Bilge Pump in Winter

lehighsail

lehighsail

.
Feb 21, 2008
413
Hunter 33 Metedeconk River
While reading the current thread on bilge pumps I thought of my bilge pump. During the winter, on the hard, I usually remove my batteries from the boat. Should I be leaving a battery on board to power the bilge pump in case of any water makes it into the bilge? I have a winter cover but there is bound to be some water that makes it in.
Thanks.
 
DaveJ

DaveJ

.
Apr 2, 2013
474
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
I recommend installing a garboard fitting in the bilge, leave it open in winter and any water will drain out. I would NOT want to be the person that drills the hole!

Cheers
 
njlarry

njlarry

.
Sep 23, 2009
1,475
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
On the hard the hard I would install a Garboard drain plug. Cost is about ten bucks. No worry about the pump and batteries being overwhelmed.
ps Last winter I left the 3 year old flooded batteries on the boat with no electricity, 12.84 volts in the fall, 12.65 volts in the spring. All leads were disconnected.
 
C

Capt jgw

.
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
I've had them get damaged by ice, so I pull my pumps up out of the bilge for the winter. I also have a drain plug so any water that does get in just runs out.
 
rgranger

rgranger

.
Jan 19, 2010
12,553
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Pour a cup of anti-freeze in the bilge?????????

On my new-2-me hunter, all of the plumbing for the galley and head sinks had anti-freeze pulled through the pipes and pumps for the winter and the bilge had about a cup of antifreeze in there also. No worries.

Flushed it all out this spring and I was good to go.
 
DaveJ

DaveJ

.
Apr 2, 2013
474
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Not wanting to change this thread (too much), but when winterizing many forget to add antifreeze to the bilge, then pump it out using the bilge pump AND the manual pump. Water will sit in any sag in the lines between the bilge and the thru hull....of course I know this from experience....

Cheers
 
Jim 5757

Jim 5757

.
Jun 19, 2004
365
Island Packet IP 32 99 Forked River, NJ
I was adding antifreeze to our bilge here in NJ but one winter we had excessive leakage in the hull-deck joint,lots of rain & snow... diluted the antifreeze, ruined the pump and the float and developed cracks in the bilge area due to ice expansion. Now we installed the garboard drain & pull the pump out of the bilge
 
C

Capt jgw

.
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
I was just going to add the same thing. Deck leaks will dilute the AF til it doesn't work anymore. The position of my drain leaves about an inch of water, just enough to fill the pump chamber, freeze, and crack.
 
O

odaydokay

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Jul 5, 2011
738
Oday 28 Madison, CT
On the O'day's you need to be sure that the cockpit drain hoses (2 on the 28's and others) are not leaking, cracked, broken etc. or you will have a lot of water in your bilge over the winter. Found out the hard way and froze my electric bilge pump. Fixed the hoses, but to be safe I lift the pump out of the clip flange and set it in a small stainless pot on the cabin floor so I don't have to disconnect the power leads. Has worked well for a few years now. Ten seconds out, 10 seconds back in.....
 
Windtherapy

Windtherapy

.
Apr 25, 2015
282
Oday 26 Oscoda, MI
Wait what? A Garboard plug. Yet another hole to be had????

I'm confused. I live in MI and last 2 winters since I owned the boat I just bought a heavy duty tarp 30 feet long and 20 wide and not a drop of snow got in my boat. I just laid the bilge pump outside of the bilge channel and used a towel to soak up the cup of water that was in there before I covered it. Why should there be any water if the boat is covered completely and tight? Am I missing something?
 
thinwater

thinwater

.
Mar 26, 2011
3,677
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
lehighsail said:
While reading the current thread on bilge pumps I thought of my bilge pump. During the winter, on the hard, I usually remove my batteries from the boat. Should I be leaving a battery on board to power the bilge pump in case of any water makes it into the bilge? I have a winter cover but there is bound to be some water that makes it in.
Thanks.
Click to expand
Why remove the batteries? if charged they will not self discharge that quickly. Your labor is wasted.
 
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