A Back Up Bilge Pump?

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D

Ducati

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Nov 19, 2008
380
Boatless Boatless Annapolis
We race on a 2 ton/IOR which has no bilge pump. We suck out the H2O on race night with a wet vac. It usually has a good 2" down there - good thing the insurance is paid up.

Anyway, it got me to thinking that if I owned a nice 40', I would be inclined to have a back up bilge pump. (2).

Good idea or is one (working) enough?
 
seadaddler

seadaddler

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Dec 19, 2006
5,832
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
2

I have one bilge pump set low in the bilge and also a high water alarm with a much larger bilge pump set about one foot higher in the bilge in case of trouble.
Plus a hand bilge pump for emergency.
Nick
 
B

Benny

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Sep 27, 2008
1,149
Hunter 320 Tampa, FL
Lately I have seen boats equiped with a secondary 120V sump pump in the bilge. These are wired to work at the dock with shorepower. They help with drain water from the shower and provide great protection when the boat is left unattended. They are automatic and have a large capacity of 2500 to 3000 gph.
 
Tom J

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,325
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
I have a manual bilge pump as a back-up, but I made a another back-up by attaching a hose with a check valve to a three-way valve at my strainer. Then, with the engine running, I can dump the hose into the bilge, turn the valve, and the raw water pump sucks out the bilge water. Sucks it out pretty fast, too! Comes in handy when it's time to flush the engine. Just pour a few gallons of fresh water into the bilge, and use the hose to run the fresh water through the engine.
 
Franklin

Franklin

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Jul 20, 2005
2,422
Whitby 55 Kemah, Tx
Tom J said:
...Sucks it out pretty fast, too! ....
Click to expand
I could be wrong but I find that hard to believe. I have never seen a boat under power put out more than a cup or two of water every second which doesn't make for much pumping power.
 
E

Easterly

bilge pump

Franklin said:
I could be wrong but I find that hard to believe. I have never seen a boat under power put out more than a cup or two of water every second which doesn't make for much pumping power.
Click to expand
You have never flushed your engine in the fall then I assume. Typically I put a bucket of antifreeze into the cabin and dunk the intake hose into it and start the engine. The bucket is close to empty in less than 30 seconds.
 
J

Jed20907

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Jun 11, 2007
2
- - Woodstock, MD
Pumping power?

Franklin said:
I could be wrong but I find that hard to believe. I have never seen a boat under power put out more than a cup or two of water every second which doesn't make for much pumping power.
Click to expand
Wouldn't that equate to 240-480 gph? Just my two cents worth.
 
H

hmurmur

bilge Pump Setup

seadaddler said:
I have one bilge pump set low in the bilge and also a high water alarm with a much larger bilge pump set about one foot higher in the bilge in case of trouble.
Plus a hand bilge pump for emergency.
Nick
Click to expand
Our Jeanneau came with 2 bilge pumps, one small and low, the other large and high. But the switch was either one or the other, not both. We decided that if there was a lot of water, we wanted both to run.
The smaller, lower pump in the well has a float switch and handles most of the day to day jobs.
We have a large pump higher in the bilge with a float switch and alarm.
The pumps are wired independently so both can activate at the same time.
We have a manual backup to the two automatics!
 
Franklin

Franklin

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Jul 20, 2005
2,422
Whitby 55 Kemah, Tx
Easterly said:
You have never flushed your engine in the fall then I assume. Typically I put a bucket of antifreeze into the cabin and dunk the intake hose into it and start the engine. The bucket is close to empty in less than 30 seconds.
Click to expand

that still isn't anything compared to a true bildge pump.
 
Franklin

Franklin

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Jul 20, 2005
2,422
Whitby 55 Kemah, Tx
A backup pump should be able to handle two open thru hulls by itself. Now compare your exhaust output to the output of your bildge pump. Big difference, huh?
 
Ron10155

Ron10155

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Jan 22, 2008
7
Beneteau 500 Cobb Island MD MD
Ducati said:
We race on a 2 ton/IOR which has no bilge pump. We suck out the H2O on race night with a wet vac. It usually has a good 2" down there - good thing the insurance is paid up.

Anyway, it got me to thinking that if I owned a nice 40', I would be inclined to have a back up bilge pump. (2).

Good idea or is one (working) enough?
Click to expand
No It is not a good idea, the ideal situation is
1 Automtic works off a float switch
2. one electric works of a breaker,
3. one spare.
4. one totally manual, (in case your battery goes out).
5. spare hose in case you have to rig something up very quickly.
6. train at least one member of crew as to procedures to operate all pumps and also show them where thru hulls and seacocks are
 
Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Franklin said:
that still isn't anything compared to a true bildge pump.
Click to expand
No, it's not a true bilge pump, but it's already there, and with a few pieces of plumbing is another backup. When I put in an anchor washdown pump I also made provision to use it as another backup bilge pump.
 
G

garyhlucas

I also also read the ETAP users forum, because I own an ETAP 26. The subject of bilge pumps over there came up too. Everyone wanted to know why you needed a bilge pump? What's wrong with a good sponge, and a bucket? ETAPs are double hulled, 100% foam flotation. It's funny, when you can't actually sink it changes your whole mindset!

Now a fire, THAT would be a real problem!

Gary H. Lucas
 
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