Bilge Pump Discussions

[ebb]

PS (Vol 30, #4) features testing and rating on 27 electric bilge pumps in this issue. Since last year has anybody given more thought to what the ideal situation is for the Ariel?

My research finds that one has a small pump at the bottom to take care of the dribbles, with a large capacity mounted up higher - to help get serious water out when needed. Pundits then say that a manual pump easy for the helmsman to use in the cockpit is necessary, and a separate manual located below in the cabin that is easy to use from a sitting position. Cruisers seem to equip themselves with a giant Edson gallon-a-stroke portable as well.

It doesn't appear any of these pumps can be Y-valved to share a hose. That means that there is a submersible in the bottom and also 3 hose ends with their strainers and the float switch.

Float switches PS, in their eccentric way, just ignore in their testing. Only one INternal float switch pump was tested (WM Attwood, Sahara S1100. $90.)* Of course in my eccentric way I can't understand why all bilge pumps don't have internal float switches. Can someone tell me why? [And how come no submersibles have the outflow opening out the TOP??]

SO, the ideal installation has the bilge stuffed with pump, switch, wires an assortment of strum boxes three hoses, and little room left for bilge water and the odd sock! Besides, how is all of this going to fit in the A/C sump?

And where do all the thruhulls go for all the outflow? Certainly, the only safe place for boats that sail on their ear is up near the toerail, Right? You don't dump bilge water in the cockpit. Correct? Doesn't this mean loops with vacuum breakers? Permanently installed manual pumps would have safety loops and anti-backflow vacuum breakers also.

Man, that's a lotta stuff.

I'm not ignoring what Brent, Bill, Janis, Theis, S, Airing and Skipper Jer came up with last time. Just want to continue the discussion!

*only one I assume (since no dimensions are given in the PS test report) that can go to the bottom of the sump in 338 - there is another as big as an inverter for which PS does give measures (5"X8"x6") made by Lovett. It is vertually described as a 'rebuildable' float-switch pump that you can pull maintenance on. Sounds good to me! Depends on how easy it is to remove the strainer for cleaning. Snap off, twist off is OK, Dinky little screws, forget it. I'm leaning towards these two. to hell with a separate float switch! Oh, and thanks PS!

Reliability is EVERYTHING with a bilge pump. PS could have a followup
survey of pumps in use on subscribers boats. Manufacturer warranties are 1 or 3 years, but how long can you rely on your Rule 27D on the water? Is the short warrenty a suggestion that you install a new one every season!?

[Theis]

I have two bilge pumps with two separate sets of hoses and outlets - totally independent systems

The electric one is a Rule (the biggest), the pump and float switch located at the bottom aft end of the bilge, the float switch facing forward. The flexible hose runs under the floor underneath the cockpit through the top of the starboard aft bulkhead and down through the bottom of the boat just forward of the transom (it can't be easily seen from the stern and is facing down) At the highest point of the hose, just under the deck and immediately aft of the bulkhead, I put an anti-siphon hole in the tube, and a small neoprene tube which directs any water that comes out into the motor well.

The second one, a Whale Gusher as I recall, is mounted in the aft end of the cockpit on the side of the port bench, just underneath the bench top. The outlet goes directly into the motor well (there is no through hull). The inlet is adjacent to and immediately aft of the Rule pump.

The Whale I use for small amounts of fluid (like when a beer can breaks or some dummy - like me - inadvertently leaves the hatch open in a rain storm). The Rule pump is for larger amounts of water (like when - oops, I appear to have a problem), or when I clean out the bilge.

I use the Rule float switch to turn off the pump, but do not use it to automatically turn on the pump. I have a manual switch in the switch panel for that. The reason is that if I have enough water in the bilge to trigger the big pump, I want to know about it.

[Tony G]

Theis-what about when you are not with the boat? Do you leave the Rule 'on the ready' incase a slow leak develops or some other event occurs that causes a minor leak? Obviously a blown scupper hose would quickly drain the battery bank and unless some kind and caring individual stepped in at first notice of a constantly running bilge pump she'd probably sink at the dock.
which-
leads me to believe that you should never leave your boat-Ebb-since you'll spend much, much more time on your craft maybe more than one hand operated bilge pump hooked in concert with the same pump lever would be the way to go for primary pump. Save the the battery for more important things, radio and lights. That way each direction of the stroke would move water overboard. I dunno-just a thought. Tony G

[marymandara]

The big whale gusher dual-diaphragm deck pump is a sweetie, something like 40 GPM. Each direction on the handle gives a splurt, and if one diaphragm fails the pump still works at 1/2 capacity. Spendy, but worth every penny. You can find them used in the 100.00 range usually, and the overhaul kit is about 50 bucks to send away for. I'm using one of these as the belowdeck last-ditch pump on the Triton...was playing with making a vacuum head and using it for the flusher, too, but probably won't. A friend of mine mounted one of the same in the cockpit of his Renegade at one point, right by the bridgedeck. Looks and sounds more in-the-way than it was. Ened up replacing it with a 4-inch diameter, bronze Wilcox piston pump that tosses a great huge lot of water (we never did measure) out into the cockpit sole and mounts down thru with the brackets secured to the front wall of the cockpit and a hose inside leading down to the bilge sump. Nice fellow that he is, he tipped me off that there was another in the same place and I snatched it up for 35 bucks! After fighting it apart, a new piece of leather was installed, shined it all up, we're in biz! These were really common on old workboats so are not uncommon to see in the seajunk stores. There was a smaller-diameter model made and you see 'em in a lot of old wood sailboats, but this is Da Bomb. Looks real cool in the cockpit, too! If you get tired, you can use the boom vang to pump on it!

Dave

[Theis]

Tony:

Good point you raise. I had the very problem you addressed in the late sixties. Every weekend when I went out to the boat, I found an increasing amount of water and couldn't figure out what was going on.

My experience is that those leaks start small and accelerate. It is for that very reason that I don't want the pump on when I am off the boat. If there is an inordinate amount of water, I need to fix it pronto.

On the other hand, if the leak is massive and sudden, the boat will sink regardless, since the battery will be shot in not much time (the pump draws 20-35 amps).

So the answer to your question is that I turn off all electrical (the main throw switch) when I leave the boat, figuring it is more important for me to know that my battery is fully charged when I return.