Post edited 5:07 pm – January 24, 2010 by Steve Pooler

Warren Price said:

Steve: Is their a relay/selinoid that I can use to control AC Cal Marine pump to supply raw water for engine cooling to my Fischer Panda 12KW generator? There is 12 volt output to control a relay for a booster pump from the Fischer Panda. The 12KW gen set is located 6' above the raw water intake and needs a booster pump to prevent eating impellers. Thought I try one of the 110 volt AC pumps instead of a 12 volt pump. Warren Price, elsashar@priceautogroup.com

Greetings & Welcome Warren~

Hmmm….Not one that comes from the Marine A/C industry…12V DC is the problem…We have nothing I can think of right now that needs it…

That's not to say you couldn't find a relay from say WWW Grainger that would do the job…You just need a relay with a 12 DC coil that can carry the AC load of the pump.

On the other side…6″ of lift for a impeller type pump that comes on a gen set should not be a problem…I might suggest that you have another contributing factor causing impeller failures…What does your servicing dealer say about the issue ?….I would think that 12v output may be for a external DC Fuel boost pump…Not a seawater pump.

I wouldn't be surprised if Fisher Panda might not deny a warranty claim because of that type modification (if under warranty)  

Adding a boost pump may cause a restriction that causes more of a problem than it helps, not to mention that the extra pump & relay is something additional to maintain…

Steve~

Really Warren…My apologies if I was out of line there…I did read that as 6 inches….My Bad, and I see what you wrote now…

But anyway…One other thing you may want to consider with a seawater boost pump for your purpose….

What happens if the gen set engine stops for one reason or another & the boost pump continues ?….You can fill the generator engine with seawater…

Is there not a way to get the thru hull a bit closer to the gen set ?

Steve~

Ok Warren…Just be sure that the boost pump you choose has the same (or larger) inlet & outlet pipe size fittings as the hose required for the generator….

Those Cal pumps I believe have smaller outlet than inlet, and might cause restriction of flow if not left running while the gen set runs.

We have also not found the Cal pumps to be very reliable…Cruisair even took them out of inventory because of it.

March brand magnetic drive pumps have proved to hold up much better in our experiences.

Steve~