Re: Is it ok to have the livewell pump on when driving fast?
a pump recirculating whats in the bilge - ok
a fresh water replenishing pump - not ok. the pump wont be pumping anything and the plastic body will melt from the friction of the small impeller, melting a hole in it, and then you have a leak in the boat.
Re: Is it ok to have the livewell pump on when driving fast?
scott that depends on whether the intake is on the transom--when it would be dry as you suggest--or on the bottom of the hull, when water is forced through the pump.
If it's dry--there are some pumps that are not harmed by running dry and I know of plenty of bilge pumps that have been left on accidentally.
If wet, it seems you don't need to run it; let the natrual forces spin it--but that's just a guess on my part.
I think this question will provoke the engineers on board to start cyphering and quarreling.
Re: Is it ok to have the livewell pump on when driving fast?
What kind of boat and where is the intake located?
My intake is on the transom and when I drive fast the intake is out of the water and doesn't fill the livewell. I have accidentally left it on when driving at speed and it hasn't hurt anything, but I try to remember to turn it off before moving.
Both my livewell and bilge pumps have been accindetally left on or turned on at different times with the boat out of the water and the only thing it really hurt was draining the battery down to dead.
To go along with that, the impeller in a livewell pump is never actually dry. Its still going to have water on the livewell side. It just can't pull in any more water on the intake.
If you have a scoop intake on the bottom of the hull like I do, keeping water out of the livewell is a problem. You have to close the seacock if you don't want water filling up the well.
Re: Is it ok to have the livewell pump on when driving fast?
If the intake is on the transom and is going to be out of the water on plane....then I don't see a point in running the pump. Yes some pumps may not be wrecked by running dry (even only on the intake end), but there are plenty of pumps out there that have been burned up by running without water in them. So my take is......Why take the chance?? If you run it, it isn't going to do anything useful anyways.
