Guide 06 stop, check, call
The bilge pump keeps running
Either water is getting in, or the switch is stuck. Find out which, fast.
Stop first
- If water is rising faster than the pumps clear it: life jackets on everyone, and call for help: 911 or the Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 (MAYDAY if lives are in danger).
- If the bilge water has a fuel sheen or smell, do not pump it overboard: use the fuel-smell guide.
Checks an owner can do
- Is water actually coming in? Look at the bilge level now and again in ten minutes, and write both down.
- Has it rained, or did you just wash the boat? Check that cockpit drains are clear.
- On a trailered boat: are the drain plugs in? (The Coast Guard pre-departure list starts with them.)
- Can you see debris holding the float switch up? Clear it by hand only if you can reach it safely.
Call a certified marine technician when
- Water is entering through a through-hull, seacock, shaft seal, rudder post, sterndrive bellows or hull fitting. Below-waterline work is for a technician, usually with the boat hauled.
- The pump runs dry, will not stop with the switch off, or its wiring is hot or corroded.
Sources
- Boater's Guide: Severe weather, float plan and pre-departure checklist (PDF page 44), U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division
- Boater's Guide: VHF MAYDAY procedure (PDF page 47), U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division
- Boater's Guide: Pollution Regulations, oil discharge (PDF page 26), U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division
Reviewed 2026-10-08. Your manufacturer's instructions come first wherever they differ from this page.
Keep a record and brief your technician
Log this problem on your boat with the checks above as a checklist. Tick what you have done, then print a one-page technician brief: the boat, engine hours, what happens, what you already checked and the boat's recent work. When it is fixed, it goes into your maintenance log.
The technician brief is part of Skipper: $1.95 a month or $19.50 a year. Free during preview. Pricing