Bilge pumps - specific models and brands

[Kayakeur]

Can some of you recommend specific models and brands of bilge pumps?

And specific models of automatic switches, if appropriate?

Thanks. (Great pumps, and reports of pumps with bad performance.)

(Me, I want to install a little electric, a big emergency electric, and medium manual standby, on 23 foot sailboat w outboard engine. Thanks!

[Celestialsailor]

I've always used Rule pumps. Tried a Johnson one time and it had problems getting a siphon.

[HopCar]

Rule 2000 with an Ultra Safety Systems switch is about as reliable as you can get. The USS switch is expensive. The Rule Super Switch is pretty good at about a third the price.

[mlydon]

Auqualarm makes a great smart switch, 1/2 the cost of the uss, same functionality. Like most, I have rule pumps - a smallish one low in the bilge, handles most of the work, and a monster 3600 higher up ‘just in case’.
Jabsco makes a good bilge shower single-diaphragm pump that mounts remote; I use a smart switch mounted to strainer, 3/4 inch hose with it. Will clear the bilge to 1/2” or less if you hold it on manual.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=823720

Btw - the Aqualarm switch comes with a buzzer, and if the switch is ‘on’ for more than a minute or two, will trigger the buzzer to alert to excess pumping. They make some other cool alarms as well - worth taking a look at, for sure.

https://aqualarm.net/bilge-alarms-sw...tch-p-204.html

Matt

[stormalong]

I have a 35 year old Rule 1500 that just won't die. When I bought my boat it was five years old. It came with a spare, new in the box. I have yet to need it. The 1500 gets used regularly because rain comes down inside the mast and my shower drains into the bilge.

As for bilge pump switches I have yet to find a mechanical one that lasts more that a few years. An electronic one in a forward sump is about 12 years old and still going strong but I can't remember the name. I like products that are so good that I can't remember the name because I have not had issues with them for so many years.

[Kayakeur]

Thanks, everyone. Great information.

I think I'll get two Rules: a 360/500 GPH and a 2000GPH.
WestMarine carries a Rule 360 and 500 GPH. Oddly, the 360 takes more Amps than the 500 (2.1A, $30: vs 1.6A $24). Price is trivial but the amps are curious. otoh 800 & 1100 pumps only $50-$55. Curious pricing.

Rule-A-Matic Plus Switch $35

Similarly on Rule 2000 GPH, all 12V, 8.4 A:

Three models, same volume. Odd pricing.
$99 model 2000 GPH Heavy Duty
$239 model 2000 with 6 foot lead
$299 model 2000 with automatic separate Rule-A-Matic float switch

Everybody uses 'accordion' hoses, eh?
Maybe 2,000 GPH is a lot for a 23-foot trailer sailer, but it has a reputation for being 'tender' and a sister ship got knocked down and sank in 4 minutes.
And what keeps these pumps from shorting out if the cabin floods?

[MartinR]

In my experience, nothing beats Rule pumps. I would have a look at the fairly new LP900. This leaves very little water and has two built in modes for sensing water.

Also the 500 pumps with built in water sensor are great. Float switches I would avoid.

[meirriba]

[QUOTE

Everybody uses 'accordion' hoses, eh?
Maybe 2,000 GPH is a lot for a 23-foot trailer sailer, but it has a reputation for being 'tender' and a sister ship got knocked down and sank in 4 minutes.
And what keeps these pumps from shorting out if the cabin floods?[/QUOTE]
Nothing will keep the pumps from shorting out if they are swamped. Same problem if the house batteries that feed the bilge pump are underwater.
And, normal bilge pump will not save a boat from sinking if you are knocked down. For that you need huge pump and crew with buckets...
I was on a (wooden) boat that broke a hull plank and sank in 10-15 munutes despite 6 bilge pumps doing their best.

[CarinaPDX]

I used a Rule pump with an Ultra Safety Systems switch for 4 decades so I can attest to its durability. The switch failed recently and the pump is getting worn out. I have replaced them with the Whale IC system, which consists of a Gulper 320 diaphragm pump and an electronic sensor. I have used a Gulper daily for more than 20 years to pump out the galley sinks and can attest to its durability as well. The new pump is working very well now, but admittedly not a high capacity pump. For that I use a large Rule (1-1/2" hose) with an Ultra Safety switch, with the switch set well above the Whale sensor. I carried this pump for 30 years as an emergency backup and never used it, and don't expect to need it in the future, but it is comforting to have it ready to go automatically.

Greg

[HopCar]

“Everybody uses 'accordion' hoses, eh?“
Do you mean this kind of hose? No I don’t. It will be the weak point in your bilge pump system. It’s weak and the corrugated interior has to reduce the flow. It is labeled “Not for below the waterline connections”. I prefer a stronger hose like the Trident #147
https://tridentmarine.com/wp-content...tion-Sheet.pdf

[Cheechako]

Ultra switches are good.
Rule pumps aren't bad. Get the biggest you can fit.
But the 1500 is probably more than enough for a trailer sailer.

The problem with using good thick rubber hose is it's too stiff to pull the pump to clear debris. It also doesn't hold onto a plastic pump outlet well at all.
As mentioned the corrugated hose takes more pumping pressure I would think... but I dont know if once full of water if laminar flow effects that or not.
There is flexi hose that doesn't have those sharp corrugations as shown in the pic above... maybe it's a Vetus product...?

[qwert]

Before making your final choice its worth checking those gph claims. Many are measured on the level. On any installation you have to lift quite a few feet, that drops the volume. Then you will have a few bends, each one drops it more, then there is the smoothness of the pipe.
I was doing a refit a few years ago and found it really hard to get these figures from the manufacturers websites or the packaging. I borrowed a few pumps from friends and we did a comparison by connecting each in turn to the same hose then climbing up a ladder till the water stopped coming out of the hose. We got a very accurate idea of the real life head of water and actual volume delivered. In all cases it was miles away from the advertised quantity. Simulating a couple of bends and about six feet of lift we came to a working figure of about 1/2 to 2/3 of stated volume.
I sized the volume by working out the amount of water coming in through a broken one and a half inch through-hull (biggest on my boat) three feet below the waterline. ( Its a lot of water !!!).At that time,five years ago, a Johnson pump came closest to its advertised quantity on our (amateur) tests so I bought a pair and fitted them at different heights in the bilge (as well as a couple of hand ones)

[Boatwright]

IMO:

Rule Pumps used to be OK, but since being bought out they are not so.

We now have a Johnson, 5 years service with no problems. The Johnsons are better performing and are all around heavier built.

All of the Rule and Johnson brand switches are unreliable, including the Ultima. We now have a Water Witch -- absolutely reliable.

[CarlF]

Another vote for the Ultra switch. All the rest - including the Waterwitch - have failed on me. The Rule switch rarely lasts two years.

Rule pumps are fine but I've also had good luck with Johnson.

The best thing to do is to install two pumps. A little 500gph in the very bottom of the bilge that takes care of normal water. Then a 2000gph mounted 3" higher that stays dry so can be counted on to work if you get a leak. Put the Ultra switch on the little one. An inexpensive Rule switch will be fine on the upper one since it will be dry.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Boatwright

IMO: All of the Rule and Johnson brand switches are unreliable, including the Ultima. We now have a Water Witch -- absolutely reliable.

I was attracted to the "no moving parts" feature of the Water Witch electric switch (Whale makes a similar one) and was surprised to find my bilge filling up this past winter and the switch not working!

Testing the switch by placing a finger over each contact demonstrated that the switch worked, but I think what I discovered is that it does NOT work with fresh, clean (rain) water, so I scrapped it for a more traditional switch.