C28 aft Bilge pump / High water alarm ?

[JonR]

First: to those who have responded to my posts - thank you! I've had many questions with no answers since purchasing my boat used last Nov and finally decided to hit this forum for answers. I have appreciated the responses I've received. They've been very helpful.

Today I learned something while at my boat. I ran into an owner of a newer 30 ft cutwater and he happened to be replacing his aft bilge pump. I asked if I could see the installation as I need to replace mine. I had thought that I had to unscrew my aft pump to replace it. At least in his case, you could remove the pump w/o removing any screws. Is this the case with the pumps on the C28 (2014 Volvo Penta).

I also was concerned about what I thought was a float that was not attached to anything and laying right down in the pump area. After some discussion with the other owner, we realized that it was my high water alarm! Obviously, this is concerning as I have had no alarms going off and it shouldn't be floating in the water (under the shaft) right next to the pump. I looked all over for a place where it might have been mounted originally and see nothing. First, I would like to know where the proper installation is, and secondly, any thoughts as to why the alarm is not sounding? Do this go out now and then?

 

[knotflying]

I have an r-27 so yours may be different. However, there should be a forward bilge pump and a forward high water alarm. At the rear bilge pump there should be only one sensor to turn on the pump. That sensor "clips" onto the side of the bilge pump. First check that the pump works by using the manual switch at the helm. If it is okay, there are two circles on the side of the sensor. Make sure your sensor is free from dirt and grease. Wet your fingers and touch the two circles and the pump should turn on. If it does not turn on, check the in line fuse, which should be by the main switches. If the fuse is okay then you probably have a bum sensor. They have been know to crap out.

 

[bob daily]

JonR, concerning your bilge high water alarm, it should be mounted in a place above your bilge pump to warn you when pump is not working. Most systems have a ON-OFF-TEST and a fuse, make sure system is on, test alarm,make sure fuse is good. If system is not working properly, than replace.
The sensor and control panel can be purchased at any marine suppliers or on line the cost is between $50 and $100,depending on type and style you prefer. Good luck! Bob

 

[jlhowland]

I have a 2019 C28. The high water alarm is located on the fwd bulkhead of the engine bay just above the fwd bilge pump. It is easier to access it from the hatch just inside the cabin that provides access to the black water tank and fuel tank. The aft bilge pump is located under the shaft in the lowest part of the bilge. Both are floatless Rule 1100 automatic pumps. Yours might be different. The aft one should be easy to replace and if the blue base of the bilge pump is the same as the new one, you might not need to do anything but cut and splice the wiring and click the new one into the old base. But if the new pumps are a different form factor you might have to replace the whole thing. Which really isn't that hard. Just a couple screws hold the base in, the pump clips into the base, splice the wires, shrink wrap the connections and you're good to go. One note, my high water alarm is located slightly above my fwd bilge pump which is higher than my aft bilge pump. So before the alarm will go off, both bilge pumps have to have failed. One of these days, I'm going to lower the alarm so that it goes off before the fwd bilge pump is tripped so that I have time to figure out what is going on and maybe fix it before the engine gets swamped. Let me know if you want pics or any other info.