Bilge might be the problem

[Rizzo]

So I turned the bilge on which promptly blew the fuse. Replaced fuse and bilge is still doing nothing. Light comes on at the dashboard so there is at least power there (and the other fuse I talked about earlier is between the battery and the dashboard, so it is obviously ok too). The bilge isn't humming or anything. Is it possible I sucked something up and that fried it? What about the fact there is no humming, would that be consistent with getting something jammed in there? Finally, how easy is it to unhook one of these things and replace it (or take it apart to see if its got something stuck). Looks pretty awkward and tight down there, any advice before I tackle this would be appreciated!

[Fisherman]

Promptly blew the fuse is often a sign of a short or bare wires touching. Something stuck in there, it's possible. You can remove most motors from the pump mount quite easily. There are usually 2 small tabs on the lower edge of the pump assembly. Squeeze them together and the upper and lower half will separate. Then you will have a motor/pump with no obstructions and if nothing else is wrong, then it should work. Check your wiring to make sure nothing is touching.

[rob v]

Same thing happened to me this spring. Put the boat away last fall - all was well. Took it out this spring to make sure everything survived the winter okay and started blowing fuses when i turned on the bilge. Took the unit out an turns out it was seized up for some reason. Nothing stuck anywhere - it was just frozen. With that said you may be right - it could have sucked something up. If this was the case as fisherman said most units you can disconnect the unit from the housing that encases the pump. That housing is usually attached in some way to the hull of your boat. If you can get it apart you can check to see if the impeller turns easily or not - and try turning it on. If it spins freely and/or comes on okay when just by taking it out of the housing may have dislodged the obstruction.

 

Replacing them can be a bit of a challenge depending on the type and how much access you have to it. Some just have a replaceable cartridge - i.e. you twist the top and take out the "guts" - get another insert and away you go. Try and find out what unit you have and go from there (google it )

[Rizzo]

thanks guys. I'll try and take it apart tonight after work to see if I can get the impeller to spin.