Bilge pump.

[Thetone]

My bilge pump does not seem to be working.. I can hear the pump motor turn on but no suction. It's a 1990 Beneteau 35s5. Any ideas?

[Lepke]

The inlet could be clogged, the impeller is bad, the outlet is clogged, and so on.

[Privilege]

Suction? Most bilge pumps are centrifugal and will not 'suck' air. The are not self priming and must sit in the water they are trying to pump. We will need more info. in order to help diagnose your problem.

[tkeithlu]

Ditto on the more info, and add a stuck float switch to the list. How something as critical as a bilge pump became such a marginal technology is a mystery and a shame.