hey everyone, I'm looking to put a bilge pump on my 1972 dolphin 23, now I just don't know what size pump to get, would 500gph be enough or should I go bigger?
thanks in advance
thanks in advance
bilge pump
- Thread starter fred1diver
- Start date
There is a theory that the smaller the boat the larger the pump as the smaller boats will fill up faster but you need not worry. The design and purpose for a bilge pump is to facilitate the discharge of "nuisance water" that collects in the bilge. It is not intended as a safety item to keep your boat afloat in case of a significant water intrusion. The best it could do would be to delay the sinking of the boat for a couple hours depending on the size of the water intrusion. The actual performance of a bilge pump is dependent on various factor, one being the installation of the discharge hose, but performance is usually well below the rated capacity. It is not unusual for a 500 GPH to deliver under 200GPH so using half of the rated capacity would provide a benchmark. For safety conduct periodic inspections of any thru-hulls, hoses and clamps. As a bilge pump I would recommend for your boat a 500GPH pump. You can do a connection for manual or automatic operation. For automatic you will need a float or water sensing switch. The type of switch or pump you could use will be determined by the depth of the bilge. The pump will not be able to get all the water out as when it reaches a certain level it will start sucking air. Resist the temptation to install a check valve to stop backflow as they are notorious for fouling up. Installing an electric bilge pump is a good improvement, much better than scooping water out manually.
