Check your bilge pumps
- Thread starter gungadin
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sir-vivor
Well-Known Member
Dont need 50mm rain was out fishing Bam with a buddy in his Striper and his deck plate in the wash well was loose and you got it after a day on the hook fishing halibut, we started to run back and he was listing ......he turned on his bilge pump and the water was a flowing, so nice to have a pump but make sure its automatic tooo lol
spring time
Well-Known Member
I have one portable with alligator clips and a long hose in case mine fails, check regularly now. My failure was my wife’s long hair tangled in the impeller, now with daughter and wife( thankfully not the son) with long hair I check quiet regularly.
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
THIS^^^Years ago I was fishing with a buddy way out west past Sheringham Point on a flat as glass day.It was flooding and a slight breeze was starting to come from the southeast and a lump was beginning to form so I said to my buddy we better ride the flood back to Sooke just in case this wind picks up.By the time we got to Otter Point it was aready blowing 15 knots and not pleasant at all.Decided to pull the gear and get the hell back to the harbour but in the time it took to do that it started screaming
25 knots and gusting 30 or more.The waves were stacking up and we were starting to take greenies over the bow and that's when I noticed the bilge pump wasn't working and we were taking on gallons of water about every 5th or 6th wave.My buddy was on his hands and knees in the back of the boat bailing for our lives and we were getting soaked to the skin with cold sea water in a 16 ft boat with no top.We eventually made it in to the shelter of the harbour mouth but were both white as ghosts from the experience and I'm sure hypothermic.I later checked the pump which had worked perfectly fine on the several prawning trips we had done previous to this trip and found the problem.It seems that from all the prawns we had caught in the previous trips, some had lost their long antennaas and they had made their way down into the bilge and jammed the impeller of the pump solid.From that day forward I have had 2- 1000 gph bilge pumps on separate switches and batteries in every boat I've owned since.
Funny, but I have never seen another small boat (16ft DE) other than mine with dual bilge pumps so if there is some guys on here that do,good on ya because **** happens when you least expect it!If I was on a solo trip that day,and many days I would have been,there's a very good chance I wouldn,t be relaying this message to you all here right now.
sir-vivor
Well-Known Member
I'm with ya got two automatics and one manual .
Also have a water level alarm goes off ( or should, I tested by putting the hose in there filling the compartment) when waters half way up the battery cases. Have a long hose manual pump , oh and another electric that will relocate easily from well to well. Also a few buckets. Never have enough I say lol
tyeeking
Active Member
I too am part of the redundant bilge pump crowd. I also carry a few spare cartridges for quick replacement of the internals.
Make sure your bulge pumps are properly located. I saw a story not too long ago about a Bayliner that had a low spot in the bow bilge with no pump. Unknown to the owner it collected water there at a quicker and quicker pace. As it collected water the low spot got heavier which made it larger which meant it sunk lower and settled in the water and in turn collected more water. A vicious cycle with no pump to halt it. Eventually the boat went down at the bow.
Make sure your bulge pumps are properly located. I saw a story not too long ago about a Bayliner that had a low spot in the bow bilge with no pump. Unknown to the owner it collected water there at a quicker and quicker pace. As it collected water the low spot got heavier which made it larger which meant it sunk lower and settled in the water and in turn collected more water. A vicious cycle with no pump to halt it. Eventually the boat went down at the bow.
I have considered building an emergency pumping system but am sort of on hold with new additions to the boat other than repairs and maintenance what with the major cutbacks on the public fishery.
The plan was to get a thick piece of plate Aluminum as a base and attach two Rule 12 volt 15.5 amp 3700 GPH pumps to it. They would each have their own power circuit that would plug into the Scotty rigger power supply on each side of the boat using Scotty male plugs. The pumps would each have a sufficient length of 1.5 inch hose to throw them over the sides. The ends were to be weighted and padded to hold them over the side but not cause damage to the hull hitting against it. The low point of my bilge is where the motor use to be before it was pod converted.
The idea was that in the event we blew one of the through hull fittings or crack the hull on a dead head etc, we could in a minute or two plug the emergency pump system into the riggers power systems, throw the unit in the bilge and toss the hoses over the sides. This would give us an additional pumping capacity of 7400 GPH in addition to the 2 hard wired pumps in the bilge consisting of the little 750 gph auto rain water pump and the 1500 gph main bilge pump for a total pumping capacity of 9650 GPH. With the two big batteries and as long as the main outboard was running and pushing 60 amps we could maintain that level of pumping for hours with the very large built in fuel tank.
Since the system would be compact, light and completely portable it could be kept at home in the off season and even transferred to a friends boat out on the water if they had an emergency.
Anyone ever tried something similar or have any thoughts? I do know there are limits on the height that pumps can pump and in this case they would be pumping rather high over the sides of the boat rather than outputting part way up the hull as with plumed in pumps, which could possibly reduce pump efficiency, but they are powerful pumps.
The plan was to get a thick piece of plate Aluminum as a base and attach two Rule 12 volt 15.5 amp 3700 GPH pumps to it. They would each have their own power circuit that would plug into the Scotty rigger power supply on each side of the boat using Scotty male plugs. The pumps would each have a sufficient length of 1.5 inch hose to throw them over the sides. The ends were to be weighted and padded to hold them over the side but not cause damage to the hull hitting against it. The low point of my bilge is where the motor use to be before it was pod converted.
The idea was that in the event we blew one of the through hull fittings or crack the hull on a dead head etc, we could in a minute or two plug the emergency pump system into the riggers power systems, throw the unit in the bilge and toss the hoses over the sides. This would give us an additional pumping capacity of 7400 GPH in addition to the 2 hard wired pumps in the bilge consisting of the little 750 gph auto rain water pump and the 1500 gph main bilge pump for a total pumping capacity of 9650 GPH. With the two big batteries and as long as the main outboard was running and pushing 60 amps we could maintain that level of pumping for hours with the very large built in fuel tank.
Since the system would be compact, light and completely portable it could be kept at home in the off season and even transferred to a friends boat out on the water if they had an emergency.
Anyone ever tried something similar or have any thoughts? I do know there are limits on the height that pumps can pump and in this case they would be pumping rather high over the sides of the boat rather than outputting part way up the hull as with plumed in pumps, which could possibly reduce pump efficiency, but they are powerful pumps.
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casper5280
Crew Member
I have a automatic 750 clean-up pump, than 2 2500 main pumps one is automatic the other manual. I also have my washdown pump that by opening and closing 2 values can also pump over the side in case of emergency. I what to also install a high water level alarm.
wolf
Well-Known Member
Hence why I never allow sunflower seeds on my boat as well we had a lodge boat sink because of them he was taking on water and would up beaching boat on to the rocks and tied it off we rescued it the next day lucky knight inlet up where we were is mostly fresh water on top.... glad you made it back ...people always assume ahhhh never happen to me I always over protect my boat call me OCD but have seen to much bad **** happen
I also have a raw water wash down pump and have decommissioned it and capped the bronze through hull in the bottom of the boat. Since there is fresh water wash down available on the dock at our marina, not having it connected is one less seacock valve, clamp or hose to fail and sink the boat and a new owner could hook it back up in a few minutes, if they were to want it. However, the hose feeding the wash down pump is now just sitting in the bottom of the bilge so it could also be used in an emergency to pump water out of the bilge and over the side. Thanks for the reminder as I had forgotten about that.
I am lucky in that the factory design of the Model 2200 Glasply has the main electrical compartment built on to the transom and the batteries are rather high up as is all the electric wiring except for the wires for the bilge pumps and the fuel sender unit which protects them from salt water shorting. Even with the boat rather heavily flooded all the electrical systems should still work including the pumps, lights, primary VHF and GPS.
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Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
I have a Johnson 750 GPH automatic pump at the bottom of the bilge of my Hourston 18'2". I added a Rule 900 GPH auto that sits at deck level, so if water is overwhelming the lower pump, or if it has failed, it will help. Both have manual override switches. I used to use Rule exclusively, but I find they don't last. I really like the Johnsons, as you can replace the motor cartridges rather than the whole pump.
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Newf
Crew Member
I have a Johnson 750GPH in the bilge of my little tug. It has the electronic auto sensor on the side of it and twice in 4 years it cut in and stayed engage and melted the sensor the first time and the sensor and the cartridge the second time. Not sure why the fuse didn't blow but it didn't. These auto sensors apparently get gummed up and is common for them to stay engaged if not cleaned frequently. The problem for me is that because of the engine noise I can't hear it when it cuts in. After the last failure I installed a indicator light at the helm to show when the pump cuts it. If it runs for more than 15-20 secs I know that the sensor is probably gummed up and I can shut it off manually or pop the fuse and clean the face of the sensor. This indicator light works great and has probably saved the pump and auto sensor on several occasions. The system also has a high water alarm that I test frequently..
Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
The sensor on the Rule auto pump I previously had seized up for the same reason, I think, and the pump burned out. However, the fuse did its job and prevented a meltdown like you experienced. I will watch this pump, to the extent I can. I find the quality of the Rule pumps has declined over the years and they die a lot sooner than they used to, which is why it tried the Johnson. One thing I like about the Johnson is that it’s louder than the Rule pumps. The Rules are still quiet that, even with my motors off, they are hard to hear when they are running. The Johnson is much easier to hear.
Having busted a hull open on Swiftsure Bank I can say yep, love your pumps. Stick with the bigger Rule pumps with the float switch. Much less complicated.
I have two Rule pumps that are hard wired in the bilge. An auto 750 rainwater pump and 1500 main manual switch pump. They were installed by the previous owner and must be almost 15 years old. So far they have been bullet proof and extremely reliable. They were last tested (deliberate flooding of the bilge with the fresh water hose) and the baskets cleaned about 3 weeks ago. The bilge was also cleaned to remove crap that could clog the impellers. In the nine years I have owned them they have never clogged the impellers or float switch and always worked (touch wood).
I have heard nothing but complaints about newer designed pumps with all their complex electronics and sensors sitting in salty bilge water. They all appeared to be far less reliable, quick to fail, maintenance intensive and quicker to drain the batteries than the previous generation of pumps and seem to turn on (wasting battery) just to check. It is not just Rule but all manufactures with new style sensor controlled auto switches. My older early generation 750 with the built in auto on switch works with a simple internal vertical float switch. There are no other sensors or electronics to fail or draw amps constantly. The float goes up. it comes on, it goes down, it turns off - an extremely reliable and simple design that works something like your toilet.
It may be that new sensor pumps can do more and be asked to do more in the future, such as tell the difference between fuel and water so that if your tank leaks fuel or the motor leaks oil into the bilge, it won't pump it into a small lake. Larger boats/ships with more complex systems require that bilge water first go through a fuel/oil/water separator before being pumped overboard.. My guess is that once governments and environmentalists started to worry about this, the sensor pump was born, Perhaps in time, manufactures will learn to make them more reliable but the salt water boat bilge is one harsh environment for sensors and electronics and people are not going to want to pay thousand of dollars for a bilge pump on a small boat that may still have to be replaced every few years.
Having just one small old school non sensor auto rain water pump has one advantage, in that it will draw no amps when not pumping and less amps overall, and the batteries will last much longer when sitting at the dock for any time. Unless you have shore power constantly charging your batteries, using a big high powered, high amp draw, sensor auto pump or multiple sensor auto on pumps will kill the batteries much faster and once the batteries are dead there is no pumping at all. I guess it depends on how often you use the boat or check on the bilge, the pumps and the charge level of your batteries, especially in the winter when it rains hard a lot with our west coast rain forest environment.
Our old school 750 float auto pump can keep the rain water out all winter, while dry land stored 2o miles away without getting close to killing the batteries, but it is best to get out at least once during the winter to check on it and top up the batteries. New batteries this summer.
I have heard nothing but complaints about newer designed pumps with all their complex electronics and sensors sitting in salty bilge water. They all appeared to be far less reliable, quick to fail, maintenance intensive and quicker to drain the batteries than the previous generation of pumps and seem to turn on (wasting battery) just to check. It is not just Rule but all manufactures with new style sensor controlled auto switches. My older early generation 750 with the built in auto on switch works with a simple internal vertical float switch. There are no other sensors or electronics to fail or draw amps constantly. The float goes up. it comes on, it goes down, it turns off - an extremely reliable and simple design that works something like your toilet.
It may be that new sensor pumps can do more and be asked to do more in the future, such as tell the difference between fuel and water so that if your tank leaks fuel or the motor leaks oil into the bilge, it won't pump it into a small lake. Larger boats/ships with more complex systems require that bilge water first go through a fuel/oil/water separator before being pumped overboard.. My guess is that once governments and environmentalists started to worry about this, the sensor pump was born, Perhaps in time, manufactures will learn to make them more reliable but the salt water boat bilge is one harsh environment for sensors and electronics and people are not going to want to pay thousand of dollars for a bilge pump on a small boat that may still have to be replaced every few years.
Having just one small old school non sensor auto rain water pump has one advantage, in that it will draw no amps when not pumping and less amps overall, and the batteries will last much longer when sitting at the dock for any time. Unless you have shore power constantly charging your batteries, using a big high powered, high amp draw, sensor auto pump or multiple sensor auto on pumps will kill the batteries much faster and once the batteries are dead there is no pumping at all. I guess it depends on how often you use the boat or check on the bilge, the pumps and the charge level of your batteries, especially in the winter when it rains hard a lot with our west coast rain forest environment.
Our old school 750 float auto pump can keep the rain water out all winter, while dry land stored 2o miles away without getting close to killing the batteries, but it is best to get out at least once during the winter to check on it and top up the batteries. New batteries this summer.
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Wild Bill
Well-Known Member
I wish the switches would be adjustable some way. I mounted mine and glued the switch in and with the dry hull rules the provinces have now I would like to get rid of more water and I would like it to come on sooner. I'm contemplating installing a pump I have, like a good centrifugal wash pump however rubber impeller like a leg. Maby try it tomorrow..
The 2000 gph I have won't mount down enough to suck nough to turn the pump off.
The 2000 gph I have won't mount down enough to suck nough to turn the pump off.
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
A few years ago I installed a 3,700 GPH Rule pump, one of the bigger pumps they make. I had just installed a few through-hull transducers and I wanted a back-up bilge pump in case of “catastrophic water intrusion”.
So this past June, excrement for brains here launched his 24 foot Skagit Orca in Ucluelet without putting the plug in. There were some tense moments getting it back onto the trailer to fix the mistake but I had the presence of mind to flick on the switch on that 3,700 GPH once I realized the error——it moved all that water back out of the boat like nobody’s business—not sure the Skagit ever listed or went south of the normal water line while I was running back to the truck to get the trailer in the water...best $ 200 I ever spent on my boat
So this past June, excrement for brains here launched his 24 foot Skagit Orca in Ucluelet without putting the plug in. There were some tense moments getting it back onto the trailer to fix the mistake but I had the presence of mind to flick on the switch on that 3,700 GPH once I realized the error——it moved all that water back out of the boat like nobody’s business—not sure the Skagit ever listed or went south of the normal water line while I was running back to the truck to get the trailer in the water...best $ 200 I ever spent on my boat
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