Bilge pumps (experience and recommendation)

[jkishel]

Originally Posted by mlibkind

Tomorrow I'll be the owner of a 2011 Elan 444. Its a European boat and seldom seen in the US. As a consequence, some items are not to US standards. One such item is the electric bilge pump that can spark and should be changed.

There are two manual pumps and one electric pump. The low point in the bilge is so small that there is no way to use a submersible pump, i.e. it could not rest on the bottom of the bilge. Currently the Jabsco pump is mounted on the wall of the bilge with its bottom about 1 foot above the bottom of the bilge and has a capacity of 250 gph.

I'd like your opinion on my thoughts and plans.

1. Possibly raise the pump up about 1 to 1.5 feet into a settee. This way there is less chance that it would ever get covered with water. Do you think this is wise? The hose run will still be relatively short.

2. Increase the volume of this primary pump. The problem is that I am having trouble locating a non-submersible pump. I found one Jabsco pump that would fit but it is only 150 gph though Amazon has it listed at 350 gpm. My thinking is that about 400 to 500 gpm for the primary pump that is attached to the float switch, and a 2000 to 4000 gpm manually activated backup pump. Or should the primary pump be large too?

3. Like I said, I have had zero luck locating a pump that is not submersible. Do you have any suggestions?

Marcus

1. No problem raising a diaphragm pump a few feet above the bottom of the bilge.

2. Jabsco 36600 is rated at 480 gph, pair with a 2000+ gph automatic pump mounted as close to the bottom of the bilge as possible. This will keep bilge dry and deal with a larger leak.

3. Diaphragm pump like Jabsco 36600 or Whale Gulper.

[Andina Marie]

Backflow valves are a problem waiting to happen. They dry out and stick closed stopping all flow. They get trash in them and let water siphon back in. Even when they work they restrict flow.

If your outlet is below water line a siphon breaker is essential however the commercial ones are NOTORIOUSLY unreliable. Read this DIY article on WHY they are unreliable and how to make your own reliable one. I had 4 of these running on our boat for over 12 years without a single failure.