Repairing the bilge pump

[sabmd42]

My bilge pump did not work this year since it was commissioned. The pump motor ran fine, but no water got pumped out. First I thought of a clogged hose, but the hose looked fine. I got all my through-hulls replaced over the winter, so I was thinking maybe the hose was not connected correctly, or maybe there was a check valve that was installed backwards. So I took this apart, and all was OK. I disconnected the pump and checked everything out, and it worked fine. Finally I realized there was a tiny crack in the housing of the plastic strainer, so the pump was pumping air and not water. Replaced the strainer and all is well. Lesson learned - check the most breakable parts first.
Steve