Esteban Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 I have a question regarding my livewell (release well) and baitwell on my Redfisher 16 that I recently purchased. I always fish salt water with this boat and so far have been unable to figure out a simple way to effectively flush the pumps on either of these systems once I've got the boat on the trailer and/or get back home. I've been told that some owners will stop on their way home at a freshwater river or lake, back their boat down the ramp until the boat is submerged enough to run the freshwater through their pumps as a way to flush the saltwater out of the system. That seems like a bit of a hassle to me and somewhat out of the way, but does this sound like the best solution or does anyone have any other ideas or thoughts on how to flush out my pumps? I suspect they would probably be fine without the flush but I'm pretty particular about maintenance and would prefer to rinse that salt water out of there if possible. Any help on this would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 I have never freshwater flushed a baitwell pump in my life, as general maintenance. Didn't know I need to, unless it got clogged up with something somehow. From what I know about most of them, the bodies and impellers are plastic and the shafts are stainless steel. When they do fail, you can usually replace the pump motor cartridge for 20 to 50 bucks, and go fishing again. They usually start making more noise as a way of telling you it's time for replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coto Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 Life is short..... forget about it. I have had seven boats and have never flushed any of their pumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heweymagoos Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 Turn livewell pump on and put fresh water hose in live well pickup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 All you are doing is washing some plastic off. Salt is not going to do much damage to the plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esteban Posted March 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 Fair enough, I suppose there's not really much to corrode in those pumps. I just like to wash off everything I can when I get home from fishing the salt, I guess I just see it as preventative maintenance. I always flush out the motor too even though I've heard some say that due to the modern manufacturer's coatings and corrosion protection it isn't necessary to do that either. I guess I'll just keep fishing and not worry about it unless or until something happens. Thanks for the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFD rtrd. Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 It's real simple, just put a garden hose on the outlet in the live-well. The water will run backwards through the system and you'll hear the water running out of the water pick-up. Contrary to popular belief, saltwater standing in the pumps will have some effect on the S/S shaft and will absolutely corrode the screens in your strainer. If you have a dedicated wash-down pump, don't use much garden hose pressure to back flush, cause you can damage the diaphragm. It will take all of 5 minutes to clean your systems and give you piece of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lap it Up Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 On 3/13/2017 at 7:22 PM, SCFD rtrd. said: It's real simple, just put a garden hose on the outlet in the live-well. The water will run backwards through the system and you'll hear the water running out of the water pick-up. Contrary to popular belief, saltwater standing in the pumps will have some effect on the S/S shaft and will absolutely corrode the screens in your strainer. If you have a dedicated wash-down pump, don't use much garden hose pressure to back flush, cause you can damage the diaphragm. It will take all of 5 minutes to clean your systems and give you piece of mind. I do this 👆🏻 Especially with my bilge pump. Takes 5 min. Or less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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