When should ballast impellers be replaced?

[imhoff]

My boat is on a lift and I noticed that water continued to leak out of the ballast pumps for a while after it went on the lift. I think the LINC said there was 50 lbs of water still left in the tanks. I figured that might be a sign that I need new impellers (water leaking out). I opened the starboard pump and the impeller "looks" fine, and it's the green one, and it's a 2015 with about 170 hours. I haven't changed these, so I have at least 110 hours on the boat over last season and this season on these impellers. So here are my questions:

1) Is there a general rule of thumb for when these should be replaced?
2) Is water leaking out after it's on the lift a sign that they need to be replaced?
3) How long does a G21 or G23 take to fill (assuming all years have the same pumps/ballast configuration)?
4) Lastly, should I be filling/draining when underway or doesn't it matter?

Thanks in advance for any tips!

[scott-lake-james-in]

My 2015 G21 has about 40 hours on it and the starboard ballast circuit has faulted out several times. It comes back to life but the starboard ballast fills slower than the other tanks. The dealer thinks it is the impeller for what it is worth. Hope to deal with it after the holiday weekend.

[KTM525]

I replaced mine the second time after 340h. One impeller did have problems to empty the tank. I never have measured the time to fill or empty the tank.

[Samu]

3) How long does a G21 or G23 take to fill

My G23 2017 needs about 10 minutes to fill

[seth]

I kept extra impellers in the boat and only changed them when pump rod spun out the plastic impeller fitting, meaning it was broken. At $25 per impeller that is to expensive to change each year for me and it wont lead to motor problems like the impeller that pumps water into your engine for cooling. I may change it if one bag was filling much slower than another just to see if the impeller was the cause.

[imhoff]

I tested last night and the belly took 8:40 with the port/starboard finishing another 50 seconds later (or so). Assuming that my impellers are still good to go...

[swankster]

I keep a spare in the boat and only change it when one fails. 310 hours in the boat and have only changed one. My guess on fill time is 10 to 15 minutes and it takes longer if I'm running the boat to get to our favorite spot. I run the pumps while under way but limit the speed to 25mph


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[Andy1972]

How hard is it to change the ballast impeller? 2017 G.. also, I thought O read somewhere , maybe Nautique parts, not sure, about an impeller made of a different, stronger perhaps material?

[blueroom]

They are super easy to get to and to change on the G23, the three pumps right under the floor hatch. 15 minutes start to finish. Pop the brass triangle tops off (3 screws, but you only have to take 2 out and swivel), pull the old impeller out, take the old o-ring off and put a new impeller and o-ring in. The impeller is just held on by light compression in the hub, no keeper on it. Some kits come with a little lube you can put on the o-ring and impeller. You might need to use some needle-nose pliers or other tool to get the old ones out - they can get a little stuck on the shaft sometimes. Just pull and they will come out. Try not to scratch the housing.

We change out every 50-75 hours or every season or so. We usually have one start to misbehave sporadically by then, and have had one go completely bad in as little as 30 hours. You can tell when you have one starting to go as you will have occasions where a pump seems like it wont prime and you have to mess around to get it to fill. You can usually get all three for $100 or so, and they take 15 minutes max to replace - cheap insurance for not ruining lake time. I hang on to one or two of the best looking used ones, coat with petroleum jelly and throw in the glove box for emergency spares - but have never needed one. At some point I might try to get a season out of my spare collection.

The G uses the purple ballast king impeller (23095-0007-P). Others may use the green ballast puppy. Best to pop a cover off and see which one you have before you buy.

[scttp]

2015 g23. I replace mine yearly at about 110 hours...seems at that point one of the three normally has a chunk in it and starts allowing water in and out. With fresh impellers it takes around 9 minutes and fill or drain ballast.


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[mcosub]

I havent had any issues on my 210 yet but can anyone tell me the location for the impellers on a 2017 210?

[migs]

Put the green ones on the day I bought my 210 in 2008. 11 years later and 780hours and they’re still good.

[Ogle12!]

I've got 2014 SANTE 230 with 400 hrs. I've just purchased it used and did a visual inspection of all impellers preseason. Since placing into water I have experienced all 3 ballast systems loosing water while just sitting in lake after filling and I have witnessed water draining out of ballast water intakes/exhausts while on the lift also. I've got 3 new green impellers (SANTE 230) so I'll post my results after replacing this coming weekend.

[Andy1972]

My pumps have the purple impeller. I think I need an impeller removal tool. There is a metal hub holding the impeller in place .

[Infinity]

My pumps have the purple impeller. I think I need an impeller removal tool. There is a metal hub holding the impeller in place .

Impeller hub is probably just stuck a bit on the hub. If you are replacing the impellers anyway, you can use needle nose pliers to grab the impeller vanes and work it off. Some WD40 wont hurt either