Bilge Pumps

[MicroKap]

In my 1980 60' Sportfish, one of the previous owners added a 110V bilge pump into the mid bilge that plugs into an outlet in the pump room. I'm all for extra safety, but it seems that they didn't connect the outlet hose to anything, so when it does come on, it sprays water around that bilge area. Also, the Rule 2000 bilge pump is hooked up to the hose that also has a hand bilge pump attached. Every time that pump comes on, the handle on the manual bilge pump moves, possibly closing off the outlet hose. This outlet hose goes to the port side. On the starboard side, there is another ribbed hose that comes into the mid bilge area, but it isn't hooked up to anything.

What is the proper way of hooking up all of these pumps so that they are set up correctly? Also, I have filled that area with water and bilge cleaner because there is a really bad odor coming out because of the water just sitting there. I turned off the pumps so the mixture can sit for a few days. There was a lot of muck down there.

Thank you for your help.

Larry K.
1980 60' Sportfish
Monmouth Beach, NJ

[Genesis]

Each pump should go to its own outlet, and needs a riser loop in it. This is difficult in cases where there aren't enough outlets already in the hull....... ;)

[Pascal]

yep... 1 pump / 1 outlet...

i don't know if Hatteras did that on later sportsfish but the 53 have all their discharged thru hulls in 5 seachests along the hulls... these sea chests have additional un used fittings.

if you don't have spare thruhulls, you can connect 2 discharges using Ys as long as the common section is large enough to accomodate both pumps with rising loops tall enough, the Y will work while preventing one pump to backup in the other one outlet...

[harnett]

Pascal,

Refering to those sea chest on the side of the hull. The hose connections on some of mine are simply copper pipe. Very short pieces on top of that which are to short to double clamp. Do you know of a cleaver way to replace those pipes with a true hose barb. Since the sea chest is sealed you can't get to both sides. Also no way to clean it out that I can see. Just wondering if anyone had thought of anything cleaver to deal with this.

Barry

[SKYCHENEY]

Why not solder a threaded copper fitting on the end and then screw on the barbed fitting?

[dwaynec]

I have a similar problem on our 48 Yachtfish. There is only one sea chest in the boat, and everything except the galley sink, the aft head sink and the aft bilge pumps drains through this sea chest.

I don't know if it is factory, or not, but the main bilge pump is about even with the bottom of the stringers, which is about a foot to a foot and a half above the bottom of the bilge. That can equate to a lot of water that does not get pumped out of the boat. I don't get too much water at any one time, but after a few trips, it gets to be quite a lot, and I don't want it there for all the obvious reasons. It is not the most pleasant job in the world to get that water out with a pump into a bucket and then out of the boat.

As I said above, there is only one sea chest in the boat with six hoses connected to it. Four on the leading edge and two on the trailing edge. What I have thought of doing is putting a small bilge pump, 500 gph type probably, in the bottom of the main bilge to take care of the water that does come in past the logs. Since there are no empty connectors on the sea chest, I would have to either install a Y, or put another barb in the sea chest, or cut another throughhull in the boat. I think the best way would be to put another barb into the sea chest, but am not sure.

Would I be better to cut another hole in the sea chest? If so, I would assume that I would then have to do no more that epoxy a hose barb in and then hook everything up. Am I correct?

Thanks,
Dwayne

[67hat34c]

i use a shop vac to remove excess water. also use this when i clean it.

[SKYCHENEY]

If you have the standard PVC pipe sea chest, you could add a fitting on the top of it. Drill a hole in the top cap and add a fitting up there. That way you don't have to worry about finding room next to the other fittings along the side of the sea chest.

Or....you could make up a whole new PVC pipe that is taller to accomodate the extra inputs. Just a thought :)

[MikeP]

And speaking of Bilge pumps - Be sure to follow the advice to check them regularly. A few days ago, I lifted the float switch on the port eng room pump and...nada. The pump made cute little internal humming noises. Seized up. It had been sounding a bit weak over the past month so its demise was not totally unexpected.


Ordered two new 32V rule 2000s and new float switches and will fit one this weekend - the other is a spare. Got the pumps for $76 each (West Marine and local marina store quoted $134) at :http://www.boatersland.com/rule11.html

[CharlieJ]

Here is my take on bilge pumps...I install a diaphram pump (Par/Jabsco 6-10 gpm) in each bilge. A diapharm pump can get a lot more of the "nuisance" water out of the bilge than a submersible pump.

I then install a high capacity submersible pump (2000 or 3700 gph) on a Starboard (TM) step so that it is above the level of the nuisance water. The shaft seal is the submersible pumps principle mode of failure. By positioning the pump so that it is never in the water under normal circumstances, shaft seal integrity is maintained.

The two pumps are operated by two separtate pump switches...I am partial to Water Witch...and are fed from an independent set of circuit breakers in turn fed directly from the batteries.

The bilge alarm is set so that it will sound about 1/2-1" after the high-cap pump has been ordered on by its switch.

Have I mentioned; I am kind of a belt and suspenders type of guy! :D