Bilge pump article

That article came up along with a gas preservative article in my email, I can't recommend Practical Sailor articles enough great information!! The magazine is a great reference if you save save them for the future and looking for products that are tested against each other.
 
I agree with the first commenter on the article that bilge pumps in recreational boats like ours are ‘cheap disposable 12v items’ that should be replaced every few years even if they seem to be working. The poor dears lead a hard life, with their electrical connections in the worst possible place…the bilge. The pic shows that his butt connectors have spent some time under water…salt water?.

I’ve been a a fan of twin Rule Gold 2,700 GPH pumps (with an adequate 20A capable switch) for many years with the 5 year warranties and key SS parts including shaft. You will not find another non-commercial bilge pump with a warranty for over 1 year. There is a reason for that!

One of mine failed at 3 years after a float switch mount failed, and the float switch flopped over on it’s side open and the pump ran dry for at least 2 weeks before finally failing. I didn’t have much hope, but I called Rule (bought by Xylem), and after simply emailing a scan of my 3 yr old purchase receipt, they sent me a brand new 2700 GPH Gold bilge pump FedEx! No mailing back the bad pump for their ‘engineers to test’ etc.
The only other similar STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE experiences I have had like this are with a Blue Seas P40 battery charger (4 years into a 5 year warranty…no other marine battery charger has one) and a SmartPlug shorepower cord with a 7 year warranty (no other shorepower cord has one).

Buy Quality the first time, and you will never be disappointed.

Before you dismiss my concerns of how tough the hood is for your bilge pumps, I challenge you to simply snip and strip your power and float switch wires at your old butt connectors. Under a good light, is there any corrosion creeping up those tinned wires? Does it go all the way to your pump? It might. If not, replace your butt connectors and seal them well while suspending all bilge pump wiring well above expected water lines.

For those with a 12v/120v fridge in a marina, recall my advice to always pull your 12v fridge fuse when leaving your boat. If you don’t, a routine marina 110v power outage could result in your ‘smart’ fridge automatically switching to your 12v batteries until they are depleted while not being charged (is that ‘smart’ design?). Then leaves or debris or ice clogs your scuppers, sending tons of water into your bilge and your bilge pumps don’t pump since they have no 12v power.

Your boat will sink.

Happy Thoughts to Everyone!

John
 
I have a lot of respect for my bilge pump. To me, it is a critical safety feature. Its operation is of great importance. In the event of it needing to work and to find out that it doesn't, that could be a problem. After the use of the boat, I always wash the cockpit with enough water to test the pump to ensure that it comes on and is operational. That is a good thing. Someday, if and when I find that it does not activate, I will replace the unit or check to determine why it did not activate. Gary.
 
gulfcoast john":1j0twq7i said:
Under a good light, is there any corrosion creeping up those tinned wires? Does it go all the way to your pump? It might. If not, replace your butt connectors and seal them well while suspending all bilge pump wiring well above expected water lines.
John
Click to expand...

Another good reason to always use high quality crimp connectors, with the proper crimping tool, and adhesive shrink wrap, or better connectors with adhesive shrink wrap, and then another layer of adhesive shrink wrap.
 
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