Bilge Pump

[Rick]

Has anyone found a bilge pump or a way to set up the pump so that it doesn't leave 2+ inches of water in the bilge. My pump will keep pumping if I hold the switch up but it just flows back in when the pump goes off. All pumps leave about 2" in the bottom and I would like to get a dry bilge or at least a dryer one. I have thought about sinking the pump in a hole in the keel about 2" deep for the water to drain into. Anybody else got any ideas.I am going to the boat on Saturday and try and get this done. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Spen]

stop the flow

I put a small one-way check valve in-line close to the pump. This makes it so the water pumped into the hose stays in the hose.

 

[Shane]

Check valves

The problem I have heard with check valves in the line is that they can fail in either the closed or open condition. If it is closed you have problems. They are also a point at which stuff can get caught in. Be careful! Have back up systems. The best set up I have seen is like Rick was saying about the hole in the keel area that can hold the amount of water that the hose can hold. also make sure that your hose is as short as possible (how it is routed).

 

[John]

dry bilge

Hi rick Ive been working on the same thing 1st I changed my shaft packing to the green clay stuff in WM .This stops 95% of the water from geting in the bilge.then I found some leaks in my exost riser, wet mufler, water lines,then I sealed the hole under the mast where the light wires come in the boat now I only get about a quart of water in the bilge throw my packing gland on a long weekend.so I made a star board dam in the bilge behind the pump in the deep spot(I just replaced my roted keel stub so I made a deep spot)Then I bought a small pump that has a 1/2 outlet line that I made into 1/4" and ran it to the port locker and dumped the hose behind the hand pump outletI raised the line hight in the sink cabinet so there is not so much water to run back to the bilge.this sucks out most of the water and keeps it away from the bolt.I have a new idea i think if you used a bait tank pump and threaded it to a sealed PVC pipe about 3"wide and 18" long and made a inlet tube that comes off the top of the pipe and is in the bottom of the bilge I think all the back flow water will prime the bait pump and stay in the PVC pipe and suck the bilge dry .I have a elect swich to turn the small pump on .I have a 1700 GPH pump about 1" off the bottom of the bilge with a float swich that only gets used if the boat is sinking.Im thinking about runing a small fan in the bilge with solar power to keep it dry .PS the girls at catalina CS told me that i should wipe my bilge dry with kleenex when im done sailing. Why dident we think of that John