live well pops breaker

Jaeger Grady

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I tried to use the live well tonight and the breaker :huh kept poping at the dash. Any ideas?
 
It is either a bad pump, a short in the wiring, or a bad breaker. To test, you need to disconnect the wires to the pump as close to it as possible. Flip the switch. Nothing should happen and the breaker should not pop.

If that is the case, there is no short in the wiring.

To bypass a bad breaker, you have to wire the pump directly to a power source. That can be done at the pump wires or at the breaker by disconnecting the wire at the breaker and temporarily moving it to another breaker and then testing.
Although breakers do go bad, it is more likely that you have a short or a bad pump.
 
Those pumps live a hard life, odds are it's the pump. Does it trip immediately or a few seconds?
 
Seasick,

I disconected the pump, turned the switch on and the breacker didnot pop.


Grog,

The breaker pops within 5 seconds
 
Jaeger Grady said:
Seasick,

I disconected the pump, turned the switch on and the breacker didnot pop.

OK, so there is no short. The pump is probably seized or the internal wiring is corroded and shorted.
 
You don't mention if you have recently replaced the pump. I upgraded from a 500 GPH to a 800 GPH and now it occassionally pops the breaker. The old draw was 2.5 amps and the new is 5 amps. I plan to replace the breaker soon.
 
grady23 said:
You don't mention if you have recently replaced the pump. I upgraded from a 500 GPH to a 800 GPH and now it occassionally pops the breaker. The old draw was 2.5 amps and the new is 5 amps. I plan to replace the breaker soon.

Good point.
 
Funny mine just started doing the same thing this weekend. I am not near the boat. Who makes their pumps.
 
Rule makes most of the pumps that Grady uses. When I ugraded the pump to an 800 GPH, I found out from a local machanic that it should have at least a 10Amp Breaker and that's what I went with. Fished for a week with the pump running 10-12 hrs a day and never had a problem. Just be sure that the wiring is at least 14 Guage. Breaker should run about $10-$15 TOPS. It took 15 minutes to replace and that was drinking a beer!