Dog hair jamming the bilge pumps

Enniberg

Well-Known Member
Our big chocolate lab is nearly always with us on the boat as he loves being on the water.
Unfortunately he sheds as so many dogs do, and since the boat is not a self bailing design, it all ends up in the bilge where it jams the bilge pumps.
I don't see a way to stop the hair from entering the bilge. Does anyone here have a good way of dealing with this? Is there a bilge pump that will not jam?
 
You could try screening the pump, which requires maintenance or maybe replace the typical pump with a macerator? Hair and drains is a tough one - vacuum the dog before boating!
 
Unfortunately even macerators screw up like this too. Even though they have blades on the impellor's they still get jammed up and stop and blow the breakers. Maybe not for dog hair like a bilge does though. Yup a screen would be the way to go but you'd have to clean it regularly like Foxsea says cause it will clog pretty quick. I use different threads and spider wire etc for some of my gear and I've had my macerator stop and blow the breaker a few times over the years cause of it. You would think it would chop up the line/thread but it doesn't. It winds around the impellor/blade stem shaft and eventually binds and seizes it from moving causing the breaker to pop. Think I have my boat deck/shelves all clean of that stuff but when you don't realize it these things and dog hair type stuff get's down into the bilge's and macerators. It can cause problems if boat's are moored in the water without a back cover on them during heavy rains. If they fail boats can get swamped and sink. I woke up one day to this problem when staying out at a lodge. Heavy heavy downpour for about 16 hrs straight. Went out to the dock to check on the boat and one bilge was clogged and under deck macerator in the fish tank also stopped working when I went to pump water out from that chamber. Scuppers don't always work as they are meant to either. Have seen them fail too before and also need to be maintained. Since then as regular maintenance and before all my fishing trips and when back I clean out around all the bilges and macerator. Helps with the peace of mind with that.
 
Try covering the pump intake with a nylon. The pump still pumps the water out, but doesn't intake the dog hair. The downside, gotta clean the nylon after boating which really isn't so bad
 
Good ideas guys - much appreciated! Chasin' Dreams, you are right, the stuff goes around the shaft and bogs down the pump until the fuse goes. Brushing/vacuuming the dog before each trip will definitely go a long way to reduce the problem , and a nylon screen should take care of the rest. My concern is being off shore if the seas get rough and the pumps quit. The older Arimas offer a safe and stable ride, but the ride is wet which means that a bilge pump has to run pretty frequently to keep water from accumulating.
 
I had that happen with the wife’s and daughters hair almost sank. Now it’s part of regular maintenance and I got a spare bilge that I can stick in the bilge through my battery compartment with a long enough discharge hose and alligator clips for the battery
 
I had that happen with the wife’s and daughters hair almost sank. Now it’s part of regular maintenance and I got a spare bilge that I can stick in the bilge through my battery compartment with a long enough discharge hose and alligator clips for the battery

this is a great set up. i have similar for bilge and down rigger quick repair.
 
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