Ballst Bags pump air lock

What do you mean by:
1. empty tube side
2. purge the pump
3. how would I know if they were backwards
4. RTV the fittings - is that a sealant

Clark,This system has 1 pump to fill all 3 bags[higher volume][even though you have three switches,on the fill side of the switch they all work the same pump] and 1 each pump to empty the bags[lower volume pump]When I say the empty tube side,that is the tube that each bag has with it's own pump to empty the bag out.When the bag is full it will dribble out the side of the boat that it is on.When you hit the pump to empty it shoots out of there.You will tell the difference.
2.Purge the Pump.What I mean by this is just taking the boat to about 20 mph and turning on the bag fill switch.It pushes the water into the pump pickup and pushes out the air.
3.When I got my boat,I would fill the bags and they would never fill all the way.The dealer had the fill and empty tubes crossed.
4.RTV,I just used permatex silicone sealant[oranage]found at any Napa or parts house.

Dave A,Even when I get on plane I have to turn the pump on and off a couple of times to get the water in.Once I do it once it is fine for the rest of the day.I am not bit##ing about this,just wondering if there is a fix.
John

Just had another quick thought that might help in your particular problem. I wasn't aware initially it was no wake where you wanted to fill the bags. I wonder if leaving a little water in them instead of pumping them dry at the end of the day would solve the problem.

Nope. Leaving water in the bags won't help. The pump needs to be primed. When you take the boat out of the water, the inlet drains water out. That's why once you initially prime the pump, it stays primed.... until you take the boat out of the water again.
If it's that big a problem, install a check valve on the inside of the boat, by the water intake, before the pump. That should help quite a bit.
.
Jim
Hickory, N.C. :)

This is a problem I am having too! I hate it! We have to keep opening the compartments and listening for water being pumped into the bags. A pain in my opinion. Someone above said that it's just something that you have to deal with or something along those lines. Wrong! I have talked to many people who DON'T have this problem. I've also talked to a dealer who doesn't have this problem with his boats. The dealers say that the Rule 2000 pump is one of the best on the market. Not my opinion. There are many self priming pumps on the market. I am considering going to a Ballast Puppy pump. This problem needs to be rectified!!!! SC, what's being done to address this problem?

Kraig