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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Automatic Bilge Pump - better late than never

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/11/2005 : 00:44:07

Our Harbor Master told me 6 months ago that I had to have an automatic bilge pump on my boat in order to keep it in the marina, so I bought one right then and put it on the boat, just like he said.

Today, I hooked up the power to it and added the discharge hose.

If I'm lucky, it'll disinegrate in 10 or 20 years as a result of never being activated.

Steve

Steve Madden
'87 WK #5668 "Lorica"
Fort Myers, FL

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britinusa
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5404 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2005 : 07:42:27

Any tips in installing it Steve?

(BTW, we had a saying in the Navy (Royal), 'Better late than Dead on Time' )

Edited by - britinusa on 09/11/2005 07:43:22

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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1016 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2005 : 10:12:24

Yeah, my first tip is don't do this in the middle of the day when it's 90 degrees plus and there's not a cloud in the sky. I thought I was going to pass out from heat stroke by the time I finally got everything buttoned up.

Other than that, I mounted the pump on a small piece of starboard, Life-caulked that to the bilge sole just aft of the forward keel bolt, ran the discharge hose through the same routing as the manual pump's hose, and ran the wires (fused) under the inner liner through a drilled hole into the battery box. It's wired directly to the battery as I didn't see the need for an on-off switch. An electrician pal in the next slip did the actual wire stripping and connecting for me as I am electrical-challeneged and surely would have fried something.

I didn't want to put another hole in the boat for a discharge. So I inserted the new pump's smaller-diameter discharge hose into the manual pump's larger-diameter discharge hose and shoved it all the way to the stern through-hull. (I couldn't reach that through-hull from the cockpit locker to disconnect the manual pump's hose.) If the batteries are ever dead and I need to use the manual pump, I can pull the smaller hose back out and re-connect the bigger discharge hose to the manual pump. The manual pump's intake hose is still connected and curled up in the locker so I can easily run it down to the bilge if I ever need to.

Oh yeah, be sure to clean up all of those tiny little pieces of electrical wire coating so they don't get sucked into the pump.

Steve

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atgep
Master Marine Consultant

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1009 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2005 : 15:47:29

You may be in violation with the USCG. I would not leave the Manual pump disconnected. A 2nd thru hull is an easy thing to do. Also, make sure the hose runs well above the water line at some point to prevent siphoning and a sunk boat. That is something you need to make sure of NOW as the stock drain location is under water while sailing.

Tom.

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britinusa
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Response Posted - 09/11/2005 : 17:44:33

If I understand you correctly, the new hose runs inside the old manual hose which is now disconnected from the manual pump. Is that correct.
Couldn't we put a non-return valve (anti-siphon) and T into the manual pump outflow?
If so, then couldn't the manual pump be left connected and you could use either one without having to change anything?

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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1016 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2005 : 22:00:41

Tom - I also have 2 handheld manual pumps on board which I believe covers the Coast Guard regs. I did raise the discharge hose to a point above the waterline before it heads back down to the thru-hull. However, your point is well taken. I'll go install an in-line check valve in the automatic pump's hose tomorrow.

Paul - I was originally thinking of connecting the 2 discharge hoses through a "T" connection. I might still do that.

Thanks guys,

Steve

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atgep
Master Marine Consultant

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1009 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2005 : 22:32:11

Steve,
Connecting the 2 disharges would work if you put check valves into both hoses before they go into the T fitting.
I would hate to see someone sink their boat complying with a "rule" on a boat that does not even need a bilge pump.

Tom.

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barmstro
1st Mate

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34 Posts

Response Posted - 09/12/2005 : 03:25:30

I just added a manual pump in my 1979 swing keel. all went well till I tried to run the input line into the bilge. MY mind went to it's normal state. (ie blank). Do I need to drill a hole in the liner to get to the area near the cable volcano. or do I need to drill another hole to get to the very narrow area under the floor near the table? The pump is in the port locker with the output just below the stern rail.

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Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 09/12/2005 : 18:01:16

It depends what side of the keel you are trying to drain. On my boat, the hump in the middle of the boat for the swing keel separates the port bilge from the starboard bilge. I have a swing keel and a dinette interior. I connected the bilge area under the head and the dinette floor to the forward and aft dinette lockers. Now the port side all drains together and I have an electric bilge pump mounted in the aft port dinette locker. The discharge hose goes through the limber in the aft wall of the aft dinette, locker and goes under the galley footwell, into the area under the gally sink, and into the port locker to a through hull in the transom.
For the starboard side, I cut a hole in the tabbing, starboard of the keel cable thru-hull, and ran the hose in there for the manual bilge pump.
I laminated a piece of 4" biaxial tape to the face of the tabbing with epoxy. Then cut a hole for a piece of 1 1/2 PVC pipe. I cut a flat on the bottom of the pipe and epoxied that through the tabbing with thickened epoxy. It is overkill, but it looks nice. The lockers were gutted when I did this. That's a luxury most people don't have.
When I brought the boat home, it was a derelict and full of water. I cut large drains through areas that had no way to be drained. This allows for venting the spaces and drying them out as well.
Everyone is right in that there should be no water in these boats, but the world is just not perfect. I want a dry boat and will make sure no water is trapped anywhere, ever. The only way to do that is to allow drainage and ventilation of those areas that could trap water. And of course, fix every leak in the deck.
Right or wrong, this is what I am doing. http://home.wmis.net/~dhapp/limbers/limbers.html
Dan

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 09/12/2005 : 20:04:27

Okey-dokey. Installed a T in the discharge hose that runs aft from the manual pump. Installed an inline check valve in the automatic pump's discharge hose, then attached that hose to the T in the manual pump's discharge hose. Now they'll both pump out, neither can siphon in (the manual pump has a check-valve built in), the manual pump is re-connected and, once again, life is good.

Thanks for the sage advice regarding the check valve.

Steve

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