Ballast pumps won't empty

[93Euro]

I have a 2006 210.
On my last trip out all three pumps wouldn't empty the tanks. Dealer said that there was a problem with the impeller being to big and wouldn't reverse direction. I started taking it apart today, and even with the impeller out, it still wouldn't reverse. So I don't think it's the impeller, unless the resistance caused a fuse or something to blow. I can only find one set of fuses. Does anyone know if there are seperate fuses to fill and empty?

Thanks

[Flux]

RE: Ballast pumps won

Just thinking about it without knowing exactly what is going on there may be a couple things you can try. My SAN is an 02 so I have livewell pumps, 2 per tank to empty and fill. If you have reversible pumps there could simply be a polarity issue. I would track down the manufacturers install instruction guide and see about the wiring. Check this vs the rocker switch wiring too.

Are the pumps spinning at all in reverse?? Or are they just stalled or not getting power. Check the lines with a volt meter to see what is happening and backtrack from there. Most 3 way rocker switches have power in and then flip it to two different outputs, you may want to check those as well , maybe the installer had a brain fart and put the output power on the wrong pin?? i would think that the pumps would be on the same breaker for filling and reversing. There could be a fuse and a breaker, check the breaker. I know my breaker popped when we had the boat running but was fine when it was not, weird but true.

[93Euro]

Re: RE: Ballast pumps won

But they were working fine for the first 15 hours? I don't think it could be the wiring.


Not spinning at all. I took the impeller out and then switched on the pump. Nothing in reverse, only fill.

I'm pretty sure I don't have breakers. It's a 210 SE. The ballast is also installed as an option.

[Flux]

RE: Re: RE: Ballast pumps won

You could try checking the voltage with the switch in both the fill and empty positions with a multimeter, no voltage = bad switch, wiring, fuse, or breaker. If you get voltage in the empty position then there is something wrong with the pumps.

Seems odd that they would all fail simultaneously.

What kind of pumps are they?? Model #??

[Flux]

RE: Re: RE: Ballast pumps won

Also note that some of these pumps have a sensor that shuts them down when there is no water in the pump to prevent running them dry and burning up the impeller, could be an issue.

[93Euro]

They are Jabsco water puppy model # 1867-6123

They didn't go at exactly the same time. Belly one trip. both rear tanks the next.

I think I'm going to have to take it to the dealer. While I was in there, I took the pumps off and turned them around so i could pump the water out.
The Belly pump was real slow then died. Thought I ran my battery dead, but I plugged the pump into the port switch and it worked fine in fill only. It's got to be in the wiring somewhere. The wiring looks real hokey.

[Flux]

Sometimes you can fix things yourself and save a pull to the dealer, but those pumps are fairly expensive and if all three died in 20 hours, you most definately have an issue. Thats a shame, my 02 uses the rule aerator pumps and they have done fine for 150 hours. I am getting a spare to keep onboard in case one dies on me.

Warranty issue for sure. Hope you get it resolved and back on the water soon.

[93Euro]

that is true, they do turn off with no water. Maybe they need to be primed or something. I still think there's a problem because I found two blown fueses

[93Euro]

rat's nest under the dash

[Mikeski]

electrical and plumbing are not CC's specialty

[jvuotto]

For the expense of these fine machines, one would think CC would invest some people that know something about electrical systems. We would be out of business if we ever shipped something that looked like that to a customer, not to mention the embarrassment from such poor design and/or workmanship. Suppose I better refrain from removing the kick panel on the 211. Good luck with it. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[radmaster]

93Euro, we got an 06 SE aswell and to say we had ballast dramas would be a massive understatement. Firstly we had a similar thing happen on our 1st trip out, as we didnt know what was going on we had to load it on the trailer with the belly tank full (as the rear tank fuses blew before we could even fill them for the first time) A call to our dealer didnt help much then we came on here and everyone kept saying reset the breakers rar rarr rar but as you've found the SE has fuses and well they're a pain in the bum. To make things even more "fun" the fuses for the rear pumps were wired in series ie the current path for both pumps was through the same fuse for fill and another fuse for empty, hence operating both pumps simultaneously would blow fuses every time. If i showed you the circuit diagram we worked out it'd make more sense. Without a dealer within 2000 miles we had to work this out and fix it ourselves. Ohh and that White ballast can that sits under the throttle panel, well that died after about 2 weeks which meant we couldnt empty the tanks until we worked out what was wrong, then we just had to short a few pins on the plug that connects to the can until our replacement can came through warranty. Then theres the pump issue with the wrong impellors, We would go through about 5 or 6 fuses each time we went out as the pump would keep jamming and the fuses would blow. However even after installing the new pumps we had fuses blow, So we've replaced the fuses with some auto-reset circuit breakers, now if they trip we just wait a bit ie 5-10 seconds and try it again. So far its been working a treat. With about 20-25 hours of Electrical Engineering Labour going into fixing what was poor workmanship / poor design we were really frustrated to say the least. That being said we now know the system inside out.

[wake_fun]

I have three Jabsco pumps on my boat. If for some reason the impellers stick to the sides of the pump after sitting for awhile, and you turn it on, it will blow the fuses for the pumps. I've done it twice. But if your saying they will work one direction but not the other, then I don't know what the deal is.......

[93Euro]

Radmaster
I was thinking the same thing about putting in breakers. Is everything fixed now? What do you suggest, taking it to the dealer since it's close, or doing it myself? Sounds like aside from the impeller problem, the SE has some electrical issuse? Does CC know about the problems you had? Were there others with the same problem?
Man I could swear they were training new employees on my boat.

[Flux]

If you look around in these forums you will find that every year had some sort of issue with the ballast system in general. From the Flo-rite valves to the impeller pumps. Mostly I think they tried to make it so convenient, that it has too many bells and whistles. Alot of folks have had problems and re-engineered their systems to add more weight and fix the flaws in the original system.

My 02 uses Rule Aerator pumps and has manual seacock valves that require me to open the engine hatch and belly hatch to open and close. Kind of a pain, but at least I know the are secure. Each tank has two rule pumps, so it's kind of a mess and I dread having to replace certain ones because they are in really bad spots. That being said, It's also cool because I can carry a 40 dollar back up pump on the boat and if one quits, I simply replace it. They are also tied into a breaker, so we can easily reset that. Sometimes you need just a bit of forward momentum to prime them, although usually it is not a problem.

This system also allows me to open up the seacocks and cruise to fill up the tanks, I am not sure if the impeller pumps will do that or not as the impeller needs to spin to let water through. We sometimes open them up a few hundred yards from the spot and let them fill themselves. We always close up the seacocks once the tanks are full. We can drain on the fly once we are done.

The breaker idea is a good one. If you search a site like wakeworld you will find that lots of folks have problems with the impeller pumps sticking, popping fuses, or generally being a pain. It's not limited to CC. You will also find that lot's of folks have redone alot of little things on their boats to upgrade them. Seems ironic that such an expensive boat has problems, but it is what it is and remember that the engine, hull, vinyl, carpet, etc are top quality.

Check around this site, there are alot of great posts on upgrading the little things in the boat to make them even better. I know it's not what you want to do with a new ride, but a little wiring and a little plumbing can go a long long way. I was third owner on my 02, so I have to fix any problems I have myself save for major mechanical. Radmaster pointed out that one saving fact of troubleshooting it yourself, now you know your boat, and in the long run that is some valuable knowledge.