Bilge pump discharge

[fourbabygrands]

I'm considering adding to my bilge and electric pump to discharge any water, sea or rain...and have it electrically (via pump) removed, this may seem like a simple question, but my boat has a manual pump and for 22 years the bilge remains dry...not to press my luck, I've decided to add a Rule pump.
My question is...short of making a hole in the boat for the discharge hose to jettison the water, is it possible to use the existing Manual pump hose for both electric pump and manual with some sort of "Y" valve and utilize the existing pump discharge?...this seems pretty basic I guess, but most of what I've found shows a separate discharge hole, of which I'm not excited about drilling a hole in my boat...siphon valve etc...
thank you.

 

[kappykaplan]

You should install a new discharge for the Rule pump. I have a backup electric bilge pump on my boat - higher float switch and separate discharge. Good luck with the upgrade.

 

[Tom J]

My Catalina 310 uses the same discharge for the manual and electric pumps. Don't forget to use check valves so that thle discharge of one pump isn't forced back through the other pump. Even if you use a seperate discharge, the check valves are essential.

 

[JoeWhite]

I installed an electric bilge pump and I used a 5/8" hose. Make a hole on the side of the boat such that it is above the waterline and is as short as possible. When the pump stops pumping all the water in the hose will drain back into the bilge and if it rises the water level enough the bilge will run again and fill the hose and when turned off all the water will drain back to the bilge. This will continue until your battery drains. So you must make sure that this does not happen by selecting and testing the shortest rout to overboard. If you use the same hose as the manual pump that has a larger diameter then it is sure to cycle this way endlessly.

 

[Bill Roosa]

If it ain't broken don't fix it. If the bilge is dry most of the time then there is not much need for an automatic bilge pump is there? An interesting point is that once you put in an automatic pump you stop chekcing the bilge for water and that can lead to problems later on when you can least aford them.

 

[Alan]

I'm inclined to agree with Bill. Don't try re-inventing the wheel. Forget the electric pump and stay with what you know works.
BTW I check the bilge every time I go aboard as a matter of habit.

 

[Ron20324]

......short of making a hole in the boat for the discharge hose to jettison the water.

I think your cockpit is open enough that you could route an electric pump's hose to dump somewhere there and avoid a hole in the hull? That way, you'd be able to see if it is pumping water or not.

 

[Winkfish]

......short of making a hole in the boat for the discharge hose to jettison the water.

I think your cockpit is open enough that you could route an electric pump's hose to dump somewhere there and avoid a hole in the hull? That way, you'd be able to see if it is pumping water or not.

I'd second Ron's thought. Before drilling a new hole in the hull, just try out a pump with the hose running over the gunwale. That's the set-up on my fishing boat, and the hose runs about 3 - 3.5', going up steeply about 2.5'. Works fine.

 

[Benny17441]

I concur with Bill and Alan. I just do not see your need for an additional pump. If you do decide to install one go ahead and install a 2nd discharge line thru-hull and all. Drilling a second hole above the water line should be the least of your worries. To try to connect two pumps to a single discharge line does require the use of check valves. Check valves are not recommended for use in the bilge environment as they can be jammed open by a small piece of debri causing one or both pumps to just recycle water in the bilge. The more complexity you buid into the system the more opportunity for something to fail. You have to be careful with a trailerable boat as them road trips tend to shake things up and loosen clamps.

 

[BrianW]

If you trailer sail your boat, I agree with Bill and the others about keeping the status quo. But, if you keep the boat in a wet slip, I'd consider the possibility of a new leak developing without your knowledge..... or you even being aboard to operate a manual pump. For less than $100, you could insure against this possibility. If you install a new pump, I'd drill a new hole above the water line. Another option would be to use the existing manual discharge through-hull for the new electric bilge pump (if it is correct size) and then re-route your manual pump discharge to a portable hose over the side when needed. BrianW

 

[Jackdaw]

If you trailer sail your boat, I agree with Bill and the others about keeping the status quo. But, if you keep the boat in a wet slip, I'd consider the possibility of a new leak developing without your knowledge..... or you even being aboard to operate a manual pump. For less than $100, you could insure against this possibility. If you install a new pump, I'd drill a new hole above the water line. Another option would be to use the existing manual discharge through-hull for the new electric bilge pump (if it is correct size) and then re-route your manual pump discharge to a portable hose over the side when needed. BrianW

I don't know. I've never heard of an electric bilge pump saving a normally dry boat from sinking. If might happen, but you would have to be lucky. A major leak will either 1) overwhelm a small pump, or 2) drain the battery flat in hours. In case#2, you would be reliant on someone seeing it while you where not there and recognize what was happening.

If you are normally dry, good on you; skip the pump unless it make you feel better. But you will not be a whole lot safer.