Salt water galley pump

[mako]

I would not drill a hole in the bottom of my boat for that dumb little 1/2" saltwater pump. The Pardey's were so paranoid about it that the guy made his wife crap in a bucket - now THAT's dedication!

Also, do you have 3 hands - how do you wash and rinse while pumping by hand. I ripped my previous one out long ago and replaced with a Gusher foot pump.

However, in OPs case, it sounds like it might be better to just use the bucket during washing time only when offshore, like you said.

[c.K.]

Originally Posted by JD-MDR

I'm thinking of installing a seperate pump in my galley. Is it not a good idea to "t" it off the same thru hull as the engine intake. Please respond

make a new small through-hull on a few occasions I have done this without taking the boat out of the water this only in solid glass keels
For more info just ask

[JD-MDR]

Thanks everyone. I decided to stick with the bucket a special one so i dont confuse it with the one I pee in.

[sv.antea]

On my 30' sloop I always go for convenince and challenging projects. I did tap into the engine intake (with a small valve that stays closed when fresh water is not a problem). I do not recommend it, but it worked well for me. I installed a small strainer and smallest on-demand raw water rated electric pump. Oh what joy, on long crossings and in clean water in general, I turn on a switch and unlimited supply of water is available for rinsing dishes, both hands free, (except in rough weather). I stopped at T-ing of hot raw water from the engine. And on the subject of galley sink, the one thing that worked even better: Fresh water, hot and cold, goes into the sink when my knee knees a conveniently located teak block (momentary switch behind it) and a solenoid valve lets in water from the pressure water plumbing. I do have a foot pump back up.

[mako]

@sv.antea,
Do you just put up with the stench of nasty dead sea critters when you turn it on for the first time in weeks, or do you blow out the line with compressed air or something, when laying up?

Regarding to "I stopped at T-ing of hot raw water from the engine" for powerboats this is a practical modification and the famous Robert Beebe did this on his Passagemaker as well. I never tried it because it's not like I'm washing dishes 24 hours a day on a passage, there are no mateys swabbing my decks and no parrot on my shoulder.

I think your small pressure S/W pump is sufficient.

[wingssail]

We use salt water in three places (besides for the engine cooling): Galley sink, a salt water shower head in the shower (used rarely) and the saltwater washdown for the ground tackle.

For this reason we decided to plumb a pressure salt water system in parallel to the fresh water system with pump, accumulator tank, and faucets. We use use a powerful Par electric pump, same model as we use for the fresh water system, to reduce the number of spares we must carry.

To source the saltwater we decided to "T" into the engine intake (sorry, purists we just didn't want another hole in the boat, and it's added drag).

To ensure we didn't suck air either direction we put check valves on both the engine line and the saltwater pump line.

We have noticed that when the engine is running at higher rpms there is a lack of pressure on the salt water washdown system. Mostly this is because of the screen covering the through hull which reduces the intake flow and the engine takes all the water. So when raising the anchor and washing the chain we keep the engine RPM down below 1500.

But the pressure salt water system is very handy and it is used for washing dishes when on a cruise as well as for the anchor chain.

We do also have a foot pump in the galley for fresh water, as a last resort back-up.

Just one caution: Turn off the power to the salt water pump when not in use. Once a hose came off when we were gone and the saltwater pump decided to try to sink our boat (it failed).

[Skipper Lee]

Plus 1 for connecting to a sink drain.
When converting from a porta potty I connected/Tee'd in a head intake to the below waterline basin drain and it works just fine. I added a service valve which I always close when finished with the head.
I live sub zero in winter and In return I was able to winterize the head by closing the seacock and dumping the antifreeze into the basin and pumped a gallon or so through the head into the holding tank, then moved the Y valve to the macerator and pumped out till pink antifreeze came out the opened discharge thru hull into a pail in my driveway then just closed both for the winter. Ask me next spring if that works as it's new. Lol.

[CarinaPDX]

I have a couple of tees off the engine raw water strainer. This provides salt water to the engine, water maker, and galley sink. The water maker and galley sink each have their own valves. It has worked fine for decades. However, the cooling water demands of the old Sabb were minimal; the new engine has a much higher flow rate so may behave differently. I would far rather have a tee and valve than a second thru hull - not even close.

I use a foot pump and a separate spigot at the sink for salt water. I also have valves that allow me to use the spigot for the fresh water output of the water maker, which allows me to check the water quality before valving the output to the tank. In truth after installing the water maker I never use the salt water pump anymore; it never was a great solution as it takes fresh water to rinse off the salt water on things so using it for cleaning is not a big win.

Save your time and money and just install an RO water maker.

Greg

[sailingchiro]

T it off the head until the next haulout. Then make a new hole. Absolutely don't take it off the engine water. Do not risk fuel or water to propulsion engine, you will be asking for problems.

I try to protect my propulsion engines will kid gloves. I have lost an engine trying to dock in a tropical storm-not good! I have lost both engines in a tropical storm in the Gulf with 47 knot winds and 16 foot breaking waves on us. 2 things I want to avoid at all cost, fuel and water starvation for propulsion engines, when I need them.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

the new engine has a much higher flow rate so may behave differently. I would far rather have a tee and valve than a second thru hull - not even close.
Greg

A friend with a W32 has a "newish" Yanmar 40hp, and recently installed a water maker, and teed off the engine thru-hull.
No way Jose,, the engine would not allow any flow to the water maker, the RO unit couldn't get hardly any flow unless the engine was at idle.
He's installing another seacock.
As an aside; I fail to understand why so many are scared of seacocks.
A good flange mount bronze seacock, properly installed with suitable backing and bolts certainly presents no loss of hull strength, and closing one is no big deal,, they generally outlast the boat.

[Redline452]

On my previous boat (C&C33 MkII) I Teed the washdown pump off after the seawater strainer, with a check valve on the pump side to protect the engine (also prevented the engine from un-priming the water pump), never a problem, especially as the two seldom ran at the same time. The washdown pump fed the galley sink (on the opposite side of the bulkhead), an outlet in the anchor well and another in the cockpit, all very useful.

[Floaton]

I was able to utilize the thru hull under my sink for the refrigerator drain- Just have to use the bucket instead when I defrost the frig/freezer. - Do you have any other thru hulls readily available in the area you may be able to repurpose- And FYI, use only a 1gpm pump - larger is too powerful and sprays the water everywhere!

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

A friend with a W32 has a "newish" Yanmar 40hp, and recently installed a water maker, and teed off the engine thru-hull.

No way Jose,, the engine would not allow any flow to the water maker, the RO unit couldn't get hardly any flow unless the engine was at idle.

He's installing another seacock.

As an aside; I fail to understand why so many are scared of seacocks.

A good flange mount bronze seacock, properly installed with suitable backing and bolts certainly presents no loss of hull strength, and closing one is no big deal,, they generally outlast the boat.

I also don’t understand this seacock fear. Yes minimize the holes. But relying on check valves or luck to protect the engine vs a well installed bronze seacock and high quality hose clamps- check every 2 years and you’re fine….
We have a foot pump sea water spigot at galley sink and it’s very helpful. We also have one for fresh water. Both are great for conserving water.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by malbert73

I also don’t understand this seacock fear. Yes minimize the holes. But relying on check valves or luck to protect the engine vs a well installed bronze seacock and high quality hose clamps- check every 2 years and you’re fine….
We have a foot pump sea water spigot at galley sink and it’s very helpful. We also have one for fresh water. Both are great for conserving water.

Reluctance to add through hull openings should not be characterized as "fear".

I have that reluctance. I am not fearful.

But why then am I reluctant to add holes in my boat?

There are several principles I try to follow when considering changes to my boat. I realize that there will be guffaws far and wide over such small considerations, but consistently applying these and other principles have kept our boat light, fast, and easily maintainable, while being comfortable and convenient.

Here are a few which apply to this situation.

1. Focus on Simplicity. If one through hull works, then I can avoid two. It is simpler, less complex.
2. Reduce drag. Fewer drag adding holes in the hull. This principle extends to everything which makes a boat slower, however minor.
3. Remove stuff instead of adding stuff. A boat is not something you buy to put things on, you buy it for sailing. If I want to buy stuff and store them somewhere, I'll get a storage locker.

Note that I do not mention fear.

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

...As an aside; I fail to understand why so many are scared of seacocks...

Originally Posted by malbert73

I also don’t understand this seacock fear

To Bowdrie and malbert73, If you think people make choices like this based on fear, I think you might be projecting.

[tkeithlu]

I met a Nordhaven owner who said that he had 17 seacocks. One of the reasons I built my own boat was finding seacocks every place salt water was needed, including lots of places you'd never get to (under engines?) if one popped. Combining everything into one seacock that I can close from the salon above by a wire is to me a safety feature. It does require running hoses longer distances to get to the uses.