Bilge Pump Location

[Russ]

Well I'm a special case, I do have a through hull. My A/C raw water intake is located on the port side space to the left of the battery housing, the storage area underneath the sink.

In that case, I'd sleep better with an automatic bilge pump. I like Jimmy's setup. Out the back where healing can't submerge the outlet.

[mac n cheese]

I also considered hard wiring a bilge pump with an auto feature and a proper bilge pump switch with Man/Auto function.
After some thought I figured a portable pump would do just fine as a couple members here have already mentioned. A big sponge and a
bucket for the rain water that comes in top side also works well. I'm hoping to rectify some of these top side leaks this summer.

I wired the pump with battery alligator clips but also kept the automatic mode using another battery clip so I have manual or auto option. Not sure yet where I would discharge
the water if I was to leave the boat for an extended period if in auto mode. Option is nice. See pic.

[Highlander]

I have a large bilge pump mounted under the ladder in front of my batts with a band clamp that,s the lowest part of the bilge in that area the Hull runs up from there to the transom about 1 1/2" mine also runs aft and my through hull runs out of the transom also high above the water line , I used heavy wall clear vinyl marine tubing designed for bilge pump use it lets u see if anything is growing inside it or if there is a blockage plus less restriction to flow , also make sure ur bilge pump is rated to pump as high as ur installed through hull fitting
I,m not a fan of those white plastic core-gated bilge hoses they reduce the flow rate of ur pump quite considerably, they trap water which also allows unseen mold to grow & they r prone to splitting with age

J

[eodjedi]

I don't think I would have enough room to mount it there. I will definitely change out the corrugated hosing to something smoother.

[sailertrash]

I just installed a rule 500 gph pump and a float switch under my batteries on my '02 26x.

I wired one switch for auto using the float switch, and another switch if I just want to turn the pump on. I live in AK where it rains a lot and last summer I got by using a portable pump with a bucket, but this year I want piece of mind when it's raining and my boat is 2 hours away in a slip. I can't confirm that this one pump is enough or how well it is going to work yet, but it seems like thats the low point on the port side.

If I install another one, I think it will be under the bathroom sink on the starboard side. I feel like those two spots are the lowest and are a pain to get to with the portable pump. A third pump back and center under the beds would be cool too, because there is another low point back there, but I think thats the easiest for me to get to with the portable pump if necessary.

We'll see how the first pump works and go from there. Hopefully it's enough.

I installed the pump because my chain plates are leaking bad when it rains. Just posted a new thread if anyone has advice on sealing them.

[adudinsk]

For my setup, I created a wooden wedge, and soaked it in Epoxy Resin.. then glassed it into the boat under the Rear berth.
I was then able to screw in a RULE LoProfile Bilge pump. (900gph)
I ran the tubing up the port side of the boat.. behind the rear birth "walls" created a loop.. and put my thru hull on the port side about 16" above the stripe of my 26M
Considering installing a 2nd one on the other side.. for symmetry..



AD

[KonstantinAtHouston]

Considering installing a 2nd one on the other side.. for symmetry..

You will also need a third one, in the center...

Unless M-hull is very different from X-hull on this picture:

[adudinsk]

In the center, I have a shower pump out... thats used to drain my sink into the engine pit, and then overboard.
Its a bilge in a box... so in will sort'a function as a 3rd bilge when the water is about 6-7" in the center pit.
Normally this is where the battery goes..
But I moved it (and have more than one now) to the sides and glassed in shelves for them.
Quite different layout...

AD

[ris]

I am always somewhat at a loss as to understand why you need a bilge pump in a Mac. Maybe X's are just naturally dry and M's are Not? Only time we had water in the bilge is when the PO's bilge pump would let water in the boat when we backed down the ramp. Got rid of bilge pump filled hole in transom and no more water in the Mac. Six years and 13,000 miles later only have a leak starting on the starboard side in the outer most longitudinal area just under the shower and forward about 4 feet. After 3 days of constant rain the admiral will sop up maybe a half a quart of water with a rag, run the fan for an hour and its all dry. Will investigate the leak when we arrive back home in October. I think it would be best to stop the leaks if possible then no need for a bilge pump.
Richard

[Jimmyt]

My bilge is bone dry. I installed a Rule 1100 for safety reasons, in hopes that I can self-rescue if I hit something that punches a hole in a non-ballasted area; take a big wave or two over bow with hatch open, or over stern with companionway open (neither likely). Finally, and more likely, I put it in to protect me from the plastic thru-hull near the water line for my sink and motor well drains. Even after I’ve put in a regulation thru-hull with valve there, I’ll still sleep better knowing there’s a bilge pump in the boat.

But, the boats are unsinkable unless you remove all of the flotation. So, if you don’t mind sitting in your swamped, but floating, boat waiting to be rescued, a bilge pump is entirely unnecessary. Not that you, or any of us, are likely to find out anyway.

That said, my house did get struck by lightning and burn, so trusting MY luck might not be too wise.

EDIT: After reading the first part of this thread, I see that I have already posted some of this thought...

[adudinsk]

I agree about the bone dry.
I had a TINY leak from my water ballast.. left a TINY TINY puddle (10-20ml always in the same corner by the battery)... tracked it down to a bubble in the original glass work.
EASY fix... 10 min of glass/epoxy work.

Other than that.. the others in the club cannot believe how dry the mac is.

AD

[Russ]

I am always somewhat at a loss as to understand why you need a bilge pump in a Mac. Maybe X's are just naturally dry and M's are Not?

Same. My M is bone dry. NOTHING. Ever. I did get some rain make its way from the main hatch to the cabin floor. But that's it.

The only time water came in was during launch when the aft got dunked hard and some water splashed through the engine steering arm into the compartment under the aft berth.

I would agree with Jimmy's rationale about that dang thru hull near/below the waterline for the cockpit drain/sink drain. It scares me too.
Having a bilge pump to deal with a leak with that might make me sleep better. That would be the only reason I would go through the trouble of installing one.

As for holing the boat. If that happens, I seriously doubt any little 12v pump would save me.

[Jimmyt]

As for holing the boat. If that happens, I seriously doubt any little 12v pump would save me.

My Rule 1100 test in place... keeping up with a pretty good pour out of a 5 gallon bucket. I rigged a little sump around it for the test so I wouldn't have to flood the entire bilge. But, it's in the right location pumping through the permanent discharge.

[Russ]

That rule pump would no doubt keep up with a leak from a failure in that jenky factory thru hull fitting. If you were onboard it would get you back to the ramp or until you could plug it with something. If you had shore power to the batteries, probably until you came back to the boat. So I definitely see the value of a bilge pump for small water leaks.

For an actual hull breach, I have little faith in any bilge pump (or pumps). If we punched a hole in our boats, it would likely be pretty bad.

When I had my Hunter, I had to pull the knotmeter paddlewheel that was in one of the V-berth compartments because it wasn't working. It came with a plug that you swapped for the sender unit. In the 3 seconds it took me to swap the plug for the sender, a firehose of water gushed in with incredible force. What a sinking feeling to see water come in that fast. It was quite scary. In that 3 seconds, I would guess 10-15 gallons of water filled the compartment.
It was then I came to believe an actual hull breach would never be serviceable by a bilge pump.

My biggest concern with owner installed bilge pumps is doing it properly. Without proper venting, loops, discharge locations, it could create a bigger problem than it's trying to solve. There are great resources for proper bilge pump installations. eg: https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice/ex ... bilge-pump

[Starscream]

The RULE or SEAFLO low-profile bilge pumps are great. Very flexible, and they fit in the bilge under the aft berth without any additional mounting requirements. They can be wedged in, and tacked in place with just a bit of epoxy. Easy access. Easy plumbing. Comes with everything except the discharge hose and thru-hull.

In our X, our two pumps (one starboard, one port) exit high up under the galley sink and under the head sink. Both have anti-backflow valves, so even at a major lean angle crazy enough to submerge the rubrail, there shouldn't be any significant ingress. And if there is...well, I have bilge pumps to deal with that.

I don't expect them to keep up with a hull breach. But as others have said, those lousy factory fittings at the sink drains and motor well drains sometimes keep me up at night. On our X, all of those drains are underwater for a major portion of their lives.

The test run of the bilge pump shot water about 20 feet out the side...800GPH is a lot, even after it gets reduced by the corrugated pipe and the couple feet of lift.