While I would love it if the pump were able to pump the cockpit floor completely dry, that's not the problem I was having trouble with yesterday. That's a problem for another day...
 
timflan":2ur3ilws said:
The Rule-Mate 1100 Automatic Bilge Pump just inside the cabin will run when there's water present, or when I turn it on. And it pumps water, which comes out the side of the boat. So far, so good.
Click to expand...

Ok, it’s a slow day here at work and I’ve just been going through treads, came across this one about a cabin bulge pump. When I inspected my boat last month I was not able to find a bilge pump in the cabin nor was there any below deck access in the cabin.
In fact, there is no below deck access anywhere on my 07 CD that I could find.
So am I missing something here?
My boat is still sitting 2000 miles south so not able re-inspect just speculate and hope someone can shed some light on the subject.
The owner manual that came with the boat is not very specific, just a bunch of generic information.
 
Jay,

Your boat is new enough that it probably has the molded in cockpit liner, which includes a cockpit floor raised above the hull. With a cockpit floor like this the water runs to the back of the boat near the drain plug, where you should have a bilge pump. You most likely do not have a pump in the cabin.

Rob
 
Rob & Karen":5v7vg9m9 said:
Jay,

Your boat is new enough that it probably has the molded in cockpit liner, which includes a cockpit floor raised above the hull. With a cockpit floor like this the water runs to the back of the boat near the drain plug, where you should have a bilge pump. You most likely do not have a pump in the cabin.

Rob
Click to expand...

That’s what I assumed but also thought it odd the boat didn’t have a forward bilge. As I said the manual is not that specific and the factory website really sheds no light on the subject.
Guess I’ll only have to worry about one bilge pump, but most likely will have another on hand or install a backup.
 
There is also a check valve in the outlet hose, You might want to check and make sure it wasn't put on backwards. Seems that was a problem for someone? Anyway worth a shot.

Sark
 
How much crud would a bilge pump pump if a bilge pump could pump crud! Or something like that! :shock:

Let us know what you find out! :thup

Charlie
 
For a while at least, 22's came with a bilge pump aft at the transom between the fuel tanks and a second in a fiberglass "bowl" under a step just as you enter the cabin. 2006 was, as far as I know, the last year they did that. There is not a "bilge" on my 2006 and I doubt if there is one on your 2007. I suspect the manual just hasn't been updated to reflect the current setup.
 
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