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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Bilge pump hose location

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MikeM
1st Mate

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72 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/22/2003 : 18:15:00

I installed a bilge pump last year, with an internal float switch and optional manual. I tied the bilge pump hose into the starboard sink valve. Over the course of the season I found that bilge would pump out the hose and but would create vacum and suck back in sea water. This ultimately caused havoc on my battery, and once I relaized this I disconnected.

Any suggestions on a new bilge pump hose location? I was thinking the port seatee into the cockpit, no vacum issues there. I tried to access the cockpit drain hoses but they are not in an ideal location.

Thanks for any insight into your systems.

Mike M
Marblehead, MA
C25 #1212

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Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2003 : 18:20:59

I hope you had a loop in the line to take it above the waterline. You could also put a vacume break in the line similar to one used in the heads plumbing.

Doug&Ruth
Triska (Alberg 29)
Tacoma Wa.

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2003 : 18:29:22

Mike,

I routed all three of my bilge pump discharge hoses up through the port cockpit locker to thru-hulls high in the transom just outboard of the cockpit footwell.

Some general guidelines:

Each bilge pump should have its own discharge thru-hull.

Each bilge pump discharge hose should have a high loop in it to prevent back-siphoning. (In my system, the high thru-hull discharge meets this requirement.)

Let me know if you'd like more bilge worthy suggestions.<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

-- Leon Sisson

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2003 : 20:03:25

Hi Mike...

Have you ever used a siphon to pull water, gasoline, or whatever out of a container? It demonstrates that no matter how high the loop in the tube or hose, if the one end of the hose is in the water, the hose is full of water, and the other end is lower than the water level, water will flow up the loop and back down. You could loop your bilge pump hose over the cabintop and it would still pull water back into the bilge. If you tie to your cockpit drain hoses and the drains are blocked (so they don't vent the line), the same thing will happen. You should definitely exit the line above the waterline--most sailors like the transom for aesthetic reasons. A white Marelon thru-hull fitting works well and looks reasonably good.

Dave Bristle - 1985 C-25 #5032 SR-FK-Dinette-Honda "Passage" in SW CT

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2003 : 20:17:58

I agree with Dave about routing the pump hose to the transom above the waterline, but also keep in mind the diameter of your discharge line and thru-hull fitting. It should be large enough to handle the rated capacity of the bilge pump.

If you originally connected the pump discharge to the sink drain thru hull, not only is it below the waterline, but the pinky sized diameter of the hull fitting was probably not large enough to handle the pump's capacity.

<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>Don Lucier<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d904b3127cce9f7cd9ffdf1d0000003010" border=0>
North Star SR/FK

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Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3323 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2003 : 23:56:11

When I first got "This Side Up" the manual bilge pump was completely corroded and irreparable. I removed the whale pump mechanism, connected the two loose ends of the hose together and installed an electric pump in the bilge and connected it to the end of the original hose in the bilge. The hose of course runs thru' the port locker and exits thru' a thru'hull in the transom.
Derek

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3dc30b3127cce942c608d6f1e0000001010" border=0>
TRFK#2262"This Side Up"

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2003 : 08:29:28

We have 3 bilge pumps on the wasp....

The Manual pumps out above the waterline on the port transom.

The DPO installed Rule 300 pumps out barely above the waterline on the port side of the boat. The pump is located in the aftermost port settee. (Great for when the boat is on the hard because the bilge water collects right there. Not much water there when the boat is in the water. This pump loops well above the waterline.

The third, a Rule 1500 (I think) is near the cable for the swing keel and pumps out the transom on the Starboard side well above the waterline.

We are still trying to get the rainwater out, deck fitting by deck fitting so until then, the inch or so of liquid goes out via bilge. I can't track where its all coming from, but as we do, its getting sealed.

On the lighter side, if we filled the cabin up with about a foot of water, we could operate all 3 pumps on the 4th of July and look the the fire boat in the harbor!!!

D. Wolff - "The Flying Wasp" #401 sr/sk
Chief Measurer C-25/250 National Assn.
<img src="http://www.flags.com/dreamimages/Flags/measurer.jpg" border=0>

Edited by - on

MikeM
1st Mate

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72 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2003 : 09:16:53

Many thanks for the replies. I will look to install a thru-hull in the transom on the port side (away from my motor) above the water line.

Looking back on this mistake I think you all have indentified the problems. The connection in the starboard sink thru hull had several issues-

-it was below the waterline (vacum)
-the outflow diameter was too small, the sink would fill up and trickle back into bilge (vacum)
-this system over worked the battery charge

Thanks

Mike M
Marblehead, MA
C25 #1212

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rwall10597
Deckhand

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USA
11 Posts

Response Posted - 04/25/2003 : 00:28:11

When I bought my boat it had the manual bilge pump in the cockpit with the hose down into the bilge. I wanted to get an automatic electric one. I looked at the different options as to how I could get the water out. I need to give my girlfriend credit for thinking of what I actually ended up doing, but she saw was I was struggling with and suggested that I just stick the automatic pump in the end of the existing hose. I didn't think it would work at first, but after playing with it for a bit I realized it would work. If I use the manual pump it sucks water up through the automatic pump like it isn't even there, if the automatic pump kicks on, which it almost never does, it pumps through the manual pump just fine. It took me a few minutes to get it wired up to the panel with the auto/on/manual switch, but I didn't have to run any hose, drill any holes or anything.

On another note, the unit I chose was a Rule-Mate 500 GPH unit that was around 40 bucks and had no warranty. The internal float switch went out the other day and there is no way to open it up to clean it out. I replaced the deal with an Attwood Sahara model, again about 40 bucks. It didn't look like as good of a pump but it had a 3 year warranty so I figured it was worth a try, after all the better one only last 24 months.

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RichardG
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 04/25/2003 : 01:35:02

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>I need to give my girlfriend credit...<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

No, you don't, Bob. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

RichardG 81 C25 SR/FK "Sanity"

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