Salt Water Foot Pump Problems

[LACHLANC]

We have been enjoying our first season as liveaboard yacht owners and our first season in The Med and the foot pump has been great - up until recently when it stopped working! I'd rather find out how things are meant to work before pulling them apart if possible and I did some "Google searches" for details on Cruisers Forum without success.

The boat is a 2002 Beneteau Oceanis 473 and it has a single through hull that works in one ball valve position (IN) for the foot pump and the other ball valve position (OUT) for the icebox drain. The salt water foot pump has branding of "Whale Gusher Galley Mk 3" and it was working but it seems to have lost the ability to "bounce" back up after the initial foot pump. After the initial foot "pump" a very small volume of sea water comes through the sea tap and the foot pedal stays depressed just above the floor.

When the pump was working I believe the ball valve was incorrectly left on the icebox drain setting and the foot pump was activated in this setting & I wondered if this might have cause the problem. Is there a vacuum in the pump mechanism and by operating it when the valve in the wrong position this has become compromised?

Does anyone have a suggestion as to a likely problem and a best way to solve the problem?

[bobnlesley]

Difficult to see exactly how the two cock-settings work, but if the pump's closed-off when the coolbox line is open, then you might have popped the diaphragm or broken the linkage, by trying to suck against a vacuum? The simple way to test would be disconnect the line to the pump from the seacock, stick the end of it in a bucket/bowl of water and see if it works, if it does, your problem may just be a partial-blockage in the skin-fitting (barnacles?).
That said, we had the exact same pump on our last boat and whilst the freshwater one worked fine for eleven years, we had two seawater-tap ones die after about three years each - the internal springs and linkage corroded; if that's your problem, you might well be in the right location: In both Greece and Turkey there were virtually identical pumps on sale branded 'TMC' and their cost was less than half of the Whale version - little more than the cost of a Whale service kit! More importantly, they seem to be more corrosion resistant; we fitted/used one on that boat for a further five years without another problem and the one fitted to the seawater-tap line on our current boat's also still going strong after five years.

[double u]

if you have a C-clamp to put it back together you can take it apart without big probs. it's a fairly simple mechanism. sounds like the intake to one chamber is blocked. the valves clog fairly easily. As you are haveing the genuine mccoy (not the "TMC-imitation" with the throughbolts) reassembly is fairly straightforward.
btw: I always found it very handy to have a second functional pump aboard (same for the toiletpump) apart from the servicekits: in case of probs underwa it's much quicker to change the pump & repair later at leisure when anchored

[double u]

here goes:
http://ca.binnacle.com/online/produc...4207_expXL.gif

[savoir]

Maybe the pump needs a rebuild. Strip the pump down and fit the rebuild kit which is sold everywhere. Essentially that means replacing all the rubber bits. Your problem could be either a cracked O ring or diaphragm. That pump also contains an internal spring and if the salt has damaged it you will have to buy a separate spring kit.

The rubber bits in a pump all deteriorate over time no matter how careful you are. It is a good idea to rebuild your pumps on a regular basis whether they are working or not, say every 3 or 4 years.
Whale Water Pump Service Kit
Whale Pump Piston And Spring Assembly Kit

[TrentePieds]

Bobnlesley said it!

But why bother? The pump is worth eighty bux! If you have these sorts of things, carry a spare!

Buy a spare to carry, buy a repair kit worth twenny bux - then learn to do this kinda fundamental maintenance. Do this cos these things

But from your description of the plumbing setup, it seems that Beneteau may be a little weak on the fundamentals. Draw yourself a coupla pictures of the plumbing, each picture showing the cocks in different positions. Draw as many as you need to cover all the permutations of settings. Having done that, you will have come to understand THOSE fundamentals and what you might have to do to compensate for Beneteau's weaknesses - if there are any.

TrentePieds

[TrentePieds]

Bobnlesley said it!

But why bother? The pump is worth eighty bux! If you have these sorts of things, carry a spare!

Buy a spare to carry, buy a repair kit worth twenny bux - then learn to do this kinda fundamental maintenance. Do this cos these things WILL malfunction!

But from your description of the plumbing setup, it seems that Beneteau may be a little weak on the fundamentals. Draw yourself a coupla pictures of the plumbing, each picture showing the cocks in different positions. Draw as many as you need to cover all the permutations of settings. Having done that, you will have come to understand THOSE fundamentals and what you might have to do to compensate for Beneteau's weaknesses - if there are any.

TrentePieds

[seasick]

I have used these pumps for decades. They are great. If your pump isn't returning up, once depressed, this is likely a clogged intake. Before disassembling the pump, remove the hose on the intake side and blow through it until you hear bubbles on the hull. Unless there is an antisyphon valve in the line this should clear the obstruction.

Carry rebuild kits. We replaced all the rubber bits about every three years.

[dlymn]

failure of the pedal to return might be a blockage (or a broken spring). maybe you sucked out a carrot from the bottom of the fridge. Strange things lurk at the bottom ours. Fridge sludge can block pipes. Try the ever reliable coat hanger to ssee if pipes are clear.

[sailon46]

I have the same foot pump in my Beneteau 51.4 Cyclades and the only time my pump has the same hiccup as yours is when I forget to open the discharge shut off at the spigot, for what its worth
Ernie on the Mary jane

[double u]

if pump is under waterline (or in case of freshwaterpump lower than top of tank) an antisiphon is a MUST: through a tear in one of the diaphragms (sooner or later one'll break!) water will continue to flow until either seacock is closed or boat sunk (in case of freshwaterpump: tank is empty & water in the bilge

[msponer]

If you do have to replace it, consider replacing it with a small electric pressure water pump.

We like the foot pumps, but it feels luxurious to do dishes under a flood of running salt water.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "If you do have to replace it, consider replacing it with a small electric pressure water pump."

Not my cuppatea! TrentePieds has a ShurFlo diaphragm pump. Makes a heck of a racket. Wakes everybody up. Even after I made a custom mount with 4" of high density foam twixt the pump's mounting plate and the pedestal in the hull. Before that, I swear they could hear the rattle of that infernal thing six boats over!

As we set out for this year's autumn crooz, the Shurflow will be meeting Davy Jones! And I'll drink another toast to Willy Occam!

TrentePieds

[msponer]

Some pumps are quite loud. The Whale Watermasters have a quiet and low rumble that is barely audible through furniture.

[Quintessa41]

You have a blocked intake . The iceboxfridge or the seawater intake . I'd bet money its crap blocking the icebox/fridge drain . Common problem . Disconnect the drain at the pump or the seacock run water backwards through the drain to clear . After reconnection circulate some vinigar through the drain pipe and pump to flush remaining crap .