What is this pump for?

[JosefR]

My sink Seacock is open.

There is a foot pump on the floor aft of galley in my 1989 30-foot Catalina. I can't see the plumbing without taking the boat apart. When I pump it, water in the sinks gurgles up and it makes a mess. I was hoping this was a sea water pump for the sink, but I have no idea why there is a pump that backwashes sink water. Does anyone know what this is for?

My sink Seacock is open.

 

[Cayennita]

Not original equipment. Follow the hoses.

 

[The Garbone]

Hmm, we have a foot pump that goes to a spigot. Love it as it does not waste water. Yours may be a bilge pump to eject the water out the transom. Trace the hoses and hope someone did not get the bright idea to us it to pump black water out the sink drain. Uggg

 

[Skipper]

It may be the pump out for the ice box. My Capri 26 was plumbed this way. You have to turn a valve under the cabinetry to direct it to the sink's drain hose. If your sink seacock is closed, you may get the backwash.

 

[Kings Gambit]

It may be the pump out for the ice box. My Capri 26 was plumbed this way. You have to turn a valve under the cabinetry to direct it to the sink's drain hose. If your sink seacock is closed, you may get the backwash.

That was the same as my Pearson 30; the ice melt-water from the ice box was discharged via the sink drain using a Whale foot pump. [Yes, the sink drain thru-hull had to be open.]

 

[Joe Madden]

In my 1990 C30 it empties the icebox. If you don't have the thru hull open that is under the sink it backs up into the sink. Open the thru hull and pour some water in your ice box and pump it. See what happens.

Joe

 

[Parsons]

Skipper wins! Catalina put a foot pump under the ice box because the bottom of the ice box is below the sink level - you have to pump up to get it over the through hull. If the through hull is closed, or the sink is full, it bubbles up air. You'll want to clean that hose ever so often with Raritan CP or a little diluted bleach to keep smells down, by the way.

 

[dziedzicmj]

And if you ever winterise, you have to pour some AF into it and pump it out.

 

[JosefR]

Previous owner just told me the same thing, it's for the icebox. Mine has the fridge conversion in it so I don't believe there is a drain hole in the bottom. At least I didn't see a hole when I cleaned the fridge out after buying the boat.

Why wouldn't this just drain straight to the bilge instead of having another system to manage?

My sink drain Seacock is open, the sink works fine and drains fine.

 

[mortyd]

it is factory installed and definiitely an ice box pump. when you leave the sink drain seacock open the pump will send the water in your ice box trhough the sink and out of the boat. i have no idea when catalina made this pump standard, but it eventually was.

 

[dziedzicmj]

Why wouldn't this just drain straight to the bilge instead of having another system to manage?

to avoid stinking water from the ice box in the bilge.

 

[JosefR]

Seems silly. I'd rather pump the bilge once in that blue moon than have all that extra crap taking up valuable space.

 

[Skipper]

Seems silly. I'd rather pump the bilge once in that blue moon than have all that extra crap taking up valuable space.

Catalina has this thing about keeping the bilge dry, and free of bits to clog up a bilge pump that is not intended as a working pump for the galley. The icebox pump is a diaphragm pump, which can handle food crumbs, seeds, food packaging, and most anything else that might end up at the bottom of an ice box.

 

[alexco38]

10 lb block of ice melts in about a day = 1.5 gallons. Ice melt water from the icebox usually smell due to food out gassing. Send that to the bilge isn't a good thing as you'll need to clean it out instead of just pump it out. Leave it for a few days mildrew starts.

I converted the ice box to frostfree fridge years ago. This self-contained unit for DYI with no need for any pipe works.

http://ca.binnacle.com/BBQ-Stoves-a...lmatic-Cooling-Kit-CS-NC-15/product_info.html

 

[JosefR]

Catalina has this thing about keeping the bilge dry

What is the thing?
My bilge always has water in it.

 

[Skipper]

What is the thing?
My bilge always has water in it.

Ok, dry-ish. :-D
I was mostly referring to icebox water, and the problems associated that others have stated.

 

[JosefR]

Yeah, I got that, I just was wondering if something was wrong with my bilge because it has water in it.

But apparently there is something wrong with my ice box pump out since it pumps to the sink.

 

[Skipper]

apparently there is something wrong with my ice box pump out since it pumps to the sink.

You may have a partial clog, or seacock not open all the way, etc. hard to say.

 

[mortyd]

two things; first, my bilge is never dry and i don't care. second, i bring plastic bottles of frozen water on the boat which chill the ice box and then flush the head with fresh, and not salt, water when they thaw.

 

[Bob4203]

OK......all you have to do is remove the screws that hold in the entire drawer unit (frame) under and left of the icebox to see the hoses for the foot pump. Its easy. Pull the drawers out first, unscrew and pull the frame out. The pump was designed to draw standing water from the bottom of the icebox and transfer to the sink for drainage. A very weird set up by Catalina. They could have opted for a gravity feed to the bilge but instead went this route. Its not a bad idea to check behind the drawer unit anyways as the water lines from the heat exchanger to the water heater are exposed as too the vent lines and bilge discharge lines. If the pump bothers you, you can remove it and allow the icebox to drain into the bilge but you have the other transfer line going up in to the sink drain. I would just leave things alone, knowing now what the "gurgle" is and hope the pump keeps working.