Salt Water to Sink

[Cherp]

Hi. We are planning to add a salt water tap to the sink on our boat. We already have fresh water via a pump and accumulator, and a fall-back hand pump for fresh water should the electric pump fail.

Will a standard water pump handle salt water, or are there special pumps for that purpose? We wouldn't need a lot of pressure. It would be for a pre-wash to conserve fresh water on longer passages.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers

[GordMay]

The Whale ”Gusher Galley Mk 3" Foot Pump is an excellent salt-water pump:
➥ https://www.whalepumps.com/marine/pr...-foot-operated

➥ https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1125818


Use with a plastic or chromed-brass faucet (no tap/valve).

[Bill O]

+1 for the Whale gusher foot pump.


It is a personal preference to not have a salt water pump in the galley, but we had one in our previous boat and decided we didn't like it.

Seems like a great idea to pre-rinse dishes etc. but then you need to thoroughly rise the salt off or it could ruin expensive pots/pans.

Long and short we also want to keep the hydroscopic salt amount inside the boat to a min., so no salt water pump inside the boat.
If you need to do a pre-rinse, you could still do it up on deck.


Bill O.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The Whale ”Gusher Galley Mk 3" Foot Pump is an excellent salt-water pump:
➥ https://www.whalepumps.com/marine/pr...-foot-operated

➥ https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1125818


Use with a plastic or chromed-brass faucet (no tap/valve).

Perfect

We have pressure fresh water, almost never used. We also have fresh and salt foot pumps and a spare. These are the easiest way I know to conserve your fresh water. Wash in salt, rinse sparingly in fresh. You have two hands free and excellent control of volume.

[contrail]

Originally Posted by Bill O

+1 for the Whale gusher foot pump.


It is a personal preference to not have a salt water pump in the galley, but we had one in our previous boat and decided we didn't like it.

Seems like a great idea to pre-rinse dishes etc. but then you need to thoroughly rise the salt off or it could ruin expensive pots/pans.

Long and short we also want to keep the hydroscopic salt amount inside the boat to a min., so no salt water pump inside the boat.
If you need to do a pre-rinse, you could still do it up on deck.


Bill O.

[Nicholson58]

All good points on the salt. Our favorite pan is an old fashioned cast iron. Salt-fresh rinse has not been a problem. We are beginning our third season aboard in the Caribbean as soon as hurricanes are past. Salt in the air is unstoppable no matter how careful you are. More noticeable is the salt stink arising from the drain. A bit of dilute bleach once a week handles this.

[jstevens]

I made good use of a salt water spigot at the galley sink on trans-Atlantic passages, using the fore mentioned Whale foot pump.
However, the hose from the mainfold valve accumulated a lot small plants and animals when not in use after the passage. The smell was pretty foul. So I keep the valve closed and the hose flushed when not on a passage.
Also I really don't want to use harbor or marina water in my galley sink.

John

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by jstevens

I made good use of a salt water spigot at the galley sink on trans-Atlantic passages, using the fore mentioned Whale foot pump.
However, the hose from the mainfold valve accumulated a lot small plants and animals when not in use after the passage. The smell was pretty foul. So I keep the valve closed and the hose flushed when not on a passage.
Also I really don't want to use harbor or marina water in my galley sink.

John

Slightly off topic, but how did you flush the salt hose when you closed it off? Did you disconnect the hose and flush through with fresh? Obviously cleaning it out of all any organic matter is critical to preventing growth, decay, and hence smell...

Regards,
David

[billknny]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The Whale ”Gusher Galley Mk 3" Foot Pump is an excellent salt-water pump:
➥ https://www.whalepumps.com/marine/pr...-foot-operated

➥ https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1125818


Use with a plastic or chromed-brass faucet (no tap/valve).

There is nothing wrong with these pumps, they work great for either fresh or salt water except...

..according to the manufacturer (and common sense) they are not suited for location below the waterline where a simple diaphragm failure could lead to rapid flooding of the boat If installed below the cabin sole in most sailboats they WILL be below the water line. BAD idea. Many of people ignore the instructions that come with the pumps and do it, but it is a risk that should be avoided.

[stnick]

Any hand pump will do . Go to a RV store or web site for 25 dollars you can get a nice one. Still use a thru hull and sea cock !

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by Bill O

+1 for the Whale gusher foot pump.
Seems like a great idea to pre-rinse dishes etc. but then you need to thoroughly rise the salt off or it could ruin expensive pots/pans.

Long and short we also want to keep the hydroscopic salt amount inside the boat to a min., so no salt water pump inside the boat.
If you need to do a pre-rinse, you could still do it up on deck.

Bill O.

We have been living aboard for three years straight. At the galley sink there is pressurized fresh water, foot pump fresh water, and foot pump seawater. There is also a SeaGull water filtration system for drinking water, ice cubes, etc.

In the head there is pressurized fresh water, foot pump fresh water, and a seawater flush Groco toilet.

We use the seawater foot pump a LOT when we are at anchor or making a passage - when the seawater is clean. We don't use it while in the marina. Even though we have a watermaker, using seawater when possible saves a lot of fresh water.

We have All-Clad (ie expensive) cookware on board, which gets used every single day. Not once has it been damaged or ruined by pre-rinsing it in sea water.

Never heard of hydroscopic so I looked it up:
Hygroscopic Versus Hydroscopic. You may encounter the word "hydroscopic" used in place of "hygroscopic". Although hydro- is a prefix meaning water, the word hydroscopic is a mis-spelling and is incorrect. A hydroscope is an instrument used to take deep sea measurements.

For me, worrying about getting seawater IN or ON an ocean going sailboat would be futile and a complete waste of my energy. Especially since I frequently drag my BC down the companionway and through the salon to the shower for a freshwater rinse after scuba diving.

KI7SMF

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by Bill O

+1 for the Whale gusher foot pump.


It is a personal preference to not have a salt water pump in the galley, but we had one in our previous boat and decided we didn't like it.

Seems like a great idea to pre-rinse dishes etc. but then you need to thoroughly rise the salt off or it could ruin expensive pots/pans.

Long and short we also want to keep the hydroscopic salt amount inside the boat to a min., so no salt water pump inside the boat.
If you need to do a pre-rinse, you could still do it up on deck.


Bill O.

Someone on this forum previously mentioned that they put their dishes in a mesh bag and tow behind the boat for the intitial cleaning.

[jstevens]

I made an error in my previous post. The seawater spigot in the galley was driven by a Finspray hand pump not a foot pump. The galley foot pump is for freshwater to help conserve water over using the electric pump. I'm amazed at how easily I get confused these days.
I actually hadn't thought about the risk of a seawater foot pump sited below the waterline. I don't know if it is any more risky than the hose attachment to the manifold valve (also below the waterline), but it is worth considering.

John

[Bill O]

Thanks for catching my typo, guess I need my coffee before I start writing.

Again its a personal preference to stop avoidable salt introduction down below and why we wash our dive gear and ourselves in fresh water on deck. Some people wash there clothes in salt water also, but again not practice we would do.

Getting some salt down below is unavoidable, but it doesn't take much effort to keep it out.


Bill O.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by deluxe68

Someone on this forum previously mentioned that they put their dishes in a mesh bag and tow behind the boat for the intitial cleaning.

Tried that ~30 years ago when still using plastic plates. Surprisingly, we found that after a while even the plastic plates started to get pitted.


Bill O.