www.iFourWinns.com

My bilge pump on my 98 H180 buzzes, but doesn't seem to actually be picking up water. There is a small amount of water in the bilge and it may be too little to pull it out, but I'd rather be sure. I think it was pumping out the amount of water that is currnetly in there when I ran it last year. The boat was winterized at the local marina, but I don't think they disconnected any part of the hoses. It spent the winter in the garage that never reached freezing temperatures. Any recommendations on the best way to access the pump? I'm hoping there is an easy way I can check the next time I get to the boat at the marina. I know I could ask the guys at marina, but they always have dollar signs in the eyes every time I have them look at or diagnose anything.

How much juice is in your battery/batteries? I had the same this morning as I was testing my new bilge pump - the automatic switch kicked in when I was running water into the bilge with a hose, but it was running off my 8 year old battery and very slowly - too slow to pump water out. When I used the switch to turn it on, it was running off my good battery and worked just fine.
As of this afternoon I have a brand new battery as my #1.

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

The battery seems good and it doesn't throw the water out even when the boat is running and the alternator is throwing juice back into the system. Good thought, but it doesn't seem to be the issue.

If your boat is on a trailer you could try adding water to the bilge from a garden hose. Once the water level is above the very bottom of the bilge pump, water should be pumped out. If it doesn't then you can simply pull the drain plug to remove the water from the bilge, then unsnap the pump from it's "strainer/ mounting bracket" and check for foriegn material that may be causing a clog. Keep in mind that the majority of bilge pumps out there do not pump out all of the water in the bilge, so having some water in there is normal.

It would be highly unusual for bilge pumps, hoses, or through hulls to be touched as part of standard winterizing.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

That and bilge pumps are relatively cheap. When you see that you start to think they're built cheap for a reason, so you'll buy them more often. It's a conspiracy I tell you (shakes fist!). It's usually a good plan to assume the bilge pumps will need replacing as part of regular maintenance.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Thanks for the responses. The boat is on the water, so it limits my options right now. I'll try to check it before I go out later this week.

Good posting Jim R thats what I would do first.


Mike

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Mike
2007 Horizon 200 SS
5.0 GXi SX drive.