MacGregorSailors.com

I think this will be a simple question but I thought I would just ask to make sure.
I am going to hook up a bilge pump and automatic valve on my 26X, maybe two of them on each side but in hooking up to the 12volt system while I am under shore power, should I hook up the pumps directly to the batteries through a switch and bypass the main disconnect? While I am under shore power I have my batteries shut off and running my charger unit through the AC shore power.
Or do I need to have it run on the switch side of the main disconnect? That just seems a little odd and would make me keep the batteries turned on while under shore power just to make the pumps work.

With all the rain we are having in Seattle I am seeing some water in the bilge area and with all the other postings on leaking I have lots to look at to see if I can find the leaks.

I am going to hook up a bilge pump and automatic valve on my 26X, maybe two of them on each side

I have three bilge pumps on my X wired to a single on off switch through the DC distrubution panel. Unless you've added below the waterline thru hull fittings to your Mac, I don't see the necessity of automatic switches. If you do install them, it is common practice (on power boats I've owned, at least) to wire the pumps to a three way switch: off-automatic-on. The "on" position bypasses the float switches in an emergency.

That just seems a little odd and would make me keep the batteries turned on while under shore power just to make the pumps work.

Most people leave the house battery on while on shore power, and turn off only the starter battery. Why do you shut your house battery off? That's why you have a charger. The charger charges the batteries, the batteries supply the power.

Also, if you have the charger hooked to the load, rather than the battery side of the disconnect and leave the switches off, you're not charging the batteries when you're on shore power.

Finally, if you wire stuff into the battery side of the disconnect, you've defeated the purpose of the disconnect. The only thing on my boat wired to the hot side of the disconnect is the memory for the stereo.

Thanks Chip, The pumps would have a float switch not a automatic system. Your right I might as well keep battery one on to have the 12v lights work while under shore power.
Question for you, what locations did you place your pumps at and did you plumb the lines into the sinks or new thru hull fittings?

The automatic position routes power through the float switch. The float switch is what makes it automatic.

I have one on each side outside the longitudinal stringers, one in the center. The starboard and center ones are under the cooler liner, the port one under the aft galley seat right next to the stock battery.

Mine are routed each to its own thru hull; all three thru hulls located in a line on the starboard side gunnel, just above the rub rail.

This is the best picture I could find. They are well above the water line even when excessively heeled and thus can never backflow water into the bilge.

This is sure to generate a lot of hurt feelings and disagreement, but I believe routing the bilge pumps to the sink drains is a singularly bad idea. You have to install check valves in each bilge pump line to avoid draining sink waste or backflowing into the bilge. Check valves are notoriously prone to failure.

Chip, thanks for the photo, for today with all the rain we are getting I ran the line on the port side into the sink line with a back flow valve. AI will change it later to run like your photo shows and I will be adding the additional two pumps. My question if you can help me is what size pumps did you run and how did you run your thru hull drain lines, are they exposed in the double berth or did you run the lines thru the liners?
Did you then cut a access plate into the back seat area?
Thanks for all your help on the website, being new to boating I am learning a lot about what modifications make sense and are worth the effort.

Three each Rule 360 gph, cheapest I could find.

That gives me a theoretical 1080 gph though I have no illusions they'd actually pump that volume. Bilge pumps are known to be rated pretty optimisitically and I'm pushing a fairly high head to exit above the rubrail. Instead of mounting them solidly I put the two under the cooler liner each on an oversize piece of 1/4" HDPE and with some extra hose on each I can move them between compartments if necessary, though in retrospect this was probably a waste of effort.

My drain lines run into the space under the head sink, out the aft bulkhead wall of the head, then straight up through the underside of the cockpit liner to their exit locations. They are exposed for about a foot or so. I've considered boxing them in but don't believe it's worth the effort. In that location just aft of the head wall you almost have to be looking for them to see them. We don't use the aft bunk except for storage and as I can recall the last time I saw them was when I installed them two years ago.

There's a good sized access plate on the overhead already. I'm kind of a fanatic about the flotation foam; don't want to lose any if I can help it and the hardest part was getting the foam out without too much damage, then putting as much as I could back in.

Thanks for the update Chip, when the weather clears I will look at the same method, thank you again

Chip, noticed you have a small Aux motor, which looks like one I'd just bought this summer, long shaft Nissan 4 HP in my case.
Do you have any pics, suggestions or instructions as to what mount you'd used, where it's located etc.
Do you find it elevates enough to get out of the way when heeled etc.
Thanks in advance
Kenny
Perhaps I should have started new thread, but wanted to catch your eye on this question.

Chip, Did you put in 3 separate switches or do you have them all hooked up to one switch and each pump on a separate float switch?

Would it be advised to put a 3 position drum switch inline to select each switch when engaging manual run mode? I would not want to run a pump dry if that bilge area has not water to be removed

also were did you mount you switch, I was looking for any of your interior photos to get an idea of your internal mods

Nissan 4HP 4 stroke as well. It's mounted on a transom bracket; here's the best photo I have "off the shelf". Sorry I'm partially blocking the view.



The motor bracket is primarily for motor storage and only secondarily for motive power. It has 11" of drop/raise and it's not quite enough. With the motor up, sailing and heeled to starboard the motor drags in the water; I leave it in neutral and lock it facing forward to minimize the additional drag, but it annoys me.

With the motor down, and the boat level, it's still not quite low enough to power the Mac without ventilating. If I put all the moveable ballast (i.e., people) on the starboard side to induce a starboard list, I can keep the motor in the water enough so ventilation isn't a problem, but only in fairly smooth water.

The bilge pumps are all wired to a single on-off switch on the DC panel, no float switch. It's in the standard Mac X location though I've added a second 6-switch auxiliary panel to cover present and future needs. The Rule pumps are advertized to be safe to run dry. Though I wouldn't want to do it for hours, I've only ever had to run them about ten minutes to clear the bilge completley. That was when my almost full 40 gallon fresh water tank developed a leak amd emptied its entire contents into the bilge, so one was pumping, the other two dry. They're pretty noisy; it's not like you can't tell they're running and would leave them on inadvertantly, so I'm comfortable with this setup.