[C320-list] bilge pump issue

[Scott Thompson]

Mine has had a solid state sensor since new. (And to respond to some 
other responses, no I do not have a shallow bilge. And my fridge does 
not drain into the bilge.) Seems like there should be a better system 
than just some plastic ties around wires. Possibly I had those and the 
plastic tie broke.

Scott

On 7/15/2021 9:39 PM, mike at softscrap.com wrote:
>     Mine is 621.  The hose is basically loose, only plastic ties around the
>     wires that pass through the bilge.  Don’t know if this is correct, it’s
>     how the boat came.  99% of the water in the bilge comes from the AC.  I
>     just replaced the float switch with a solid state unit … no moving
>     parts, so far I like it much better.
>     Mike Shetter
>     PLYMOUTH. 621
>     Get [1]Outlook for iOS
>       __________________________________________________________________
>
>     From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> on behalf of
>     Scott Thompson <surprise at thompson87.com>
>     Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2021 9:17 PM
>     To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
>     Subject: [C320-list] bilge pump issue
>
>     My 1999 boat (hull 653) has the original diaphragm bilge pump under the
>     port settee. I've had almost no problems with it over many years until
>     recently. Last season I had a few occasions where the bilge pump would
>     come on and not shut off unless I killed power to it to reset it. I
>     assumed the sensor in the bilge was bad and replaced it over the winter
>     But the problem remains.
>     When this happened recently I noticed that the pickup hose in the bilge
>     was not secured and had moved around. I think this probably happened
>     when we were sailing through some fairly big seas and strong winds with
>     a lot of heeling and boat motion. My current hypothesis is that the
>     hose
>     pickup ended up somewhere between the high and low settings for the
>     sensor so that when the pump was triggered by the sensor at the high
>     setting it started sucking air before the water level dropped below the
>     low setting. This would explain the pump coming on but not shutting off
>     even though it was no longer pumping water. Cutting and restoring power
>     then shut it off.
>     All of this made me wonder whether that hose end is supposed to be
>     secured somewhere in the bilge, and if so how. I didn't see any place
>     where it appeared to have been secured previously. However the problem
>     did not occur for many years until recently. Does anyone with a similar
>     vintage boat have the hose secured? If so, how? A picture would be
>     appreciated.
>     As for where the water is coming from, I determined I need to repack
>     the
>     stuffing box next time we haul out. I'm getting a drip every four
>     seconds with the engine off despite having the dripless packing. Must
>     be
>     worn out.
>     Scott Thompson
>     Surprise, #653 (1999)
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> References
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>     1. https://aka.ms/o0ukef