Mid Bilge Pump

[Bigsteve51]

I have a mid bilge pump that has the pickup located at the centerline of the keel at the bulkhead where the cabin door is on my 96 28TE. The pump is located on the starboard side aft of the water heater and batteries.

The pump is a Jabsco water puppy and was just put in in June. Today i went to give the boat a good once over after the Hurricane and i was greeted by about 10" of water in the bilge. i found the fuse for the automatic operation blown than after turning the pump on that fuse also went. I pulled the front cover off the pump and was unable to turn the impeller, this pump appears not to be the ideal pump for that location and i would like to put a different pump in that part of the bilge, but with the V shape in that location i am trying to figure out what will be a good pump to try.

Anyone have a different pump in that location? that is reliable.

[joe.baar]

We had a 1995 Jabsco/PAR diaphragm "Multi-Fixture" pump, model 36950-2000, at that same location and when it quit last year we replaced it with a Water Puppy. I'm planning eventually to order a rebuild kit for the original pump so it can be used as a spare. I think the Water Puppy was only a little more expensive than the rebuild kit. We left the pickup in place, under the fuel tank at the low point on top of the skeg.

Last winter after 2 weeks of below-freezing weather the Water Puppy also blew two fuses so I cleaned out the strainer and removed the impeller cover. The impeller itself was still in like-new condition but just needed a gentle shove to help it remember how to rotate again. No further issues. I'm perfectly happy with the Water Puppy and I think it has slightly more capacity than the diaphragm pump.

The current Jabsco equivalent in a diaphragm version is Jabsco model # 36960-2000 but their slightly larger and more expensive # 36680-2000 actually looks more like our original pump. Both are available from West Marine.