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Your boat your rules of course.

Your Rules bilge pump

Actually, I'd been mulling over adding a bilge pump to my as well, chiefly because I'm not entirely sure if all my factory floatation foam bits are in place, what with it having had two previous owners who had clearly done some strange and marvelous things. If anyone could point me to some sort of spot-by-spot inventory of where those foam chunks ought to be in an X, that might help put my mind at ease. For now, I've taken to shoving the odd large bits of molded packing foam such as appliances and whatnot ship in that might fit nicely into various nooks and crannies. If you're lucky, the shaped bits can also be handy for securely holding this or that. For example, I'm particularly happy with one chunk of foam in my battery compartment just aft of the galley that has a molded cutout in it perfect for toting one of those Harbor Freight multimeters that's really handy there for checking battery charge state.

I've also got a little 9 volt battery-powered water alarm such as folks often use in basements or laundry rooms tucked perfectly under the galley, just below the (stock) door and between those rails. If it gets wet it sounds a little wail perfectly audible even abovedeck. I've no idea where or even when I got mine, but it's just like this one:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Basement-Watch ... rm/1005609



I've also got a semi-craptastic but very portable 12 volt Harbor Freight bilge pump and longish hose with alligator clips to hook directly to a battery handy. I've never needed it on the Mac, but it's what pumped out my little Com-Pac 16 "Foundling" when I first got her.

An ultra simple kid’s super soaker toy my neighbor gave me years ago is one of the most effective bilge pumps when cleaning up after a basement pipe burst.

It fits into corners and is bone head easy to use,
Had it for like 5 years now and it is great for a next to nothing cost new

( My $35 bilge pump operated by a $45 bilge switch... )

Anyway, bilge pump is a failed experiment. I taped up the inlet grill until only the bottom 1/8" is exposed. Popped it in the bilge and ...
it does nothing. I still won't prime and it won't suck any significant water to any significant height.

I mean, sure if I had two inches of water in the bilge, it would work fine. But I can't get that last inch or so out.

The manual pump is extremely inconvenient.

Still searching for an ideal solution.


I suggested to my marine mechanic friend that what I needed was a small sump pit - just big enough to hold the pump - and went rooting around for my saw. He pointed out all I need is to drill a hole and let the water drain out. That's why he makes the bux.

Hi!

That last bit of water that bilge pumps don’t/can’t pump is a conundrum…..

Our solution which consistently works very nicely is to have propositioned 3/4 inch diameter “vacuum” lines at the collection low points and use thru-hull fittings to cabin accessible locations.

We use a 1gallon wet/dry vacuum to suck out that ‘residual’ water without having to open up everything. Works like a charm!

I believe I posted some pictures already.
I have a video of it working but don’t know how to upload it (Help?)

Hope this helps.

Ps: The way we chose to position the sump pumps and the vacuum lines also help clear out some of the inevitable dirt/debris that can collect at the sump pump grate.

Pre-piped vac lines for nuisance water is a great idea!

Hi JimmyT

About that Whale Gluper pump… Do you know if that’s a diaphragm pump or a centripetal pump?

Did anybody notice that while the pump is discharging water there is nothing in the inlet port

how about one of these
https://www.princessauto.com/en/115v-mi ... 0008717035
this one has max lift 3ft

I have this one I got it on sale
https://www.princessauto.com/en/115v-po ... 0005771233
Max lift 7ft

the 12v version
https://www.princessauto.com/en/12v-pon ... 0005771431
Max lift 6ft

I also use it to pump out my dinghy at the dock I have a 6ft hose on the pick up side & about 3 ft hose on discharge side , with the first one u could always pump into a 5 gal bucket then manually dump O/B , these pumps r all self priming
here,s more to look at
https://www.princessauto.com/en/searchr ... ype=search

gives u something to ponder on

J

OverEasy wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:53 am Did anybody notice that while the pump is discharging water there is nothing in the inlet port

Musta been a very high humid atmosphere ! doubles as a dehumidifier

J

My is mercifully water tight while stored on the hard, but along with variously-scented tealite candles from the local Ikea's 'Clearance and As-Is' room, I've found these Dollar Tree "DampRid" knockoffs for just a buck (instead of $5 for the name brand) tucked here and there just the ticket for keeping the cabin "Admiral Approved": https://www.dollartree.com/searchresult ... eliminator. Your choice of charcoal odor-eater or not. I'm happy to use either, depending on what's on the shelves. I'll also point a little fan down belowdecks here or there from time to time to help dry out any condensate.



For the truly cheap at heart, a container of something called "Fuller's Earth", better known as cheap kitty litter, will also work to trap moisture, and has many other uses for mechanics or pimply youths besides, as described in this other forum, with a helpful link to get 20 lbs. of the stuff for like four bucks from Wallyworld: https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/ind ... #msg308813

OverEasy wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:46 am Hi JimmyT

About that Whale Gluper pump… Do you know if that’s a diaphragm pump or a centripetal pump?

Sorry OverEasy. While researching the max angle of heel for bilge pump discharge, I see that I never answered your question…

The whale gulper is a diaphragm pump. Although pricey, it was probably the best solution for removing nuisance water in SeaSaw without using a shop vac.