Raw Water Pump

[Ahenderson]

HI ALL, I am looking for some help. I recently arrived at my boat (1982 Searay overnighter - I/O) to find it full of water... bad day... Contacted the insurance company and sent it to the shop who tested and sourced the issue to the raw water pump. We had the boat serviced 4 months ago and the mechanic specifically tested the water pump and reported whilst she repaired the impeller, wear plate gaskets and other components. The insurance company is saying that the raw water pump bearing seal wore and allowed water to enter resulting in corrosion. They are therefore saying that it is a wear and tear item and therefore not covered by insurance. My view is that as a boat owner, i did everything that was reasonable as a responsible boat owner (i.e. spring full service including water pump) and that the work should be covered. The mechanic who did the work in the spring insists that there was no issue with the pump beyond what was repaired in the spring. Does anyone know under what circumstances this damage could have occurred over the last 4 months other than wear and tear? I can't understand it! Thanks in advance!

 

[RicardoMarine]

We need more info.
For example..... which seawater pump? Alpha drive pump, engine located belt driven pump, crankshaft pump, etc????

Typically a marine policy will cover accidents, theft, fire and occasionally even what can be called "stupid", but seldom will one cover owner "neglect"!
I think that if the pump failed due to neglect, it then becomes a neglected maintenance issue whereby any resulting damage would not be covered.

Secondly, the insurance company may want to know why your "automatic-float-switch-equipped-main-bilge-pump" did not kick on.


From reading your post, it sounds as though the boat did not sink. If that is correct, what is the extent of the damage?


.

 

[bondo]

We had the boat serviced 4 months ago and the mechanic specifically tested the water pump and reported whilst she repaired the impeller, wear plate gaskets and other components. The insurance company is saying that the raw water pump bearing seal wore and allowed water to enter resulting in corrosion.They are therefore saying that it is a wear and tear item and therefore not covered by insurance.

Ayuh,....... It IS a wear item,...... I can't see where yer insurance should cover it,......

If anything, ya might have a complaint against yer mechanic, for not bein' able to foresee the future,......

 

[Bt Doctur]

I`d be looking into why the bilge pumps, plural did not automatically start pumping. Having a pump and switch wired to independant batteries is a nice option

 

[Ahenderson]

We need more info.
For example..... which seawater pump? Alpha drive pump, engine located belt driven pump, crankshaft pump, etc????

Typically a marine policy will cover accidents, theft, fire and occasionally even what can be called "stupid", but seldom will one cover owner "neglect"!
I think that if the pump failed due to neglect, it then becomes a neglected maintenance issue whereby any resulting damage would not be covered.

Secondly, the insurance company may want to know why your "automatic-float-switch-equipped-main-bilge-pump" did not kick on.


From reading your post, it sounds as though the boat did not sink. If that is correct, what is the extent of the damage?


.

thanks Ricardo, it was the sea water pump pulling water to cool the engine - not from the leg. Fortunately the boat did not sink, but was partially submerged. I guess the battery failed as the pump was working overtime.

i guess the point of contention is what is ‘neglect’? If the pump was serviced I’m May, and OK, hard to say that the damage was caused by neglect? Also, is there any other event that could have caused the failure of the seal other than wear and tear? If it was Ok 5 months ago, interested to know if an event could have caused the seal to fail and then the pump to corrode.

thanks for the advice!

alex

 

[RicardoMarine]

................................

thanks Ricardo, it was the sea water pump pulling water to cool the engine - not from the leg. Fortunately the boat did not sink, but was partially submerged. I guess the battery failed as the pump was working overtime.
When you get things sorted out, perhaps consider installing a warning alarm that would indicate when/if the float switch operates the main bilge pump.
This can be connected to the manual bilge pump helm switch circuit.
That same circuit becomes energized when the float switch contacts close.
Then place a note on your boat asking that any dock-mate who hears the alarm, give you or the Marina staff a phone call.


i guess the point of contention is what is ‘neglect’? If the pump was serviced I’m May, and OK, hard to say that the damage was caused by neglect?
Agreed...... that will be a hard argument to win!

Also, is there any other event that could have caused the failure of the seal other than wear and tear? If it was Ok 5 months ago, interested to know if an event could have caused the seal to fail and then the pump to corrode.
I don't know!
Plus, I still don't know which pump your engine has on it! (apparently it is not an A drive pump since you said; "not from the leg")



Your '82 Searay will be wired with non-tinned copper wiring.
If this was salt water, any wiring that became submerged will begin to corrode. You may not see it a first, but it will eventually damage the copper wire.

Also, if your starter motor was submerged, it will need to be replaced.

Sorry to hear about this misfortune!

 

[Docksidemarineservices]

Your water pump is engine mounted. It's are a wear item and it will eventually fail. There is no blame for your mechanic, he cannot tell the future.

Questions

How long did your boat sit between visits?

A water pump leak from the shaft would be pretty slow and not enough to kill a healthy battery over a few weeks.

How old are your batteries?

Why is your boat in the water with out shore power and a battery charger? If you have it on a mooring this is what happens.

 

[sandkicker]

Possibly the belt was over tightened when pump was serviced???

My setup which has protected my boat that is NOT selfbailing, i.e. spit on the deck and the pump(s) have to remove it) during two hurricanes, IRENE and SANDY. BTW, the boat was in its slip, uncovered, a mile south of the track from "ground zero" and two miles from its land fall at the coast ( across a mile and change of bay and barrier island) for SANDY.

Pump#1... a "rain water pump" is a 500 gph with a caged external float switch ( I do not trust internal automatics,they have a high failure rate). This is direct wired to Battery #2, which is a combination battery, i.e. start/deep cycle duty. This is the pump that does the heavy lifting for day to day dewatering.

Pump #2... a "holy crap!!" pump" is a 2000 gph pump with a caged float switch. This switch is mounted 1" higher in the bilge than the switch for the 500 gph pump. This pump is direct wired to Battery #1 a normal start duty battery.

It should be noted, that combo duty batteries ( or deep cycle ones) will run a bilge pump much longer than a start cycle battery. At that time, I did not have shore power, now I do (boat is 5 miles further from my house now and more difficult to get to under some conditions). I use a single output MARINE grade intelligent charger hooked to Battery #2 ( the combo). This battery also powers all the electronics on the boat.

When I got to my boat several days after Sandy, it was floating at its normal level. Battery #2 was dead, and Battery #1 was partially depleted, but had more than enough juice to start my engine.

While alarms are a nice touch, I would depend on proper batteries and shore power keeping my boat afloat, and not some person hearing and reacting to the alarm.