Where the heck is my electric bilge pump?

[spethier]

I have now owned a 2008 Beneteau 37 for a couple of years now, and this weekend, my bilge pump failed. There is an Rule-a-matic float switch in the bilge itself, and a hose with a nozzle that sits in the bilge itself, but I can't find the darned pump. And, I'm amazed at how tricky this question seems to be. Can anyone help?
Thanks!

 

[Mechone]

most are under the salon seat, mine is

 

[Davidasailor26]

Should be under the port side setee, along with the fresh water pump. Ours is there. The pump label says it's a sump pump, but it's not for the shower sump; that one is under the sink in the head. At least that's how our 2014 37 is.

 

[DougM]

I would suspect the float switch as the prime culprit. For some reason they are failure prone.
If you cannot find a pump under your port setee, look behind the back of the starboard settee. That happens to be where the pump resides on my 323 which is 10 years older than your boat.

 

[jssailem]

I always find that following something often leads me somewhere.
Like if I follow the wire on the switch labeled bilge pump through the boat I should find the end connections at the pump. Or if I track the hose used to pump the bilge through the cabinets and boat spaces from the bilge to the outside somewhere along the hose there will be a pump. Excitement occurs when the wires and the hose come together.

Perhaps it’s just me and the fact I don’t have a newer boat, nor any build plans that this theoretical problem solving technique works.

It might be a fall back idea if all else fails.

 

[spethier]

The float switch seems to be working fine. I wish that were the problem. And thanks!

 

[spethier]

That makes a lot of sense. I will check that space next. I have been working in that space, but the AC duct takes up so much room in there, that it wasn't obvious. Next, I'll root around in there more thoroughly, because I now realize that I also didn't see the fresh water pump, and that's got to be in there. Thanks a million!

 

[spethier]

That makes perfect sense and that will be my last resort. The wires and tubes run aft first under the galley, and they and under the quarter birth, so I was hoping to narrow things down before I tear the whole boat apart. Thanks for the post!

 

[Ron20324]

I just gotta ask... if you have a manual switch for the pump, do you hear the pump humming when turned on?

 

[spethier]

That's a great question. when the thing was working, all I ever heard was the clicking sound made by the Rule-a-matic float switch, and that's all I still can hear. This is why I need to find the darn thing so I can get down there and see if it's even trying to pump. Thanks to some other posts, I'm now pretty sure I know where it is....

 

[Davidasailor26]

That makes perfect sense and that will be my last resort. The wires and tubes run aft first under the galley, and they and under the quarter birth, so I was hoping to narrow things down before I tear the whole boat apart. Thanks for the post!

In your case rather than following the wires from the panel I'd recommend following the ones from the float switch, and the hose itself. If your panel is anything like ours it has a boat load (pun intended) of wires going a lot of different ways, and it may not even be clear which one is for the bilge pump.

 

[ToddS]

I second all the suggestions of following either the wires from the float switch, or the hose from the bilge... they'll lead you to the pump. I'm a little thrown/confused by a few things:

1. How do you know the float switch is working if the pump it operates does nothing and makes no sound? (unless you used a multimeter to test the electrical current at the switch).
2. I'm pretty surprised that even when the pump was working, you never heard it... I've got a (different) 37' Beneteau and there's no way a person with anywhere-near-normal hearing couldn't hear the pump turn on unless maybe is was only ever done while the engine was running. Any chance the quietness was that it never worked, and you've just never needed to remove significant water? On my boat, I've got a washdown pump, a freshwater pump, a bilge pump, and a shower sump pump, and all of them make enough noise to hear when they're on (if the engine is off). Loud enough to wake me if they come on at night in fact.
3. As with all pumps, check the pre-pump strainer to make sure it isn't clogged/leaking... Its probably located very close to the pump, and if you don't know where it is, I'm betting you don't check/clean it... I do that with all pumps every year as part of annual maintenance, and also check them any time I'm troubleshooting anything water/pump-related. Up North we have to make sure these aren't filled with water during winter freezes, as the ice will crack them and suction will then fail there. It looks like you're in Charleston, and that might put you far enough south to avoid this problem... not sure about your mid-winter-low-temps down there. You might also be surprised how much "stuff" is in what we refer to as "water" before it hits the pump. If, for some reason there's no strainer... add one. They're cheap, easy to install, improve the lifespan and performance of your pump(s).

 

[jssailem]

I'm pretty surprised that even when the pump was working, you never heard it...

Me too. When My pump turned on I heard the noise of the pump, the noise of the water being pumped out, and when I went on deck I could see the water coming out of the boat and spilling into the harbor. So with all that going on I went inside and looked into the bilge. The sound of the pump got louder, and the water level in the bilge receded.

There was enough stimulation for me to know something was happening. But then I do not have a pretty Beneteau so maybe those boats are entirely different.

 

[spethier]

Regarding the last two posts, because the bilge pump is located under the port side settee and is beneath the AC duct work, and because the float switch that controls that pump is a rule-a-matic switch which makes a pretty loud clicking sound when it is operating, I really never have actually heard that pump. This is the first boat I've owned like this where the pump itself wasn't in the bilge so I know where y'all are coming from. That said, I will definitely check the strainer near the pump itself ASAP. I've never had a boat with a pump like this, so this, and this boat are pretty new to me.

Thanks a million for the comments!

 

[jssailem]

I've never had a boat with a pump like this, so this, and this boat are pretty new to me.

Hey we have all been there and understand the dilemmas. I hope none of my comments were taken to be "critical".
When I went looking I found a bilge that was 4 plus feet deep and only accessible beneath the battery box. Full of 200 gallons of dark oily water. I found my pump behind the Engine Bulk head beneath the helm on a shelf in the corner of the lazerette. That is how I came to understand the idea of tracing wires. No water was coming out. Finally I found a screen filter that had not been opened in many years. It was clogged. It has been an on going project, but I am now down to 2 inches of water and the oil is sucked out. Still cleaning the inside walls of the bilge.

You'll get there. It just may not be pretty.