Trouble with fresh water pump

agreen5

Hello, just bought a 2007 246 bowrider and I am having trouble with the pump for the fresh water tank. The boat was winterized and had pink antifreeze liquid in the tank. I was working to flush the tank by filling and draining through the transom shower when it stopped pumping. Any tips to get the pump going again? I can hear the pump is on when the galley pump switch is flipped but no water will come out of either shower or sink.

trip_n

no being a smart axx = but water is in tank ?
switch must be on
make sure the shower head and faucet head are not clogged =should have screens inside sometimes they get clogged

agreen5

Yes, I filled the tank, flipped switch, turned sink on, water flowed great. Left sink running to drain tank while I was cleaning other areas of the boat. Should the pump turn off if water gets too low in the tank for pump to pick it up? No water was flowing when I came back to the sink, there was around 2 inches of water still in the tank and the pump was still activated it seemed (making noise). I turned the switch off, closed the faucet, refilled the tank to the top. Now with faucet open and switch on no water will flow... If the pump ran dry for a few minutes could it have burned out that easily? Does the pump need to be primed if it ran dry? 

I will check the lines for blockages as well.

LaRea

You might need to fill the tank almost full before the pump will prime and start pumping.  The water level in the tank has to be higher than the pump.

If the water tank is full, and you can hear the pump running, and no water is flowing, it probably means the pump has failed.  In my experience, they generally last for only 2-3 seasons of regular use.  

aero3113

You might have to bleed the hot water heater tank if you have one. There’s a valve on the tank that you can open. 

Aqua_Aura

My pump looks to be original on my 2007 and works just fine. 

Probably needs to be primed and while you're doing that I would clean the strainer that should be on the pump as well. 

LaRea

Aqua_Aura said:

My pump looks to be original on my 2007 and works just fine. 

Yeah, some people have that kind of luck.  I have replaced three pumps since I bought my current boat in 2013.  One stopped pumping, one had a short in the motor, and one had a failed cutoff switch.  I'd bet probably 5-6 pumps over the past 20 years.  They just don't last for me.  

davidbrooks

And the pump will just keep running when the tank gets low.  It can't build up the pressure it needs in the lines to shut off.  So you have to manually turn off the breaker or add water.  And yes it is also possible it just died. If you add water, turn on the circuit and it still doesn't kick in you will most likely need to replace it.

YYZRC

It’s a diaphragm pump so it can run dry for a while and it will also lift water a few feet (mine is located above the tank). Check the strainer first as @Aqua_Aura said. 

Pat310

Your strainer should look something like the one circled in red. Unscrew the plastic cup and clean the screen inside

mattie

@agreen5
On the 246 - clean the strainer as mentioned by many above. Strainer should be right close to the water pump.
After that - use a small wet/dry ShopVac.
Turn your sink on with the pump running.
Cup your hand around the sink spiggot with the ShopVac nozzle. You'll prime that system in 2 seconds.
That will at least rule out of your water pump is buggered.

TonyG13

mattie said:

Cup your hand around the sink spiggot with the ShopVac nozzle. You'll prime that system in 2 seconds.

Never thought about using the ShopVac to prime something. Always learning - that's the great thing about this site!

agreen5

mattie said:

@agreen5
On the 246 - clean the strainer as mentioned by many above. Strainer should be right close to the water pump.
After that - use a small wet/dry ShopVac.
Turn your sink on with the pump running.
Cup your hand around the sink spiggot with the ShopVac nozzle. You'll prime that system in 2 seconds.
That will at least rule out of your water pump is buggered.

I cleaned all the screens yesterday, they were fairly dirty but didn't make a different. Pump is not sucking water from the full tank. Gonna try the shop vac trick! Very good idea!

Aqua_Aura

My system is very clean and it still wouldn't prime itself when the tank went dry. A little suction on any of the water outlets should hopefully do the trick. 

agreen5

The shop vac worked! Thank you @mattie for the suggestion! 

mattie

agreen5 said:

The shop vac worked! Thank you @mattie for the suggestion! 

Awesome……no worries.

as @shawnmjr said above clean your faucet screen at the sink spigot & the screen on the transom shower handle. Pretty sure the 246 has a transom shower can’t remember???
Flow will be way bettter. Lot of crud & bits of plastic stick to those little filter screens.