Low water flow from AC discharge

[mdolesh]

I need some help and advice...I cant seem to figure out why my water flow is only about 1/2 to 1/3 of what it should be. Everything is primed. When I run a hose the stream looks fine so I dont think there is a blockage and the strainer and thru hull seem clean. Could it be the pump..? Do they get weak vs just fail? Any ideas or troubleshooting suggestions?

 

[Lazy Daze]

From the pump to the hullside thru-hull is really just one long tube. So if you're satisfied you're seeing the right amount of water coming out compared to what you're pumping in with the hose, then that's all good.

Sure, a pump could fail.

Are you sure the strainer on the outside of the hull is clear? From what you wrote, it sounds like you didn't 100% verify the seacock and strainer and thru-hull are clear, though?

You could take the hose off the pump, put a new one on that dumps overboard to further test pump output.

 

[mdolesh]

I ran water out the seacock and could hear it bubbling and flowing from under the boat. I am not sure how else to make sure its clear while in the water. Any other ways to do that?

 

[Lazy Daze]

I ran water out the seacock and could hear it bubbling and flowing from under the boat. I am not sure how else to make sure its clear while in the water. Any other ways to do that?

So it may or may not be bubbling enough. It may be just fine. But the other way to REALLY check is to hold your breath

 

[mdolesh]

I need to reference the hypothermia thread...lol. The water is still 49 degrees here. That doesnt sound fun!

 

[Lazy Daze]

You could also pull the pump head off and check it out.

 

[mdolesh]

I was thinking the same thing after looking at the schematics for the pump. I wonder if the impeller is fully intact.

 

[km1125]

The impeller could just have some debris on it. Took a friends apart and it was full of seaweed.

 

[doozie]

it could still be a blockage, dock side water is probably in the 30 PSI range, your pump is probably in 8-10 PSI range. Had the same issue thought the same thing, ran barnacle buster thru, cleared it up

 

[mdolesh]

Whats the best process for doing the barnacle buster? Any tips?

 

[Jaybeaux]

If you can get to the hull discharge, use a hose and force the water backwards through the system, with the seacockclosed and the strainer lid off. This essentially back flushes the system.

Jaybeaux

 

[bahamabreisus]

These pumps are magnetic drive, pull the impeller out and wipe the magnet on the impeller and inside the housing. If they get slimed, they don't spin properly.

 

[mdolesh]

Great advice everyone. Thanks. I picked up some Barnacle Buster and an extremely overpriced funnel (what a joke) and I plan to look at the impeller, flush, and BB the system. I will report back after the weekend.

 

[dmorris800]

If you have never run barnacle buster through your system and it is in salt water you will be amazed at what comes out. I usually run barnacle buster through the system every few years down here. I am assuming you haul for the winter so you could probably go longer. I have flush cap I picked up from west marine for the Groco strainer and flush it through and let it sit for an hour or so. Haven’t had issues yet with this strategy. I once let it sit overnight but the pump died shortly after . Not sure if related but at 300 + for a pump not really looking to find out.
Also I have found just running town water through the system can flush out a lot of stuff.

good luck

 

[mdolesh]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I took the pump apart and cleaned the magnet. The impeller looked great but there was a little slime on the magnet. Then I put everything back together and back-flushed the system. Then filled with barnacle buster via the through hull. Let it soak for a little over an hour and fired it up. Runs like a top! Great water flow!

 

[scott1956]

I need some help and advice...I cant seem to figure out why my water flow is only about 1/2 to 1/3 of what it should be. Everything is primed. When I run a hose the stream looks fine so I dont think there is a blockage and the strainer and thru hull seem clean. Could it be the pump..? Do they get weak vs just fail? Any ideas or troubleshooting suggestions?

When I winterized mind I had muddy water flowing out. In the spring I back flushed vinegar through the system, closed the sea cock and let it sit overnight. Next day i put a bucket with a gallon of vinegar in it under the hull strainer opened the sea cock and using a ryobi 18v cordless water pump i back flushed each unit for about 20 minutes. Drained the vinegar has flushed with water for another 5-10 minutes until it ran consistently clear. A lot of crud came out. You can also use Barnacle buster, or Ridlyme I went with the cheapest and least aggressive option.