JABSCO water pump amp overdraw

[BluJu]

I've got a JABSCO commercial water puppy on the boat (Model 16360-1003). we use it to bring saltwater to the anchor rince station/hose. Specs are 12 V/9 amp with a recommended 15 amp fuse. From the sticker on the pump, it's from 1996.

Never had any issues with it. One day last summer we ran it for a while while gutting fish on deck and the 15 amp breaker jumped. went to start it again, and breaker jumped right away. I tried to connect it to another breaker, but same thing. Instead of the usual 9 amp draw, I get 18-20 amp just before the breaker jumps. I've taken the pump apart, nothing is loose or suspicious inside. The impeller is intact. When trying to run the pump with the cover off, no change in behavior.

Can anyone offer troubleshooting suggestions? Can these pumps start acting up suddenly like that?

thanks.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by BluJu

I've got a JABSCO commercial water puppy on the boat (Model 16360-1003). we use it to bring saltwater to the anchor rince station/hose. Specs are 12 V/9 amp with a recommended 15 amp fuse. From the sticker on the pump, it's from 1996.

Never had any issues with it. One day last summer we ran it for a while while gutting fish on deck and the 15 amp breaker jumped. went to start it again, and breaker jumped right away. I tried to connect it to another breaker, but same thing. Instead of the usual 9 amp draw, I get 18-20 amp just before the breaker jumps. I've taken the pump apart, nothing is loose or suspicious inside. The impeller is intact. When trying to run the pump with the cover off, no change in behavior.

Can anyone offer troubleshooting suggestions? Can these pumps start acting up suddenly like that?

thanks.

I, literally, just went through the same baloney with a 1996 era Jabsco Model 16360-1003 Water Puppy this past week. Thinking the thing had given up the ghost, I bought a replacement pump and in the process of preparing to mount that, decided to redo the wiring as well as it was also 1996 era and had become quite "stiff" as the insulation had aged (dried out?).

Upon disconnecting the wiring I discovered that the wire in the in-line fuse holder, which was 16 Ga. verses the 10 Ga from the Water Puppy, between the fuse holder and the pump, had become very corroded and that many of the strands were broken. With that, I replaced all of the wiring, obtained and replaced the in-line fuse holder, and connected it with sealed plug connectors (so that it can be easily disconnected and replaced in the future if necessary) and, for good measure, opened the pump and rotated the impeller by hand (it rotates in a clock-wise direction) to ensure there was no undue resistance in the motor, and lubricated the inside of the pump body and the impeller vanes with water proof silicon lubricant. To further ensure the thing worked, I slightly revised the plumbing to ensure that when the pump is off, some water is retained in the feed line and the pump itself, which Jabsco suggests is necessary to avoid damage by "dry running" the impeller (even though the pump is supposed to be self priming up to 3 feet above the water line). While the pump is opened, it is also wise to use a shop vac to suction or blow out the discharge hose to ensure it is clear and not obstructed by solidified sediment from the water as the pump cannot run against a blocked discharge line and will pull amps in its effort to run until it blows out the fuses. (To retain water in the line on the discharge side of the pump I use a garden fire-hose type nozzle with a stop-cock that I close once the pump is turned off.)

With all of the foregoing, our old Puppy sprang back to life and I was able to return the replacement pump (and save $199.00 plus tax) for the cost of less than $20.00 for some 10 Ga. wire, an in-line fuse holder, a package of 10-12 Ga plug connectors and a 90º nylon hose elbow (I already had SS hose clamps). Further, the volume and pressure of the discharge water were improved which will make for more efficient washing down of the chain.

FWIW...

PS: Further to the foregoing, replace the fuse with a new "slo-blow" 15 Amp fuse, with some "NoOx" applied to the end-caps of the fuse to ensure the contacts remain good.

[BluJu]

Thanks, good to know. I have not inspected the wiring carefully since in my case it looks in pristine condition, at least where visible at the pump connectors. I'll take a closer look.

I don't have any in-line fuse box. I don't think the 15-amp circuit breaker switch is the culprit since when I switched the pump circuit to another breaker, it behaved in the same way, and that second breaker works fine on its original circuit.

Besides the wiring, is there anything else that could cause a high amp draw?

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by BluJu

Thanks, good to know. I have not inspected the wiring carefully since in my case it looks in pristine condition, at least where visible at the pump connectors. I'll take a closer look.

I don't have any in-line fuse box. I don't think the 15-amp circuit breaker switch is the culprit since when I switched the pump circuit to another breaker, it behaved in the same way, and that second breaker works fine on its original circuit.

Besides the wiring, is there anything else that could cause a high amp draw?

As mentioned in my earlier comment, open the pump and rotate the impeller by hand to ensure the motor rotates freely (clockwise), lubricate the pump chamber, cover plate and impeller vanes with silicon grease and, while it's open, use a shop vac to suction or blow out the discharge hose to ensure it is clear and not obstructed as the pump cannot run against a blocked discharge line and will pull amps in its effort to run until it blows out the fuses/circuit breaker. It might also be wise to "blow out" the raw water feed line with a garden hose if you do not have a raw water strainer on the feed as I once saw a case on a neighbor's boat where the pump on his raw water line had pulled in a long blade of sea-grass and that, extending into the pump chamber proved enough to obstruct the impeller. Note that, with the pump chamber thoroughly lubricated with non-petroleum grease, you can run the pump for a moment or so with the feed water thru-hull closed to ensure it runs freely without harming the impeller vanes. Unfortunately, that's about all I have for you...

[BluJu]

I have a strainer on the feed line but will try to shop-vac the hoses. However, after taking the pump apart to look for any obvious issues inside, I've tried running it without the hoses connected. Same behavior, so I don't think a blockage is the issue. Thanks for the feedback!

[SeaSon]

Ohm the motor winding to ground or case. Should be 100kohms or greater. Less is broken insulation.

Across the motor leads should be under 30 ohms, maybe as low as 2 or 4 ohms. Less than 2 and again likely broken insulation.

[svHyLyte]

Although I find it unlikely based upon my own experience with this particular pump, and other Jabsco pumps, SeaSon may be correct and there may be a failure in the pump motor itself. If so, and his test suggestions prove that out, it is less costly to simply replace the motor than the entire pump, which is what I discovered after having bought a replacement pump (but thankfully before I tried to install the thing). The least costly vendor I found for replacements was Depco Pump in Clearwater Florida. The marine sales manager there is a Mr. Jim Dearden who can be reached at 727-446-1656 or toll free at 800-446-1656. His email address jimd(at)depcopump(dot)com and he proved very responsive to my email inquiries.

FWIW...

[james247]

Originally Posted by BluJu

Thanks, good to know. I have not inspected the wiring carefully since in my case it looks in pristine condition, at least where visible at the pump connectors. I'll take a closer look.



I don't have any in-line fuse box. I don't think the 15-amp circuit breaker switch is the culprit since when I switched the pump circuit to another breaker, it behaved in the same way, and that second breaker works fine on its original circuit.



Besides the wiring, is there anything else that could cause a high amp draw?

Wiring has over heated and is shorting . Replace the wire to it from the main lines