Ballast won't empty (99 Pro Air Nautique)

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  • joneast
    • Jul 2010
    • 2


    • 1999 Pro Air Nautique
    #1

    Ballast won't empty (99 Pro Air Nautique)

    I am having problems getting my 1999 Pro Air Nautique to drain the factory ballast.

    Description of what I have done to troubleshoot.
    • Seacocks Open
    • Flip switch to fill (I can hear pump running), run boat at 20mph, both ballasts fill.
    • Flip stitch to empty (I dont hear pump running), keep boat at idle, ballast wont drain.


When I took the boat out of the water (with the seacocks open) I saw water drain from the front left (port) vent under the boat. I did not see water drain from the right (starbord) vent (further back on the hull.) (possibly a problem with only one tank)

Questions
1a. Does this boat use a single pump with two directions to fill and empty the ballasts?
1b. Does this boat use separate pumps to empty each ballast?
(Looks like the answer is yes but if anyone is certain let me know: http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/sh...mp-Replacement)

2a. Does each tank use seperate vents or do they share the vents?

2b. Do both vents fill and drain or does one fill and the other drain.

I cant find any diagrams online. Trying to diagnose the issue. I am finding similar issues with other year boats but not mine.

Thanks,
Jon East
Tags: ballast, empty, problem, pump, tank
  • Craigk
    • Jun 2010
    • 12

    • Plano, TX

    • 1998 Air Nautique (GT40)
    #2
    Originally posted by joneast View Post
    I am having problems getting my 1999 Pro Air Nautique to drain the factory ballast.

    Description of what I have done to troubleshoot.
    • Seacocks Open
    • Flip switch to fill (I can hear pump running), run boat at 20mph, both ballasts fill.
    • Flip stitch to empty (I dont hear pump running), keep boat at idle, ballast wont drain.


    • When I took the boat out of the water (with the seacocks open) I saw water drain from the front left (port) vent under the boat. I did not see water drain from the right (starbord) vent (further back on the hull.) (possibly a problem with only one tank)

    Questions
    1a. Does this boat use a single pump with two directions to fill and empty the ballasts?
    1b. Does this boat use separate pumps to empty each ballast?
    (Looks like the answer is yes but if anyone is certain let me know: http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/sh...mp-Replacement)

    2a. Does each tank use seperate vents or do they share the vents?

    2b. Do both vents fill and drain or does one fill and the other drain.

    I cant find any diagrams online. Trying to diagnose the issue. I am finding similar issues with other year boats but not mine.

    Thanks,
    Jon East
    I have a 98 Air Nautique which I believe has the same ballast fill/drain system as your boat.

    Both tanks fill and drain from the port side thru hull. There are two pumps that are inline with each other. One drain, the other fills. When one is pumping the other is just allowing water to flow through it. You may just need to replace the drain pump. I think the boat should have originally came with Attwood Tsunami 500gph Aerator pumps, which most people end up replacing with the 800gph pumps of the same brand.

    Both tanks are tied to the same pumps, there is just a T-connection that fills, drains both of them. The way to fill/drain one and not the other is to open/close the vents. There should be two knobs by your fill/drain switch. Turn them counter clockwise to open the vents and to let them drain or fill. Turn them clockwise to close the vents up.

    Also the tanks will slow drain without the pump if the seacock is open, but it's much quicker with the pump running. I always drain them when I'm not moving at all, motor off, seacock open, drain pump on. I had a bad ground on my fill pump last week and just had to replace the wire and it started working again fine.

    The pumps are located on the port side of the drive shaft and exhaust tubes, under the floor. You'll have to pull out the motorbox and the floorboard that's just in front of the backseat. Just get a multimeter and test that you are getting voltage when you switch on the drain pump. If you are then it's just the pump is bad, if you aren't then you have a wiring problem for the switch.
    Last edited by Craigk; 07-26-2010, 08:06 AM.

    Comment

  • Chexi
    1,000 Post Club Member
    • Feb 2025
    • 2119

    • Austin

    • 2000 SAN
    #3
    Craig is right on with his information. I would emphasize that with the vent knob turned to open, your ballast should drain when idle (or off) without the use of the pump, it just takes longer. If you are not draining at all with the vent open, then your problem is not your drain pump. Your drain pump may not be working either, but it is not the reason that you cannot drain that sac.

    It is a pretty simple system. Hard tank is full of air. If the vent is closed, then there is nowhere for the air to escape, so water does not displace the air. Open the the vent line, air can escape, water displaces the air. Close the vent, and because no air can displace the water, you have a vaccuum, and the tank won't drain. Open the vent, the vaccuum is broken, and you can drain as the air from the vent displaces the water. It is actually a pretty ingenious system, albeit slow and dependent on having hard tanks that always take up space. Before replacing my system with impeller pumps and soft sacs, I used the same system you have for 2 years, except my intake pump never worked, so I just drove around at 21 mph until the tanks filled from the scupper thru-hull forcing water up into the tanks. I also rarely used the drain pump. My point is, that system can work without the pumps, so if you can't fill, or drain, or both without the pumps, there is some other problem.

    On the off chance someone modified your setup without understanding it, there should be no check valves on the intake lines.
    Now
    2000 SAN

    Previously
    1999 Air Nautique
    1996 Tige Pre-2000
    1989 Lowe 24' Pontoon / Johnson 100HP outboard

    Comment

    • joneast
      • Jul 2010
      • 2


      • 1999 Pro Air Nautique
      #4
      Thanks for everyone help! I was able to troubleshoot the issue easily.

      1. I checked that the Seacock was open and the tanks drained without a pump. This confirmed there was no issues with the vent hoses or water lines.

      2. I tested with a voltage meter that the switch was controlling power correctly.

      3. I unplugged the rear pump (which was very easy to access) and used the voltage meter to see if power was being sent to the pump. It was!

      4. I took out the pump and walked into the boat store and asked them to order a new one. I find out tomorrow if they still make it (Atwood A750/Model: 4273).

      I love Nautiques, though my pump may have blown out the boat is built so things are very accessible.

      Cheers!
      Jon

      Comment

      • Chexi
        1,000 Post Club Member
        • Feb 2025
        • 2119

        • Austin

        • 2000 SAN
        #5
        They make a replacement pump that works.

        As far as accessible... wait until you want to replace a steering cable or grease the rudder... then see if you still agree. One more benefit of ripping out the hard tanks and installing a soft fat sac system.
        Now
        2000 SAN

        Previously
        1999 Air Nautique
        1996 Tige Pre-2000
        1989 Lowe 24' Pontoon / Johnson 100HP outboard

        Comment

        • h2obody
          • Jun 2006
          • 17

          • British Columbia, Canada

          #6
          Originally posted by chexi1 View Post
          They make a replacement pump that works.

          As far as accessible... wait until you want to replace a steering cable or grease the rudder... then see if you still agree. One more benefit of ripping out the hard tanks and installing a soft fat sac system.
          I have a 2001 Pro Air Nautique with the Launch Control System, which I believe is similar, if not the same, as the hard tank system you have described above. I am very interested in your conversion to soft tanks. Do you have any photos? As well, if you could describe the process and the items you have to purchase to make this possible. Also, if you added any other tanks to your setup and piped them into your filling system, any info you have on that would be great. I am hoping to somehow pipe in a soft sac into the ski locker in the middle of the boat in front of the engine.

          Also, if you could outline the advantage to switching to the pumps you went with, that would also be appreciated.

          Sorry for so many questions but I am new to the forum and have several questions about things I am seeing and hearing about for the first time.

          Comment

          • Chexi
            1,000 Post Club Member
            • Feb 2025
            • 2119

            • Austin

            • 2000 SAN
            #7
            In here.

            http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/sh...allast-Install
            Now
            2000 SAN

            Previously
            1999 Air Nautique
            1996 Tige Pre-2000
            1989 Lowe 24' Pontoon / Johnson 100HP outboard

            Comment

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