Bilge pump

[steve brown]

One item on my Spring to do list is to check the bilge pump.  I put the pick-up pipe in a bucket of water and operated the handle. No water movement. I then poured some water down the pipe and ran the pump and got a prime and it drained the bucket for the most part. I then noticed about an 1 1/2" of water in the bilge. Apparently there is a leak in the discharge hose most likely up near the transom discharge pipe. Most of the water made it out overboard. The air temperature was around 35-40 degrees during this test so maybe things were not sealed tight due to the cold.. I have got to try and squirm back through the starboard lazarette and see what is wrong. I may have to cut an inspection port behind the gas tank locker to get at the discharge pipe clamp? Maybe I should overhaul the pump while I am at it (Guzzler 500 pump) also. I would appreciate any help on this one. Thanks guys. Steve

[jimyoung]

Steve,

I am not sure if your pump is similar to the one in my 27 but if it is then be sure to check the condition of the check valve/strainer that is at the distal end of the pick-up tube.  My pump was having a difficult time getting an initial prime until I noticed that the check valve flap was worn out.  I was lucky enough to find a replacement at "Sailorman" (a local marine salvage store) and it took care of the problem.

Without this valve/strainer the pump would work fine once a "prime" was established but when you need a bilge pump on the water you really don't want to be worried about how you are going to get it primed!

Good luck and happy sailing.

Jim

[hazelscamp]

Jim,  interesting info about the check valve.   I need to check mine as the pump sometimes behaves as if the prime is being lost.     Is "distal end of the pickup tube"  a new nautical term or do we have a ship's surgeon on board ?

Wishing you a great sailing season.

[steve brown]

Jim, I would assume that the bilge pump/pick-up/evacuation system on a 19 would be simpler than on a 27. My system uses a Guzzler 500 bilge pump. A 1 1/2" PVC hose extends into the small bilge cavity with nothing on the end. A similar hose (discharge) runs to the transom elbow fitting. The 500 pump operates via a small lever handle. I manage to get back through the quarter berth to the transom and found a crack in the discharge hose. I will replace this and have ordered a service kit to overhaul the pump. I really like the 27; same designer as the 19. Wishing you and all a great sailing season. Steve

[jimyoung]

hazelscamp

Good guess.  No I am not a doctor, but a design engineer working mostly with medical devices and have to work primarily with surgeons.  Some terms just seem to carry over to the real world when they "work".

I am not sure if all Compacs come with this screen/check valve but it sure is on mine.  I suspect that a lot of guys have removed them the first time they get clogged up with debris as the pump will still work fine as long as the valves in the pump are "wet".  The check valve only comes into play if the pump has not been used for a while and the pump valves dry up and cannot hold an air-tight seal on their own.

Jim

[Craig Weis]

Each spring as Comfort and Joy sits on her trailer I test my manual bilge pump by filling the void under the potty with about three gallons of water. Then grab my handle [I made a clip and keep my pump handle handy under the seatee for a fast grab if needed] and within several pumps I expect to see water going over the side through my scupper.

End of test of the self priming, positive displacement factory pump required by law. What is the capacity? About help me here. These are in the WestMarine catalog.

In addition... I have scrapped all the gray factory paint out of the void area under the potty, no need putting that through the pump. And I purchased a 750 gph [12.5 gpm with a near zero foot head to work against] electric bilge pump with an automatic switch that also allows the pump to continue running for a few seconds after starting to suck air.
This helps to clear the tube leading to the scupper of pumped water. The tube by the way tees into the manual line down stream of the check valve. There is not a lot of room in the void and the pump pretty much fills the void. Not much room for ice and beer!

To secure the pump to the lowest possible point in the void I simple silicon ed the bottom of the pump screen/strainer assembly to the bottom of the void and the actual pump snaps on to this strainer. The electric wiring is secured to the bulkhead side so as not to pull on the pump and then up to the switch that came with the pump. The switch is mounted adjacent to the boat's electric panel.

The switch has an auto/manual test selection and it works well as long as I have juice in the battery. It is hooked directly to the battery and all other consumables on my boat do have a switch and fuse. No fuse hear, but a circuit breaker.

The big test after installation was a garden hose, the running pump, a hooked up battery charger, a beer, and a whole half hour of run time. Not a problem. I test my systems! skip.

Let's face it. At 12.5 gpm, a hole in the boat and your going down. Just not so fast. Might be able to run her up on the beach and walk ashore.

[mikeg]

Skip,
Nice idea on the clip for the manual bilge pump handle. I hadn't formulated an emergency, easy-to-deploy system for my handle- but after reading your post, it seems so logical. I'll eventually install same on my 19.

Also, and this is way off-topic--- I'm running my first Boston Marathon this Monday- and the wx forecast is total crap--- 40 degrees, 25mph headwind and possible rain. If any of y'all think of it, please send me a good prayer/
good thought out on Monday around 10am. My wife and I are also flying Jetblue Orlando to BOS, so hoping there's no wintry precip--just rain, on the ride up.

Best to all,
Mike G. -s/v Freebird -CP19/II

[Craig Weis]

Good luck in the run. fAIR WEATHER, PACE YOURSELF. i DON'T THINK i CAN RUN TO THE END OF THE DOCK!!! hONEST!! SKIP.

OK So How Did You Do Running In The Boston 'Trot'? During The Big Rain.

[mikeg]

Thanks Skip,

It oughta be very, VERY interesting on Monday. The Boston Marathon is known for, shall we say, "diverse" weather in April- and this one could go down as one of the less-ideal of races. The one good thing is that, if the bad forecast comes true, even the most elite of runners will still have this uncontrollable element thrown in (the suck of running in rain and heavy wind)--- so we'll all be suffering together. What is it about Misery Loves Company ??

Thanks again, and good sailing this weekend to those who can get out.
Mike

[steve brown]

Get out this weekend? It is snowing here in the NE and when I called my marina today they reported that the lake is still frozen over. There better be a miracle on May 1st. Steve

[steve brown]

Well I went at it yesterday and overhauled the Guzzler 500 bilge pump on Odina. The kit comes with 2 valves and 1 diaphragm, and no instructions. The pump is easily removed and disassembled. Before you take it apart, look into both the inlet and outlet ends of the pump and make note on which way the flap valves are oriented. The inlet will show the flat side of the valve while the outlet will show the half round side with a small nub on the end. The rocker arm pivots about a tiny plastic sleeve that can be pushed out with a small Phillips screw driver; to allow access to the last chamber bolt. My original valves were starting to tear and the diaphragm exhibited some fatigue. When mounting the pump back in the cockpit, align the 4 holes of the assembly in place with 4- 8 or 10 Penny nails; makes installing the machine screws easier. My pump has more pressure now. Rain and snow please go away. Steve