Bilge Pump Blues

[Clay Stalker]

Hi folks:

My 20 year-old Whale Gusher pump finally blew a diaphram, so I ordered and installed the rebuild kit...alas....it doesn't seem to pump. What am I doing wrong? Do I have to prime this somehow? Did I do something wrong with the install? Some bees tried to build a nest in the hull opening this spring....could this be impacting it? Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Clay Stalker
Bilgepumpless in Bristol Harbor
CD27 Salsa #247



cstalker@cheshire.net

[Stan W.]

If your diaphram is intact and you're still not pumping then something probably is preventing the "flap valves" (my term) from closing.



smwheatley@capecod.net

[Bill Goldsmith]

Clay,

Check the hose clamp(s) on the intake side of the pump. You may have loosened them while working on replacing the diaphragm. If the pump is sucking air on the intake side you won't lift any water out of the bilge.

As mentioned, Also check if the valve flaps are actuating. Remove the intake hose, cover with your hand, pump and feel for suction. If none, then the pump may need more replacement parts.

And, yes, get rid of the beehive!!

Bill Goldsmith
CD27#173
Second Chance

Hi folks:

My 20 year-old Whale Gusher pump finally blew a diaphram, so I ordered and installed the rebuild kit...alas....it doesn't seem to pump. What am I doing wrong? Do I have to prime this somehow? Did I do something wrong with the install? Some bees tried to build a nest in the hull opening this spring....could this be impacting it? Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Clay Stalker
Bilgepumpless in Bristol Harbor
CD27 Salsa #247

goldy@bestweb.net

[Chris Scheck]

I had a similar problem with my electric drinking water pump this spring ... I could hear it running, but it wouldn't pull water up from the tank. I traced it to the hose clamp on the intake side of the pump inlet nipple, which is about 3/4" or 7/8" barbed plastic. Most people use the standard size s/s hose clamp, because that's the most common one and works fine for the majority of applications. The problem is this: on the standard size clamp, the perforated band is 1/2" wide and the screw assembly has a 5/16" hex head screw. When you tighten this clamp down to less than 1-1/2" inch in diameter, the inside of the clamp is no longer round. The big screw assembly makes it sort of oblong. So, you have a leak. And the more you tighten it, the more it leaks! The solution is to get the wee little clamp, the one with a 5/16" band and a 1/4" hex screw. I just looked in the Jamestown Distributors catalog, page 83. These clamps are sized from HF-004, which they say can be tightened down as small as 1/4", all the way to HF-116, which is 7" in diameter. If you're really concerned about leaks, or safety, you can put two clamps on the hose, with the screw assemblies spaced 180 degrees apart.

Chris Scheck
CD33 #117
Ragtime



cscheck@aol.com

[Michael Soloway]

I had a similar problem on my CD31. I took the pump out and rigged some short hoses and a large bucket of water and tried to isolate the problem. It seemd to be all right right up to the strainer attachment that sat in the bilge (also about 18 years old). I replaced the part with a new strainer - like the old one it had a valve in it. Cost $24. Manual bilge pump now working perfectly.



m@msoloway.com