Bilge pump air lock

[John T1594]

Does anyone else have a problem with their bilge pump gettig air locked? Went down to the boat in advance of hurricane Irene and found my bilge pump running but not pumping. There was only an inch or so of water in the bilge, just enough to activate the float switch. I even took the discharge hose off and it would still not pump except for a week stream. I banged the pump few times, lifted it in and out of the water and it finally caught and pumped the bilge dry. The pump was not fouled, it just would not pump and I assume it was air locked.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Or maybe...

The pump sits high enough to be out of that inch of water in your bilge, but the float switch doesn't.

 

[shipwreck66]

I dunno, sounds like my earlier post a week ago, and my pump was at bottom of bilge and 6" of water in cabin. It was pumping like a weak old man, nothing getting out to discharge. Hooked up my little Tsunami and it was throwing water several feet out behind boat. Dried out stuffing box seal that bonehead at boatyard "didn't think of" before he unexpectedly launched my boat after a month out without telling me was culprit.

 

[MLampner]

Check the electrical connections, if it isn't as Peggy pointed out an issue with the height of the trip point and bottom of the pump.

Given where it sits any splices are prone to corrosion, a little less power and the pump spins but can't lift much. Had that happen last year redoing the connections cured the problem.

 

[Maine Sail]

You can raise the level of the float switch some and lose the check valve if you have one..

 

[isaksp00]

I'd check all these suggestions, and also see if it is in fact air locked. Does the outlet hose run down from its highest point all the way to the pump and also the through-hull? If not, and there is a dip, then that dip may fill with water, and the pump wouldn't be able to push that standing water out of the way.