I searched the forum for a comprehensive
bilge pump system article, and found none (though I did find some good info on sealing
electrical connections in the bilge), so I'm starting this thread.
I have a
boat with a deep
bilge, with a
single Rule 2000gph automatic
pump. I learned how insufficient this was when traveling down the
ICW in FL and discovering my
pump and associated fuse was fried. Replaced fuse, and it blew again. Ultimately, I replaced the
bilge pump and
solved the
electrical issue at my next stop. Nothing scary, there was no
water coming in, but it got me thinking, since I was headed to the
Bahamas. That one
bilge pump, and my manual pump (which works) are my only two means to keep
water out. I decided I needed something better, so here's my (tentative) plan:
Rule 2000 automatic at the bottom of the bilge. (Spare pump on hand)
Rule 4000 pump about 6 inches higher in bilge
Ultra
Safety Systems UPS-01 Float switched connected to Rule 4000
Ultra
Safety Systems high water
alarm connected to Rule 4000
External "crash pump" that can be dropped into the bilge. I'm looking at a recommendation from John Harries of Attainable Adventure Cruising on that one; an industrial
electric sump pump rated 2900gph that we can
plug into
cabin outlets. AAC is a great site, fyi.
Also, I recommend David Pascoe's article on Bilge pumps at:
ALL ABOUT BILGE PUMPS - Boats, Yachts Maintenance and Troubleshooting
By his rule of thumb, I should have 6000 gph of pump capacity in the bilge.
The very good point that David Pascoe makes is that even though an
electric pump is rated, say 2000 gph, with a three to four foot
lift, that nominal 2000 is probably 1500, and maybe less, and that's before you factor in resistance in the
exhaust hose. So you subtract about a third from all nominal ratings. With a 2000 & 4000 Rule pumps, I have nominal 6000, but really about 4000. So the crash pump gets me back to 6000, but what if a pump dies after running continuously for an hour (a very real possibility)? Or what if electrical
power is
lost for whatever reason?
That's where a small
Honda pump comes in. I happen to own a
Honda WX10T pump for other reasons, and it is rated at 2200 gph. Also, the small
lift (maybe 5 feet) from bilge to
overboard with the Honda makes almost no difference to performance - 5% decrease maybe; gas pumps are just that much more powerful. So my thought is shrinkwrap it, and keep some pure
fuel available (the key to getting it to start easily).
I realize all the above sounds very belt-and-suspenders, but, I'm spending $500ish for the additional Rule 4000 + float switch + high water
alarm. Another $450ish if I buy the crash pump. I already own the Honda pump. In the grand scheme of things, this is peanuts, and invaluable if it keeps the
boat from sinking.
Also, for those of you with many thousands more miles under the
keel than I have, the above may all sound very obvious, but it wasn't obvious to me until I
lost my one and only installed
electric bilge pump.
Comments and
advice are welcome before I pull the trigger on all this, and I hope my thought process will be useful to some other people. I've told my wife that a bilge pump under the
Christmas tree would be a welcome gift.....;-)