Rule Bilge pump failure

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DickTuschick
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Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by DickTuschick »

Hi Folks
If you have not done so recently you should check the operation of the Rule bilge pumps that are located aft of the engine compartments, Make sure that they actually pump water and the only way to do that is to place the unit in a small pail of water and see if it comes on automatically if it does...great then turn in on in the manual mode at the lower helm station just to make sure that works as well. I recently found that BOTH pumps on our boat were inoperable.....luckily I have high water alarms installed that alerted me that we had a problem. Lucky for me also was that my leak was self induced, but it made me realize how we rely on things that may actually NOT be working...and must be checked periodically !!!
lgeller
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Re: Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by lgeller »

I too had problems with both pumps recently. I think the issue is that our boats are so dry that the pumps fail from lack of use! I now run my pump on manual for a few seconds every few weeks just to keep the parts moving!
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AMCarter3
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Re: Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by AMCarter3 »

I too had a problem with one of our Rule pumps this summer. We had a fresh water leak at the hot water tank and the pump did not activate. Had to replace it.
Mac Carter
2006 34' PDQ PowerCat "All Heart"; MV 98; twin 100 HP Yanmars
Home Port: Bellingham WA 98229
Ortolan
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Re: Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by Ortolan »

We, as well, had a problem with our Rule pump a week after our survey. After fixing the toilet, I thought I would flush out the bilge with a hose. Ummm... 10 minutes later, no pumping, I checked on the pump & white smoke was pouring out! Did our surveyor really test it the week before?

It's really hard to bail water from the bilge so you should consider a back-up pump. We brought the "crash pump" I made up for our prior sail cat. Buy the largest 12 volt non-auto/non-frills bilge pump, 20' hose & 20' heavy wire with clamps to hook right to battery. It can be dropped into either bilge, hooked up & hose out the porthole. Won't help with major flooding, but better than a bucket!

Another consideration are high water bilge alarms, which sounds helped Dick. Aqualarm & others make alarm systems, but it gets into a lot for dual panels, for dual bilges, wiring to both helms & cutting for the display panels. I decided to make my own system for $100. I used the Aqualarm sensors, but rather than panels at both helms & all I simply hooked up both switches to a VERY loud back-up alarm which I installed in a void above the lower helm - VERY loud at both helms. The only downside to my simple system is that I won't know which bilge is flooding - I could have installed lights or such, but wanted to leave as basic as possible.
Russ
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Expatriate
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Re: Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by Expatriate »

I was in the engine room tracing some wiring for something else when I noticed the float switch for the high water alarm. I had never bothered to test it so I crawled on there and lifted it up. I did not hear anything so I propped it up with a block of wood and crawled out. At the breaker panel, I started lipping breakers and heard nothing. I guess I will have to trace the wiring. I know what a buzzer or beeper looks like, but have not seen one under either helm. Any info on this? Thanks

Tim M/V 068
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Re: Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by Expatriate »

Well, it looks like I found the problem before anyone could reply. Apparently, the previous owner was in the process of installing a high water alarm and did not complete the job. He did a nice job of mounting the float switches and running the wires to the area below the power panel and up the conduit to the fly bridge. That was it. They were never powered or connected to any alarm. But, since most of the work was done, I just purchased some alarms, one for each engine, and installed them. Problem solved.
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Re: Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by Expatriate »

I admit, I got a little paranoid about bilge pumps. The high bilge alarms that I recently finished installing are completely separate from the bilge pumps and are wired to a breaker so I can turn them off. Who wants to listen to an alarm while trying to find the problem? Probably a simple switch would be better. I would not want the break to turn off the alarm.

I was surprised that both Rule bilge pumps were on one breaker. That is something I do not like. So I wired each pump separately. Each pump has two circuits, one for the float switch and one for what I call "on regardless". The float switch circuit is wired directly to the DC feed with no breaker. They can only be turned off by turning off the main battery switch near the entry door. I may revisit all this and perhaps add nice sturdy switches for each pump, but not a breaker. The "on regardless" circuit is wired to a breaker. So I can turn them on when the high bilge alert comes on. Again, I could wire that function to the high bilge alarm float switch. The original installation would have me sitting at the helm holding the manual button down like having my finger stuck in the dike.

Of course, if the pump is shorted, melted, smoking, whatever, all this is for nothing. I may add another pump for each hull. In my old sailboat, I had a secondary pump, demand only, mounted under the sink a good five feet above the bottom of the bilge. It easily pumped the bilge dry. It was demand only, a Whale Gulper 220. I highly recommend it. Again, I could wire the secondary pump to the high bilge alarm circuit.

So all this is still in work. Any thoughts?

Tim
M/V 068
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AMCarter3
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Re: Rule Bilge pump failure

Post by AMCarter3 »

Has anyone else installed a high water alarm. If so, what brand & model? And how did you wire it so you know which bilge if the alarm goes off?

I've got the same questions for High Temperature alarm for the exhaust system. I'm thinking of installing both this Fall.
Mac Carter
2006 34' PDQ PowerCat "All Heart"; MV 98; twin 100 HP Yanmars
Home Port: Bellingham WA 98229
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