09 RZ2 Ballast Issue

[Guapo]

After looking at those pics again.... Could the aft tanks fill from thru hulls on the bottom and the forward bag fill from a thru hull on the transom?????



Those are the same pumps and connections that I have. FYI

Mushrooms on the bottom for all of them. The only thing on the transom is the exhaust, led light and drain (taps too of course). The four pumps that you see are two supplys for the aft tanks and two supplys for the forward bag. I was surprised that they went straight from mushroom to valve to pump.

[Guapo]

Funny thing is that when I talked to my dealer about adding the two new ballasts and pumps he stated a number of times that he wanted to use the Jebsco's because the factory pumps aren't very good pumps. You can look at them and see a huge difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I have the factory ballast, but when pumps start going bad, I will probably go back with a different pump and lay them horizontally.

[rushin]

So when I mount the aerator pumps for my system, they should be mounted horizontally?

Yes, with the outlet pointing up. This way the pump does not have to pull water up.

Basic plumbing is as follows:

Inlet (supply) piping: brass mushroom through hull (rear of boat

From reading your post earlier, I thought there was a water intake on the transom. I get it now.

[Guapo]

Yes, with the outlet pointing up. This way the pump does not have to pull water up.

If the pump in the bottom of the hull (below the water level), in theory it really shouldn't matter if the pump is vertical or horizontal. The pump will have water and pressure on the inlet side regardless. That's why my stock ballasts are filling up on their own.

[rushin]

So, I wonder if mounting the pump verticly works this way because the water is coming in from the bottom of the boat and not the transom like the 07's? I guess the water is being forced into the pump? So then you could fill while underway if it is a scoop type. Hmmmmm

[rushin]

looks like we were typing at the same time

[Guapo]

looks like we were typing at the same time

I've done that twice so far in this thread.

The mushrooms aren't scoop types so I don't know if I could fill them at speed or not...seems reasonable. Doubt I'll try it though, as I could run it dry, burn up pump and have to totally disassemble the boat to fix it

All in all, I'm glad I have the factory ballast...It's located in an area that i don't think you can add ballast to later...

[chpthril]

So when I mount the aerator pumps for my system, they should be mounted horizontally?

They need to be mounted so the outlet is higher then the inlet, This allows any air in the pump to purge out the outlet, letting in water to the impeller. Other wise, an air pocket will be trapped around the impeller blade.

Looks like Tige went with a single shroom for each pump, allowing for fill on the fly with out being force-fed like a scoop will do. If the issue is unwanted filling, then as someone put it, loop the hose as to make an upside down pee trap, this will create an air pocket that I bet will give enough resistance to stop the small amount of water pressure created while cruising.

No fear of burning up those pumps from running dry as the blade does not contact the housing like the reversible Ballast puppies do. They will burn up an impeller in a matter of minutes when dry. Are those draining out the bottom or T'd into the other drains out the side?

[Duncan]

Are those draining out the bottom or T'd into the other drains out the side?

The 09 in floor ballast system drains out the side.

[chpthril]

The 09 in floor ballast system drains out the side.

Sorry, let me clarify, i was wondering if his added ballast, using the reversible Ballast Puppies, what dumping out the side or bottom.

[Guapo]

Sorry, let me clarify, i was wondering if his added ballast, using the reversible Ballast Puppies, what dumping out the side or bottom.

The new added ballasts drain back out the bottom. I wanted it to drain out the side, so I knew when they were empty, but the dealer wanted to do it this way...thought is was better. So far, I simply open the locker and keep an eye on them...not a big deal. It does make the system really simple. So far I like it.

chpthril...any questions about how the factory ballasts are plumbed...did you see the pictures?

[chpthril]

The new added ballasts drain back out the bottom. I wanted it to drain out the side, so I knew when they were empty, but the dealer wanted to do it this way...thought is was better. So far, I simply open the locker and keep an eye on them...not a big deal. It does make the system really simple. So far I like it.

chpthril...any questions about how the factory ballasts are plumbed...did you see the pictures?

Pictures are great, thanks. It's not the Pure-Vert type of system that it was hinted to be 1.5 yrs ago when I was first told about a new ballast system. It's just a reconfiguration, all be it better, of the past years systems. Maybe the fast fill/drain system will be rolling out on the 2010's.

Yep, draining out the bottom with the Puppies is by far the cleanest ans simplest setup, but the down side you kinda have to watch the sacs drain and kill the switch when the sac is empty. These pumps do have a "run dry" protection feature, but it seems to more for protecting the motor, not the impeller.

[Guapo]

Yep, draining out the bottom with the Puppies is by far the cleanest ans simplest setup, but the down side you kinda have to watch the sacs drain and kill the switch when the sac is empty. These pumps do have a "run dry" protection feature, but it seems to more for protecting the motor, not the impeller.

I seem to have read that somewhere else on this board...regarding the run dry protection. I'll just keep a good eye/ear on them...and maybe keep a few impellars onboard

It'll be a few weeks before I get back out in the boat (heading to Canada for some fishing with my three boys)...I'll try and get some photos of the wake when I get back. It has made a huge differnece...not quite Ragboys...but still not bad.

[Duncan]

I had the same problem and the dealer called Tige about it.
The problem is that the fill hoses are not looped high enough in the engine compartment for the starboard ballast system and the ballast fills passively. The dealer added a few feet of hose and some zip ties to loop in higher and the problem resolved it self but still occurred one or two times when I was on the lake. When I went home, I undid the zip ties and moved the hose so the loop was even higher up and have not had any problems since.

kerlee

Putting in a riser loop for each rear stock ballast tank works like a charm -- no more autofill.