Hello from "Molly Brown" 33' Berkeley, Ca. (This is the boat that lost her rudder due to John Wayne/MGM who left several of their sunken ships in Pt. San Pablo Bay in the '50's.) We're now having a problem with the bilge pumpout system.
It has taken us 3+ months to get the rudder situation repaired including 3 different leaks from the rudder packing system. Now I am trying to track the source of another leak--quite possibly from regular sailing/washing. I put some green food coloring into a spot below the rudder packing where there was some wetness. Now my bilge is collecting "green" water. From where? This is not my problem here. It's the fact my bilge pump won't pump the water out!
When I went to pump out this green water by lifting the switch of my bilge pump, the pump just hummed and didn't eject any water. I tried to loosen any jammed dirt in the pump. Nothing. I then unhooked the out-pipe from the pump and found--with some water in my face--the pump works very well.
So then I unhooked the backflow system and found a blast of water come back out into the bilge! Then I was somehow able to pump out some of my "green" water. Not sure about this. Maybe it just went into the pipe but didn't leave the boat? When I did get some "green" water out I was alone and couldn't see how much came outside if any. There did seem to be a bit of "green" drips on the dock.
So this is where my problem with the bilge pumpout system is located. Does anyone have any advice? Get a new system? The backflow piece? Further out toward the outside hole, somewhere inside the hull?
Any help to my poorly presented problem will be much appreciated! :cry:
Tom Luce
It has taken us 3+ months to get the rudder situation repaired including 3 different leaks from the rudder packing system. Now I am trying to track the source of another leak--quite possibly from regular sailing/washing. I put some green food coloring into a spot below the rudder packing where there was some wetness. Now my bilge is collecting "green" water. From where? This is not my problem here. It's the fact my bilge pump won't pump the water out!
When I went to pump out this green water by lifting the switch of my bilge pump, the pump just hummed and didn't eject any water. I tried to loosen any jammed dirt in the pump. Nothing. I then unhooked the out-pipe from the pump and found--with some water in my face--the pump works very well.
So then I unhooked the backflow system and found a blast of water come back out into the bilge! Then I was somehow able to pump out some of my "green" water. Not sure about this. Maybe it just went into the pipe but didn't leave the boat? When I did get some "green" water out I was alone and couldn't see how much came outside if any. There did seem to be a bit of "green" drips on the dock.
So this is where my problem with the bilge pumpout system is located. Does anyone have any advice? Get a new system? The backflow piece? Further out toward the outside hole, somewhere inside the hull?
Any help to my poorly presented problem will be much appreciated! :cry:
Tom Luce
