T&T: A/C Pump Problems

[Steve Sipe]

Michael Liddle wrote:
> Listees, hope everyone is having a good weekend.
> I have 4 Marine Air conditioners, all being supplied cooling water from one
> 110 water pump, the 1/3 HP supplied by Marine Air.  The pump is blowing the
> circuit breaker and is putting out little water in the overflow before
> shutting down.  The strainer is clear, but had some barnacles.  I replaced
> the strainer, still the same.  Other than getting in the water and running
> sharp object up the intake, is there any other way to check the intake for
> flow?  By the way the pump is in series with the compressors and won't come
> on unless one of the compressors is powered up.  Also this pump has a
sealed
> end so I can't check for impeller movement.  Impeller is brass.
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Momentarily stranded in the Keys.  Of course nobody is open tomorrow for
> parts.
> Thanks for any input
>
Confirm that you have no obstruction to flow between the hull intake and the
suction of the pump. Backflush with a hose connected to the suction hose of
the pump, you should have no problem pushing full flow back through the
strainer & out the thru-hull. You can probably check the impeller for
obstructions by visually inspecting the inlet- remove the hose & inspect
through the adapter that threads into the suction of the pump, it should be on
the center line. *DON'T* try to open the pump housing or separate it from the
motor without having rebuild parts (gaskets & shaft seal) on hand. Most 110v
pumps have a slotted shaft on the motor end behind a cap in the center of the
motor. Remove the cap, you should see the shaft end, you can manually turn it
with a screwdriver or other tool to determine if it is free. It should spin
with little resistance. If it doesn't, you may have some stuff in the impeller
that somehow made it past the strainer, or you could have a motor bearing
getting tight.


The pump tripping breakers doesn't make me want to look for a simple
obstruction blocking flow, it says the pump has resistance to rotation.
Does the pump have a capacitor? Does it start normally? Does it rotate
freely?

Hope that helps.

Steve Sipe
Solo 4303 "Maerin"
lying Corsica River Eastern Shore