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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The SeaSense Automatic 800 GPH Bilge Pump
has a built in float switch. At $40 (full
freight at a sporting goods box store) it is affordable.
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There is a secondary
reason I write on the paperwork (photo above) the date
of
purchase. As you can see, the ink has faded on my receipt
after 2.5 years. ↓ |
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My inked notes make
finding the data critical to my issue easy. I know that this
is under warranty.
Also, I have removed any
paperwork in foreign languages. English works for me and the
rest is drivel so with scissors: chop, chop.
As you can see, I have kept
the wiring instructions, plus the model number from the card
on the package and my receipt. All else has been thrown away.
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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Kudos to
SeaSense
and yes, I will be buying a spare pump for my ship's stores.
Soon!
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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.
*DOA:
Dead on arrival.
After I have everything
laid out, I clip the wires together with my light-tester.
The light verifies that I've got power to the newest goody.
Thus, it should power up and work.
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Affiliate link→ |
Insulated Alligator Clips
are at the ends of my light.
They held together the wires for the bilge pump with the power
source for testing. Once I confirmed the SeaSense pumped
water, I added the butt connectors and made it all pretty.

Insulated Alligator Clips - 22 Pieces
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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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Lesson to be Learned: Boys should
never annoy little girls. (I was probably less than ten
years old at the time.)
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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?
Regarding the Comments Section,
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