Costly bilge failure

M

mikegray

Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2015
Messages
21
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Vessel Name
T-Rhea
Just let everyone know to check sensors on your bilge pumps. On a trip to Marthas Vineyard recently where seas 2-3 feet we had considerable amount of water over the bow which ran back into the cockpit. We have been out in this same type of weather with no issues but on this day a couple miles from our destination we got a fault code (high air boost pressure fault) no realizing what this was....we called our service center and they suggested we check the air filter before the turbo. When I opened the hatch I noticed a lot more water than normal in the bilge. I felt the air filter and it was saturated from the turbo sucking in water through the air filter due to the rough seas. Long story short....the sensor on the bilge had failed causing excess amount of water in the bilge. We are now faced with changing the turbo and hopefully that is it. But just curious if anyone else has encountered this issue?
 
Yes. Bilge filled and we took water in the transmission. Upon investigation, we found 3 failed sensors. They fail if any oil or soap gets on the contacts.

We swapped for the new Rule units that snap in with no tools. Test monthly with bucket of water.

BTW, bilge looked clean.


Stuart Bell
Ranger 25: Shearwater
(561) 352-1796
 
captstu":1v446zd0 said:
Yes. Bilge filled and we took water in the transmission. Upon investigation, we found 3 failed sensors. They fail if any oil or soap gets on the contacts.

We swapped for the new Rule units that snap in with no tools. Test monthly with bucket of water.

BTW, bilge looked clean.


Stuart Bell
Ranger 25: Shearwater
(561) 352-1796
Click to expand...
Stuart,
Can you provide a link for this new Rule switch?
Thanks
 
Stuart, could you provide the model # for the Rule pump.

Thanks

Richard
 
The Johnson electronic switches on the upper bilge pump and the high bilge alarm both failed. The switch on the lower (aft) bilge pump is still working perfectly, I clean the sensor area regularly.

I replaced the upper bilge pump switch with an Ultra Pump Switch Junior. This uses a float with a magnet switching a reed switch. The reed switch activates a high current relay that handles the bilge pump current. It has a LED to verify power is applied. Very reliable, no electronics (other than the LED). This is your last resort bilge pump and I want it to be very reliable.

http://www.tefgel.com/contain.php?param ... tch_infor2

I replaced the high bilge alarm switch with a magnetic reed float switch from Borel manufacturing. Again, simple and reliable, no electronics. If you call Borel they will sell the float switch alone.

http://www.borelmfg.com/products_sentinel.htm



This is looking down at the front of the engine. Note there are two Borel float switches, the second is connected to a boat monitor system so I get an alert on my iPhone for high bilge level. (Siren Marine MTC boat monitor). You can see the Pump Switch Junior mounted to the bulkhead.

Howard
 
Bilge pump/alarm switches aside, particularly in foul weather it's not a bad idea to take a peak in the engine space every few minutes. If you routinely monitor the engine space then in bad conditions just a quick glance will identify anything that might be amiss. Identifying problems as early as possible can make the difference between a minor inconvenience and an expensive/dangerous failure.

This is a good reminder for a mod that I've been putting off ever since I've had my boat, namely a spray shield over the shaft/coupling. The most likely mode of failure in the situation described in the OP is that water got high enough for the coupling to begin slinging spray into the air where it got sucked into the turbo. A simple shield made out of plywood or starboard would mitigate the potential for this problem.

Gotta bump that one higher up the to-do list...
 
Hey Stuart,
Was the installation just a matter of disconnecting the existing leads from the OEM sensor and connecting the super switch?

My only reservation with this type of switch is that it is similar (flapper type) to the shower sump pump. I may be wrong, but my thinking is that the notorious shower pump failure is attributable to the continuous bouncing associated with towing. I just suspect that the flapper is constantly going up and down and eventually fails somehow. Converting to this type switch and towing may produce the same eventual results. I guess one could insert some foam above it and lodge it in place so there is no bouncing up and down while towing. You would have to add the removal to your launching check list, but it will just be another item and pretty easy.
 
Another issue with this float switch is it won't recognize oil. So in the event of an oil leak it will pump oil. Not a good situation if there is a lot.
 
Knot/Richard: The Orem switch had 3 wires. 12+ neutral and pump. I removed the neutral wire completely and attached the pump and +12 to the new Rule switch after twisting the rule wires briefly while holding the switch end. The switch is not polarity sensitive.
 
Also remove the plastic strainers that were mounted in the cockpit drains at the rear of the cockpit hatches.
They drastically reduce the area of the drain openings.
Also the diverters moulded into the side decks at the backs of the cabin are too small and in heavy seas or rain water runs into the cockpit and can overfill the small gutters under the engine hatch.
Have had the same problem as mentioned above getting into the Cape Cod Canal on a rainy day with current opposed to strong southwester.
 
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