Dry Bilges, How Often Do You Check Your Pumps?

To go along with the dry bilge thread:
So if you have dry bilges, how often do you check your bilge pump systems?

So I have two compartments with two pumps each. Each compartment has high water alarms and high water remote notification systems (part of my boat monitoring system). Only way I know to test all the systems to verify functionality is to fill each compartment with water to verify everything.

I do mine once a year. How often do you do yours?

Ted

I hose out my bilge a couple of times each year. Just to be sure everything works and to make sure there’s no debris to hang up in the pumps or switches.

Generally I either do some cleaning or other work at least once or twice a year (including draining the water heater to winterize, etc.) that puts some water in the engine room bilge and tests the low level pump there. The aft bilge is pretty small and doesn't stay bone dry anyway, so I occasionally squirt some water back there and make sure the pump runs.

For the forward bilge and the higher mounted pump in the engine room it's a little harder to test. Generally for the forward bilge I'll plug the small drain to the engine room bilge and add water to test it. I have flooded the bilge enough to test the high water pump, but the last time I tested I just unclipped it from its mount, set it into a big pan of water and flipped the float switch. Less messy and less chance of getting water somewhere I don't want it (that pump is mounted higher than I'd really like, but it doesn't fit any lower due to the shape of the bilge).

Maybe I don't do it right so please advise. I check mine by simply lifting the float switch. Is that acceptable? There is usually enough water in the bilge so the switch is partially floating and to pump some overboard before the pump starts sucking air. Probably do it every few weeks.

Good question. When I first got the boat the bilge always had water because of course the regular bilge pumps couldn't remove it all. It seems I was replacing pumps or switches frequently. But it was the higher water level in the bilge that always gave away the failure.

Now that I have had the dry bilge in place for several years I still have the same switches and same pumps and 100% reliability.

I check the main and emergency switch and pumps:
* Every few months by manually lifting the float just to hear it run
* Every time I am working in the area and in close proximity.
* During storm prep prior to approaching major weather event.
* When cleaning with actual water in the bilge to get the main pump to actuate and flow. That's maybe once a year.

I probably need to use a bucket of water to test the actual flow of the emergency pump since it would be difficult fill that high. I need to do that since its been a while. Thanks for the reminder.

Its clear to me now that using a dry bilge system will keep your main and emergency bilge system in a higher state of readiness for a longer period of time. That helps me sleep at night.

Often.

TBill36 said:

Maybe I don't do it right so please advise. I check mine by simply lifting the float switch. Is that acceptable? There is usually enough water in the bilge so the switch is partially floating and to pump some overboard before the pump starts sucking air. Probably do it every few weeks.

Click to expand...

Not a bad idea to lift the float switch, but an actual test proves functionality. I would want to know the float switch floats and doesn't hang on the pivot. Want to know the hose doesn't leak or isn't kinked. Want to know the mud wasps haven't built a nest in the hose, blocking the discharge.

If you have a high water alarm and / or a second pump that never comes on, need to see and hear it as well.

Ted

I too have water in the bilge, the pump won't suck it dry. There is enough water in the bilge for the pump to work without sucking air. I think lifting the switch until the pump is discharging is good enough for a routine check. I do occasionally squirt some water into the bilge to see the system work as designed. The switch float comes up on it's own, pump comes on and discharges water, shuts off when the float drops.

TBill36 said:

Maybe I don't do it right so please advise. I check mine by simply lifting the float switch. Is that acceptable? There is usually enough water in the bilge so the switch is partially floating and to pump some overboard before the pump starts sucking air. Probably do it every few weeks.

Click to expand...

routine checks are a good idea. My dependable primary pump was running but not pumping. There was a duckbill in the discharge (original) to keep water in the line from coming back, which decided not to open. I removed it.

I throw the switch to manual before leaving the marina. It is a little irritating as it has a beeper and flashing light, but with an empty bilge, I then know that I shouldn't have it go off for at least a few days.

Using the manual switch normally wouldn't check whether the float switch is working properly, but I have a simple routine that basically shows me whether the float switch is okay. After my pump turns off from the float switch dropping back, I then switch to manual and count seconds until the residual is pumped overboard. For me, that is always under 14 seconds. So now when I go to the boat, even if not going out, I can manually pump the bilge to check the pump and switch. If it ever pumped for more than 14 seconds, I would know that the float switch is not working.

The secondary pump is by my battery box and accessed through a rear hatch. I check the water level in the batteries several times a year and lift the float switch to test. It is higher than the forward pump, with the pump and float switch still new looking, and may have never pumped anything. I probably should turn off the primary, flood the bilge, and run that pump to make sure the prior owner plumbed it right.

When I removed my generator, that left an unused 1.5" seacock that had been the exhaust. Perfect for bilge pump #3 (that project has now moved up the list to #27). Another project that I haven't gotten to is installing a cycle counter on the bilge pump. I have the little gadget, just haven't hooked it up. That would allow me to see how many times the pump went off if I was gone for a month or two. It could show if issues were starting.

I would visually and manually check all bilge pumps every 2-3 months after an annual process of using a hose to add fresh water and watching the discharge to confirm no blockages. We discovered plenty of wood and fiberglass shavings left over from the build process would shake loose and clog the pump. Without filling the bilge with water it's impossible to know what FOD may be hiding. Yes, it was a pain and would have to use a small cup and towel to completely dry out the bilge. I viewed this as part of our preventative maintenance process.

John T