DaveC426913 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 1:08 pm
I've given up on the sailor's adage 'better to stop the leak than rely on a bilge pump'. Water gets in and it sits and moulds. I've come to terms with that.
I've looked around at standard bilge pumps and they're not suiting my needs.
- I can't/won't mount it permanently, since I need to move it around to the various bilges in a Mac (at least port and starboard, which are not connected).
- I don't really need an auto setting. I'll just run it for a minute or two when I step on.
- If it's not mounted, then I won't/shouldn't wire it up directly to a switch on the panel.
- I probably will mount it on my port side, pulling from under the battery, but I'll make sure it's trivial to use elsewhere.
I realize I might really just need a small portable switched pump with an in and out hose on the ends. I wonder if something from an aquarium store might suit me better.
Alternately, I could permanently install the pump but run a hose to *each* bilge with a splitter valve.
How have the rest of you handled bilge water?
Incidental bilge water: large amounts - wet vac; small amounts - towel or sponge
Hole in boat bilge water: Rule 1100gph automatic pump mounted just aft of cabin ladder
Pumps are problematic for incidental water in our boats because they have no sump, and, as you point out, the bilge is somewhat compartmentalized.
A centrifugal bilge pump will pump out small debris but won't pump when the impeller isn't submerged.
Some small positive displacement pumps will allow you to use a suction hose, and won't suffer the backwash that is typical with centrifugal bilge pumps at shutdown. However, some won't tolerate debris in the water. The diaphragm type with duckbill or trivalve checks will tolerate debris fairly well.
All of that to say, getting the right portable pump that you can use a suction hose on, and that will self-prime, is a bit of a challenge. But, a wet vac is guaranteed to work.
Good luck. Hope you can find a solution that suits you.