Bilge Pump Knackered

[Bigplumbs]

Thought I had better test my Bilge Blowers and Bilge Pump. The Blowers are fine but not so the Bilge Pump.

It has a float switch and is a big old thing positioned directly under the engine. All it did when we filled the bilge with water and operated the rocker switch was get very hot indeed. I have deduced that it is knackered. Now getting at it is almost impossible and so is getting at the outlet pipework.

I have decided I am going to put in a complete new system. I have a little pump that is much smaller than the one in the boat but it is 750 gallons per hour which I think will be fine. Getting at the outlet in the hull which fletcher decided to put in the far corner of the boat is not going to be much fun. These things are set to try us I suppose

Dennis

[Ianfs]

Why is it that there is always one thing like a bilge pump, which lets face it, is fairly important, is in a spot which is impossible to get at?

[Bigplumbs]

Why is it that there is always one thing like a bilge pump, which lets face it, is fairly important, is in a spot which is impossible to get at?

My thoughts exactly and when I realised what would be needed to replace the existing one I was rather depressed. I honestly think I would have to take out the engine. The pipework and electrical wires are also in such a place that unless you are Warwick Davis and can actually get in the engine bay and walk to the far corner I think it is actually impossible.

Bilge pumps however are actually very cheap and so is the pipework etc so I am going to put in a complete new system fixed and positioned so that it can be replaced relatively easily. The worst part of the job is going to be tracking down the wires to the old one so that I can isolate/disconnect it. I would love to get the old one out but I am afraid that ain't happening

Here are the bits I have bought:

Pump http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1100GPH-12V-M ... SwFqJWqdCz
Pipe http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/19-20mm-0-75- ... HUJ_1_ehTw
Fitting http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BILGE-THRU-HU ... SwpDdU3LuR

Then a couple of jubilee clamps some wire and making up a bracket to hold the pump

Because the 19 gts has a self draining cockpit I actually think the pump will get very little use but you have to have one in their working

Dennis

[Bigplumbs]

One a separate note a good one to have as a spare is:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-Automatic ... xygPtSywNo only £16.00

Dennis

[ChrisH]

Had the same issue last year and thought too it was impossible.
But.. seems my Mariah has a little portal hatch behind the rear seat back that you can just about see the bilge pump and get one arm through to reach it. If you have along arm

[annageek]

Because the 19 gts has a self draining cockpit I actually think the pump will get very little use but you have to have one in their working

The bilge does get surprisingly full - the air intakes on the side of the boat are forward/upward facing and there's no U-bend with a water drain (like there probably ought to be) in them, so any water that gets into them ends up in the bilge. If you go out in rough weather as we frequently did (without really intending to!) they just act as giant spray collectors!

But you're right - the self drain cockpit works brilliantly - even with ankle deep water in the cockpit (which can happen if you go a bit too enthusiastically into a steep sided wave - as I believe NickT also found out!), none actually gets to the bilge.

[Bigplumbs]

I have been at the boat all day and have I think located the wires to the Pump but they are incredibly difficult to get at. I had power to the pump again today for ages as I did yesterday and it did not get in the slightest bit warm, as opposed to yesterday when it got very hot. I think we have possible blown a fuse or burnt something out which actually is good. I will leave all the old pump etc in situ as it is in my view next to impossible to remove

I have now decided to put a smaller (750GPH) new pump in the bilge at a reasonably accessible point to the front of the engine with a switch in the engine bay and no float switch. I will run a new waste through the port locker and cable tie it to the self draining pipe from the cockpit scuffers and out a new hole just above this self draining hole.

My theory is that not much water will get in the bilge but if it does I will just lift the engine access from time to time look for water and if there is any I will just throw the switch in the engine compartment for a while. The switch at the helm position will then be redundant. Working in that engine bay is no fun.

Here is the plan. This pic is at the front of the engine down into the bilge bay. And a pic of the little pump I will use

Dennis

[Ianfs]

There's something that's been nagging at me about your post Dennis and in the most part your thoughts are spot on. I can't help but agree with you that 750 gals per hour, or 1.5 pints per second will deal with most situations like rainfall etc.

What has been nagging at me are the times I have been caught out by unpredictable sea's. About 8 yrs ago I got caught by a freek wave whilst entering the Hamble when the boat took about 50-70 galls of water, not a great deal when you spread it out but enough to fill a bilge very quickly, plus enough to get your Gimbal Bearing wet if its not cleared by the bilge pump. In addition I remember our Round the Island trip a few years ago when Nick took a big wave into his cockpit and luckily the self draining took it out very quickly. However he has an outboard, but with your inboard you need a bilge pump to get rid of water very quickly.

I have debated at putting in an additional pump as a back up. Standard 750 as a rainwater auto pump connected to an accessory battery, separate from the starter battery, but with a separate back up pump say another 750 or 1100 doubling the power in case of a mishap.

Just a thought!

[Bigplumbs]

Ian

You make an interesting point and you can get the same pump I have at 1100 gal per hour. I think I will set this up as the main pump as my drawing and have the smaller one on board taped to the end of a stick with crock clips on the cable ends to quickly connect to a battery that way I can use it as a back up or a second pump if I did take on a lot of water only £11 to buy

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-1100GPH-S ... SwzhVWqhRl

Dennis

[Bigplumbs]

Just looked at the specs and the outlet pipe on that 1100 pump is 29 mm as opposed to 20 (whicich is all the pipe and outlet I have bought) so wont fit what I want to do. I have therefore bought a second 750 gph pump. I am going to position a second battery somewhere in the boat so could use this in an emergency. I think with the self draining cockpit etc this will be ok

Also I tested the 750 pump in the bath (My wife was actually in it at the time) and it actually pushed water very quickly. The bilge will only hold about 200 ltres totally full and in theory this pump should empty that amount in 3 - 4 minutes

Dennis