AC losing prime - solution

[Diane]

Several owners in the Google group have reported that the AC loses its prime when sailing with significant heel.  The following are solutions that have been suggested:

• Close the AC thru-hull before sailing.  We have had no issues since we started doing this.  (Walters)
•  I also had issues with losing the prime on my AC pump. It was not caused by the through-hull. If you disassemble the AC pump, you will find that the inlet connection does not seal against the pump. You need to disassemble the intake side and reseal it. Once you do that, it does not lose its prime. (Ward)
• I had the very same issue on my AC.  If I did not close the through-hull, I would lose prime.  In Texas that was a non-starter for me. I worked with the dealer to develop a better solution that has worked every time, regardless of how far I had heeled or how long it had been since I had used the AC.   It involved lowering where the pump is by about 7 inches.  The factory installed the pump near the waterline, making it difficult to self-prime.  We lowered it in the same compartment, and it self-primes every time now. If you are interested I can send you a photo of the new install. (Paul)