2003 466 aft shower box pump not coming on when it should

[dennis gasper]

the shower box will be full of water but the pump wont come on unless I manually pull the sump switch on. I have emptied the box then opened the cover and lifted the float switch, and the pump will come on. Could the float switch somehow be filled with water to keep it from rising with the water level? My bilge now has water in it that wouldn't normally be there and I need to figure this out before the bilge starts to smell musty. I welcome any suggestions anyone has.
Thanks

[buster53]

Why not pour some water in the box to see what happens?

[Midnightsun]

Best bet is to swap out the limit switch assembly, not very difficult to do. While you have it out, open it up as it may just be full of crud that just needs a good cleaning to get it going once more.

[Viper]

Ya if the sump isn't cleaned on a regular basis, slime and crud could build up and prevent the float switch from operating properly. Start with a cleaning if it's dirty, then go from there. Some switches are better than others. What brand is the sump (switch and pump)?

[Cooler]

Another issue may be the style of float switch. In my box, the switch has to be a low profile Atwood switch. The generic switches are too high and get caught on the hair filter for the shower, before they hit "on" level. er

[buster53]

Like I said, pour some water in the box first. It just might answer all your questions.
Keep it simple, do easy, simple steps first before more complicated steps.

[RobGunn]

Yea, iv had the same issue. If I taped or bumped the switch it would turn on but it wouldn't run by it self. I took it apart and cleaned it but it still wouldn't work correctly. The pump itself worked just fine, it was just the switch that wouldn't work. I finally just bypassed the attached switch and installed a separate float switch found on e-bay.

[denders]

We had a similar issue , just needed to give the switch a good cleaning

[chpsk8]

Like the others, I would bet that the float switch is dirty based on the comment that it will turn on when you lift the switch high enough.

Couple things to try:
1) Screaming hot water in the sump box. Take off the top, drain out the water, then pour super hot water in and make sure it goes to the top of the box. Hold the float switch down so it doesn't pump it out. Scrub around in there with a small brush and repeatedly lift and lower the switch to work in the hot water.

2) If that doesn't work, start with some dawn dish soap and hot water with similar process of scrubbing. A stronger degreaser would work also.

3) New float switch - measure what you have and get a new one. Amazon probably has what you need on your doorstep in a couple days. I replaced both of mine when I bought the boat.

I will say its a good idea to clean those boxes out occasionally. Soap scum builds up and does impede the float switches. The boxes can also stink because the AC drains into them so there's always water in there and you've seen that they aren't water tight so they just leak into the bilge.

[dennis gasper]

Great feed back.I will start with cleaning the box and switch.
thanks everyone.