Livewell pump popped a breaker

[Deep Blue]

On a trip to Catalina this weekend, about an hour after we stopped to stock up on Sardines, the livewell pump popped a breaker. I didn't notice anything at the time until we looked in the livewell and saw the water level was about two inches too low and the bait was lethargic. I turned the rocker switch off, pushed the little reset button, pushed the switch back on and the pump started running again. Interestingly, our forward motion through the ocean was enough to keep water in the livewell but without the pump running to oxygenate the water, they'd die. We ran the pump for another 6 hours with no issues.

What would cause the breaker to pop? Is that an overload condition, a sign that the pump's getting old?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Could have been a small piece of debris jamming the impeller. If its a Rule you can usually twist off the pump motor (close the valve first!!!!) and take a look at it.
The pump head can be changed while in the water without replacing the thru-hull pickup and valve.

 

[Deep Blue]

Didn't think of that! Thanks, I'll check.

 

[thepenman]

The same happened to me twice this week. Lost 100 bait fish. Then worked fine. Yesterday it turned itself off. But I caught in time. Did u check the impeller? Was that cause of tripping the switch?

 

[glacierbaze]

If the breaker, or the switch, is at the helm, wire in an indicator light to tell you when the circuit is on.

 

[Deep Blue]

The same happened to me twice this week. Lost 100 bait fish. Then worked fine. Yesterday it turned itself off. But I caught in time. Did u check the impeller? Was that cause of tripping the switch?

It has one of those bronze screens on the hull and it was clean. It's possible, since I vaguely remember bits of kelp wandering by, that the pump may have sucked a piece onto the screen for a few minutes. In Southern California we have these giant kelp forests and they deteriorate during the summer

 

[wbdenamur]

Happened to me when I placed a larger pump. I ran a larger gauge wire and never had another issue.