Hobie Live well not priming....getting air locked in intake

I have been getting very frustrated with the live well pump not priming. At first I added a longer intake hose...that seemed to work for awhile. But now, it just seems to have a mind of its own. I always make sure the intake is facing foward, and peddle hard to try to force the water up through the pump, but for what ever reason it just seems to stay airlocked on the intake side. Then I will be drifting along with the pump on not working, and it will get loud, when that happens, I check the pump and it is pumping. Once it starts pumping, it works great the rest of the day. The problem is getting it started. I have an air bubbler as a back up, but the other day I was in a kayak tournament and the water was leaking through the pump while it was on, and I was having to add water to the tank to keep my bait alive. After the tournament, I took the pump apart for inspection, and found nothing wrong. No obstructions, and the pump seems to be operating normal. Some of my collegues have given up on it. Taped it off and just use air bubblers. I think the water exchange is very valuable, and would like to fix this problem...any suggestions ?? Has anyone devised a fool proof way to prime the pump ?

My understanding is the type of pump used (centrifugal) is designed to push water and not suck water. The longer intake tube you mentioned may be too long. If that's the case, it definitely makes it more difficult. You have to try and force a greater volume of water further to achieve a prime. Take a look under your kayak and leave just the length that is recommended by Hobie. I have about one and a quarter inches of the intake sticking out underneath and it primes pretty quickly.
Make sure you have an airtight seal where the upper end of the tube connects to the tank. If it's sucking air, or leaking water, it will be harder to prime, not hold prime, or the flow will be weak.
Make sure the o-ring on the pump is lubricated and seals well when the pump is put together. If it isn't, it will suck water from the tank through the seal, then simply recirculate it into the tank. This will diminish the flow through the intake.
Maybe check the pump housing for any cracks and your battery voltage/capacity to make sure you're getting the right efficiency/power from both.
Lastly, have had mine lose prime when it sucks up eel grass or debris, so have had to open the pump at the o-ring and pull the stuff out, or let it back flow through the intake tube to clear the blockage to get it working again. Hope it may help.

I had a similar problem with mine once. I took the pump apart for cleaning, then reinstalled it but missed putting the rubber gasket under the pump. The exact same issue you have was the result. Check to see you still have that rubber gasket between the pump and the bottom of the tank.

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2013 PA 14
2015 Outback

Hobie kayak live well won't pump?

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