Guzzler manual bilge pump set up

[jfair1954]

Model is 400 or 500 but not sure .
I replaced diaphragm last year but i am not sure if the instalation is appropriate to maximize the pumping from the intake hose in the bilge to the end of the discharge hose trough the transom.
It is set up in a way that the intake hose segment running from the bottom of the bilge to the intake valve on the pumps seems much too long ...there is approx 3 feet of hose tangled inside the bilge , than running up to the pump intake valve running an extra 3 to 4 feet of hose.
It is a 1 1/2 corrugated hose that just lays in the bottom and wanting to float as the water raises...
Should there not be a foot valve or something...Should it be shorter...Should there be any loop in the hose or as straight up as posible on the way to the pump intake valve?
How did you install yours ?
Then comes the discharge hose that is running from the pump discharge valve , attached with tie raps to the underside of the cokpit floor ,and running aft and then upward toward the discharge pipe...
Is this how it is meant to be...When I use my hand and weigh segments of the discharge hose under the cokpit, it is always full and even more pumping will not pump out the remaining water in the hose.
It is as the previous owner had it and I really never paid attention until now
What should I do to improve the pump performance
TKS in advance for your comments
JFR

[Bristol14]

I can help with a few of your questions. My Whaler pump has a much shorter hose and only loops up to the discharge port. Last year I installed a Rule bilge pump and connected it to a ?Y? fitting that has built in check valves so bilge water doesn?t flow back. Now I have both an electric and manual bilge pump option. The previous owner weighted to end of the hose so it wouldn?t float up. Interestingly enough, he tied a small flat rock to the end of the hose for the weight.

[jfair1954]

Tks Bristol
I see you are located in Buzzards Bay...
1991,17 August, Hurricane Bob, I was there on a Farrier 27 with some friends...Bob changed its track and headed for Buzzards.We did not know the area and settled to beach the trimaran on the small island in front of Onset.We spent hours in the water saving the boat from crashing iton the trees that bordered the beach on the island,,,that is how high the water had been rising...
Had always sailed on lakes before...welcome to the real world and lucky to still be here to say it
JFR

[Bristol14]

Hurricane Bob will go down in the history of. Marion as one of the worst storms to hit us. It?s said the the 1938 hurricane was worse, but I wasn?t around for that. Bob?s storm surge pushed moored boats into fields and parking lots. The street we lived on at the time had trees down and crisscrossed onto the road. Power was out for more than a week. The storm was a direct hit on Marion as it roared down Buzzards Bay. Still, I guess Gulf coast cities and towns have seen much worse.

[brackish]

1. no you should not have that much hose on the intake side of the pump
2. you should have an intake strainer which accomplishes a number of things, a. keeps the hose weighted to the bottom of the bilge, b. keeps any trash from getting in the pump, c. has an internal valve that closes off the inlet so that any water in the hose doesn't run back in to the bilge.   Can be bought for that size hose for $20 for plastic $35 for bronze I believe.
3. Yes the discharge hose is likely to keep water in it unless you can route it with a continuous slope down, when the bilge is dry enough to allow air and air gets in the discharge side, it will not continue to pump.  Basic physics, water is not compressible, air is. It is not a problem though.
4. no you will never get your bilge perfectly dry unless you sponge it out.
I too, added 12V bilge pump that ties into the main line.  There was dismay by the purists about the line having enough capacity, but I tested it post installation and it will carry both the manual and the 12V just fine with both of them operating simultaneously. If you are on a mooring, a 12V with an auto switch would be a good addition, particularly if you have a solar panel to maintain battery charge.  I put a loop in that line to minimize back flow.  Pics of the discharge side plumbing and the pump.