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A54 bilge pump problems...
Chris Likins
Hello,
I recently have been having issues with my "bilge" pump on my Amel 54. The pump is the original from TF Marine. I first noticed a problem that the motor sounded different, hard to describe exactly but I have tested it enough to know that the motor didn't sound the same, however pumping seemed normal. A few days later I noticed the pump was running for a very long time. After activation from the float switch, it began to pump, however once the water in the sump began to decrease, so did its pumping ability, so much so that it was unable to pump out the last bit of water to turn the switch off.
I rebuilt the pump with rebuild kit but had no luck so I gave it to the professionals for a rebuild. A few days later I am told they have the pump working and even send me a video (of the pump laying down on the ground, not upright) pumping plenty of water. Flapper valves, diaphragm, o-ring have all been replaced. Inside of the motor cleaned up. I also changed the suction hose that goes into the sump as it was getting old. There are two hose clamps on the suction side of the pump.
All this and still the same problem! The pump will prime just fine (hand over the outlet until the pump is full), then it will pump some of the water out of the bilge for a few seconds but then slow down to a crawl.
Is there some other source of a suction leak I may have missed? Is there anything else I could be missing?! Help!!
Thanks! |
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Re: Onan Generator exhaust temperature switch - great price.
VLADIMIR SONSEV
Hi Eric, Sorry for the late reply. Your email got lost in the shuffle. I hope it is not too late yet. I will send you a check tomorrow. If it is too late just destroy my check. Vladimir Sonsev 202 258 1916 On Thu, Oct 1, 2020, 5:46 PM eric freedman <kimberlite@...> wrote:
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Re: Any SM owners use a Beta engine??
Mark Barter
Thanks Dan, I have sent those photographs to the fitter. He really seems now to have got on top of this job so I am more confident that it will go well.
I can see that you have moved the fuel filter but I can't see where you have put it. I was thinking of putting the dual filters that I have bought a bit higher and the other side of the valve shut off extension. -- Mark & Nicky Barter S/V Nunky SM 110 |
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Re: Replacing standing rigging - advice for other jobs?
Scott SV Tengah
Trey,
We replaced our VHF last year and our AIS antenna on the mizzen this year. Cables replaced with both. BIG BIG difference compared to the original 12 year old antenna. The original Banten antennas on ours were "one piece" so a non-removable cable came out of the bottom of the antenna. I replaced wiring with RG-8X cables. LMR-400 would be better, but good luck fitting that in. I tried and failed but maybe it's easier if the mast is down. I actually ran new VHF cable all the way to the helm station. My AIS could "see" maybe 10 miles previously and now I've seen targets as far as 45 miles out. I'm sure my transmission has gotten a lot better, too. I used the Shakespeare 5215 for both VHF and AIS. I know there's some line of thought that you should get an AIS specific antenna as it is tuned for the specific AIS frequencies but I wanted it to possibly function as a backup VHF antenna, if necessary. The thread fits perfectly in the hole in the mast where the old Banten antenna sat. Use self amalgamating rubber wrap and good electrical tape on the connectors. I zip tied the tape for good measure. One silly thing that I really really love is our photosensitive anchor light. Confirm that your A54 has the same Aqua Signal housing as we do, however. When we're anchored for a week or so, I just leave the anchor light switch on the entire time. The bulb lights up at dusk. Earlier we'd end up leaving the anchor light on if there's any chance we would be away. Sure, LEDs are supposed to last forever, but on a boat.... https://store.marinebeam.com/indexed-bayonet-tri-color-led-bulb-for-aqua-signal-series-40/ Also, our tricolor bulb was quite dim - this fixed it: https://store.marinebeam.com/indexed-bayonet-tri-color-led-bulb-for-aqua-signal-series-40/ hope this helps! -- Scott 2007 A54 #69 SV Tengah http://www.svtengah.com |
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Re: Any SM owners use a Beta engine??
Dan Wilcox
Here is what I got. HR = high rise, gear ratio was determined by prop used (I have a max prop )  I worked with Stan @ Beta Marine US Ltd. tel 252.249.2473 or 877.227.2473 I went overboard with 4" rails. Thanks, Dan Feierabend SM#86    
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Re: Any SM owners use a Beta engine??
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Re: Event: An Amel Survey by Olivier Beaute - Saturday, 16 January 2021
#cal-invite
Germain Jean-Pierre
Hi Alain,
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You have joined the best tool to keep your Amel in top form. Welcome Jean-Pierre Germain, Eleuthera, SM007, New Zealand On 4/12/2020, at 5:36 AM, Alain Blanchard <akdf85@...> wrote:
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Re: A54 bow thruster seal replacement?
Scott SV Tengah
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Re: ONAN replacement or not?
Scott SV Tengah
I think I have been quite open and honest about what I like and my difficulties. The post I wrote over a year ago about my saga with lifepo4 was entitled : "Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)". While it is true that I do love them after living with them full-time for two years now, I do think I've been quite open with difficulties or reservations. I believe Amel includes them as standard on the A60 and having lived with the batteries, I understand why.
Regarding your comparison to electric car batteries, you made the common mistake of mixing up the lithium ion in electric cars and your mobile phone with lifepo4, which is what we install in our boats. The former is much more sensitive/fragile/dangerous. In fact, Tesla is now claiming they're going to start using a breakthrough new battery that lasts longer, is cheaper and is much more durable. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/30/tesla-and-the-science-of-low-cost-next-gen-ev-million-mile-battery.html That "next generation" battery is called lithium iron phosphate - the same stuff that has been around since 1996 and the same type of lithium battery I have in my boat. Gotta love the power of marketing. For Alex's case, let's assume he has 1000 hours of life left in his generator. With my modest 450AH bank and 200Amp chargers, I can fully (0-100%) discharge and recharge my battery bank over 400 times. That is assuming I have no solar and I don't have the 110 AH alternator on my engine. With the latter two, my experience and the experience of others with lifepo4 is that we're stressing about not running our generators enough. -- Scott 2007 A54 #69 SV Tengah http://www.svtengah.com |
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Re: BVI Fines for sailing I n BVI waters
Done, thanks
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~~~⛵️~~~Matt On Dec 3, 2020, at 1:37 PM, CW Bill Rouse <brouse@...> wrote:
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Re: BVI Fines for sailing I n BVI waters
You might want to check this video out on the BVI Government homepage in Facebook and comment using social media.
https://fb.watch/28Wpyn_Fhn/ -- |
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Re: Event: An Amel Survey by Olivier Beaute - Saturday, 16 January 2021
#cal-invite
Alain Blanchard <akdf85@...>
Dear all,
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I am a new member and my name is Alain Blanchard (recently retired). I have finally found the boat I was looking for. I am the new care holder of Koriolys (SM 164 / we kept the same name) and I called for Olivier to conduct the survey last October. I was really satisfied with Olivier’s performance and all the advices from him. I am sure that every participant will enjoy the Zoom meeting. I am impressed with the quality of comments and advices from all you. Again very happy to be part of this family. Regards / Alain
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Re: Event: An Amel Survey by Olivier Beaute - Saturday, 16 January 2021
#cal-invite
Great idea! Congrats Roque Em qui., 3 de dez. de 2020 às 12:39, main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io Calendar <noreply@groups.io> escreveu:
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Event: An Amel Survey by Olivier Beaute - Saturday, 16 January 2021
#cal-invite
main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io Calendar <noreply@...>
An Amel Survey by Olivier Beaute When: Where: Organizer: Bill Rouse brouse@... An RSVP is requested. Click here to RSVP Description: All,
It is my great pleasure to announce that Olivier Beaute will present at our first ZOOM Meeting of 2021. It will be held on 16 January 2021 20:00 to 21:00 UTC. Details:
Many members of the Amel Yacht Owners Group trained on their new Amels with Olivier in La Rochelle. Many of us relied on Olivier as the manager of Amel SAV. And, a substantial number of our Group have used Olivier's surveys when purchasing their pre-owned Amels. As most of you know, after a long and successful career with Amel, Olivier Beaute went into the survey business and established ATLANTIC YACHT SURVEY.
The topic of Olivier's ZOOM Meeting will be "An Amel Survey." His presentation will last about 30 minutes with 30 minutes for questions. Tilo Peters will monitor, queue, and ask Olivier your texted questions.
This meeting will be very good for all of our members.
I suspect that this meeting may book to capacity and urge you to register soon.
Topic: AYOG January Gathering: An Amel Survey
Time: Jan 16, 2021 08:00 PM (20:00) GMT
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 821 2513 7503
Join by Skype for Business
YouTube Livestream: https://youtu.be/zYika5HEkZE
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Re: ONAN replacement or not?
Amel installed Mastervolt Gel Batteries.
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Not my preference, but I had few options. AMEL’s Lithium upgrade is $40,000 USD. Too dear for our purse! ~~~⛵️~~~Matt Salatino, Speed of Life, A50 #27 On Dec 3, 2020, at 6:22 AM, Dean Gillies <stella@...> wrote:
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Re: ONAN replacement or not?
Scott,
It’s clear you are a big fan of Lithium batteries. And of course there are huge benefits to them. But you keep repeating the benefits and ignore the drawbacks. Those are (still) price and complexity of the installation. Also I’m personally still not convinced about the claimed lifespan. If you see how much moderation on the batteries is taking place in electric cars by the charging/cooling/heating system, I have my doubts about batteries lasting 15 years in a much more hostile environment. You also state the recharging process using solar as an alternative for the genset. That may be true on all the nice sunny days, but if you are having a few overcast days you are in trouble. I’m not saying that Lithium is not a viable option, but there are more aspects to the installation then you like to highlight. Regards, Arno Liuijten |
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Re: ONAN replacement or not?
As Scott says, the lithium profile holds many potential advantages, particularly for longer term cruisers. The one disadvantage in my mind is that they are too lightweight for the Amel 54 and maybe SM too??. The balance of the boat was designed by Amel with generator on port and lead batteries on starboard and it is seriously impacted by removing circa 250kg from the starboard side when changing to lithium. That's why I am so interested right now in comparing different flavours of lead batteries in an attempt to optimise my performance without moving to Lithium. My generator is in good condition with thousands of hours left on the clock, so for me, the balance issue is the deciding factor. Maybe I end up with lithium batteries and lead ingots until my generator dies! :-)
Alex, I believe you have the "advantage" of needing to change your generator and I think this brings opportunity to maintain the balance of the boat by carefully selecting a generator system which is sufficiently lightweight to allow you to change over to Lithium and also maintain the balance of the boat. The generator which Bill K installed looks very nice. Good luck with whatever solution you choose. Matt, Ah yes, I understand Amel prefer Victron Gel or AGM batteries? Are you happy with their choice? Cheers, Dean SV Stella A54-154 |
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Re: ONAN replacement or not?
Alex,
If I were you, I'd save the money on a new genset and put it into a good sized lithium bank. My experience is the same as others where I rarely use my genset despite using around 200-250AH a day - I literally have it on my calendar to run it to keep it from dying from non-use. I routinely run the Bauer 2 on battery - in fact, I have never run it on genset because I don't want to deal with potential issues with exhaust getting into my scuba tanks. We don't use AC much, but it easily runs all night on battery when we tested it. The aft Climma plus the raw water pump draws around 1kw I think. My reading of the Firefly materials when I was considering them highlighted a few things to me: They still have the charge efficiency issues of lead batteries. Sure, it's a bit better, but they waste a lot more energy when accepting charge. 10AH from your charger does not equal 10AH increase in battery charge state. You lose around 20%, I think. In my 2 years with lifepo4, I'm averaging 97-98% charge efficiency. That means you'll be running your genset more. Further look at these charts from a company trying to sell you the batteries! https://coastalclimatecontrol.com/index.php/blog/186-firefly-batteries-new-testing-reveals.html Charge acceptance drops off quickly after 30 minutes while you don't get a full charge until a bit over 3 hours. Sure, it's better than regular AGM, but the point is that you'll be running your genset more at an unhealthy low load. My 2 year old lithiums take the full 200amps until well into the 90%+ SOC level so if I were to run my genset, it's not for very long and at a healthy high load. Discharge inefficiency goes up with higher draws. Like most lead batteries, their amp hour rating is based on a 20 hour discharge rate. Try to run a scuba compressor and see how that affects your total available amp hours. It has virtually no impact with lithium. A 100ah lithium battery will last 10 hours at 10amp draw and around 1 hour at 100amp draw. Lead tech results in big drops in actual capacity when the discharge rate goes up. Therefore, you'll be running your genset more on these high discharge rate items. Further, if you look at Firefly's own voltage vs SOC tables, you'll see that at low SOC, voltage sag is significant and therefore your amps go up. That makes the claim that you can draw them to low SOC a bit misleading. That same Bauer compressor that takes 2200w/26.5v = 83amps on my lifepo4 system will take 91-92 amps if you're hanging out at 40% SOC. And that is resting voltage for lead. I believe it would drop much lower at that SOC under such a high load. And because of the near non-existent discharge inefficiency of lithium, that high load has little to no impact on the battery capacity or voltage. On lead batteries, it has a huge impact, so I doubt a 116AH firefly battery would last 1/2 hour with a 91amp draw. Bottom line - you'll run your genset more. I remember we talked about this before and I was telling you not to believe all the marketing material and that I thought lithium was the better option in the long run. Now that your decision criteria includes whether or not to buy a new genset, if I were you, I'd be nursing the genset + lithium vs. new genset + firefly. I know you don't like solar arches, but be aware that deck mounted solar does not output anywhere near their rated watts. Look at any of the temp vs. power output charts and you'll quickly see why.  -- Scott 2007 A54 #69 SV Tengah http://www.svtengah.com |
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Re: Any SM owners use a Beta engine??
Mark Barter
Thanks for all of the help with this.
The fitter is modifying the rails and the mounts and also moving the alternator to the opposite side. The problem with the gearbox is that they ordered a straight gearbox and not what they have described as a "drop box". The drop box means that the exit part of the gearbox is lower than the input side if that makes sense. The engine simply won't fit with a straight gearbox. Can anyone tell me what model of gearbox has been successfully fitted because we need to find one ASAP. We are currently tied to an exposed wall of a boatyard and a storm is expected tomorrow. We are being towed to a marina today which I am not looking forward to at all. Thanks again for the invaluable help. -- Mark & Nicky Barter S/V Nunky SM 110 |
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Re: Any SM owners use a Beta engine??
Dan Wilcox
Sure. I actually installed it myself over the course of 2 weekends. My rails were quite rusted so I made new ones. I'm heading down to the boat now if you want me to take any specific pictures. Thanks, Dan Feierabend SM #86
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 02:59:23 PM PST, Matt Salatino via groups.io <helmsmatt@...> wrote:
Nice! Where is the raw water pump? How difficult is it to change the impeller? ~~~⛵️~~~Matt On Dec 2, 2020, at 4:17 PM, michael winand via groups.io <mfw642000@...> wrote:
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