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Date: 1 March 2015. Warranty Paperwork (SeaSense bilge pump)
© janice142
One of the advantages of living afloat is that we are in touch with the outside world. Like the other day, when I heard the bilge pump come on I did not hear the water splashing outside. I immediately knew there was a problem. Checking, my 800gph primary bilge pump was not removing water.
This pump is easily accessible. Each Monday I remove the grate and clear out any hair that might be accumulating. Skipper sheds, and my hair is long too. Because I do not want any issues, clearing is a part of my routine maintenance and thus far has been successful.
Today, alas, that was not to be. There was a bit of seaweed that had gotten caught in the impeller and broken the unit. Yes, the shaft still spun but that is not enough. The blades on an impeller form a centrifugal force that remove water from the bilge. Mine was not working so I needed to resolve that ASAP.
Fortunately, finding the paperwork is not an issue. All too often when items break finding the purchase information is one more thing to go wrong. When stuff is already not going well, hunting down missing paperwork is a real pain in the transom.
The folders are stashed to the right of
Calder's in the corner of
my tool locker.
Aboard Seaweed I have solved that issue. My system is simple. As items are purchased I place the paperwork in a folder. I am organized, so items are in alphabetical order too.
My folder is from Target. It was in their dollar section so the quality is not great, though it does serve the purpose. I do not like the vents at the bottom corners though. Also, the plastic is icky -- not sticky, just what I would call crisp. It is not of good quality however for a buck, it is still fine after five or six years. Jeesh!
The doggone
folder will not fall apart. It still serves the purpose so I cannot
justify buying a replacement.
Have you ever noticed when you want to buy a new product, Old
Faithful keeps on and on, and on?!?
This pump is my primary. It's the first one that comes on when water gets into the bilge. Made by SeaSense, the 800gph automatic pump is a good one. This is the first failure and I've been using this brand since discovery. According to Calder's Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual 4the Edition, bilge pumps should be judged (among other things) by weight, and the SeaSense is a hefty unit.
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There is a secondary
reason I write on the paperwork (photo above) the date |
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My inked notes make
finding the data critical to my issue easy. I know that this
is under warranty.
These three items,
attached together with a piece of tape, were filed
alphabetically in my paperwork folder. Retrieving same was
easy -- and so too was the return policy.
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I phoned the company on Monday morning, emailed the required proof of purchase and damage later that afternoon. I followed up with a phone call, speaking with Heather in their office. Now, days later my new unit is in hand and already installed.
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Side note regarding installation of 12-volt items: Whenever I am hooking up new goodies, before I do the final wiring I verify the unit works. I have had *DOA items, so this is my sanity saver.
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I have two Johnson 2k pumps and the single 800gph SeaSense in Seaweed. Algae has a 500gph pump too. Have I mentioned that I do not like bailing? Due to Algae having a trolling motor I already have a battery in the dink. Thus adding a used 500gph automatic bilge pump means that when it rains I am not out there bailing.
Life is good afloat. It's better
when bailing is kept to a minimum.
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Memory
Lane: There was this fellow who had
annoyed me. It had rained during the night and I was an early
riser. Before he woke up I carefully rowed my dinghy over next
to his and very quietly bailed mine out and into his. Then I
went home (back to the 40'er) and waited for Tom to roll out
of his quarter-berth. He did eventually, and had a lot of
water to bail out of his *Zodiac.
*Zodiac is a brand of inflatable dinghy. |
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In dirt days I kept paperwork with the appliance. Do you do the same or have filing system?
What pumps do you have aboard your boat?
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