How many bilge pumps do you have?

[Martin J]

38 in total

4 in aft cockpit
2 in engine room
1 Fwd aft Holding tank
1 Midships companionway

[dhays]

I have 3 Rule pumps, 1 aft, 1 in the ER bilge, and 1 forward. I also have a shower pump, but as it is inside a sump box, it wouldn't help much unless I disconnected the hose from the shower to open it up. There is a manual pump centrally in the ER. I have one spare on board.

[danderer]

Originally Posted by Vashon_Trawler

Most electric pumps (even the large ones) are generally good for dispensing of water from small leaks and accumulations from rain, leaving a hatch open, shaft drips, etc. No electric pump is going to offset a leak from a hull breach.

I felt pretty comfortable with my current setup: 4 pumps with a total nominal capacity of 8500 GPH on a 40' boat.

However, when changing the depth transducer I realized a failure of even that single small fitting would overwhelm all my pumping capacity and sink the boat.

The math is pretty straightforward. Even assuming all 4 pumps work correctly my effective pump rate would probably be 4000-5000 GPH. The transducer fitting, a 2" hole located 2' below the waterline will admit about 6700 GPH.

Absent quickly acquiring more pumping capacity or stemming the flow, the boat is going to the bottom.

That is just an example, but my takeaway is the importance of the advice above: Be ready to deal with flooding situations by limiting the ingress of water--don't just expect to rely on your pumps.

[O C Diver]

2 compartments with 2 bilge pumps each plus the shower sump pump. All less than 5 years old and water tested annually. Also have dry bilges.

Ted

[Vashon_Trawler]

Originally Posted by danderer

That is just an example, but my takeaway is the importance of the advice above: Be ready to deal with flooding situations by limiting the ingress of water--don't just expect to rely on your pumps.

I wholeheartedly agree! Focusing on pumps is important, but boaters should seriously focus more energy on their thru hull and seacock situation (e.g., use through bolted sea cocks with heafty flange adapters).

I do feel confident in my prop shaft driven bilge pump. Assuming my engine is still working, it should move a lot of water (thousands of gallons per hour). It is probably overkill for my 24' trawler. I mostly travel the Florida ICW and coastal waters, so my hope is it will provide enough time for me to beach the boat, plug the hole, or get my wife and little one on the dinghy!

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Lots

[cardude01]

If one had a hole in the hull he needed to try to fill in an emergency, I read on another thread that people have used foam rubber. Would that be like memory foam or some other kind?

[healhustler]

Three 2000 GPH on two circuits. One at lowest point aft engine, one forward of engine, and on forward under galley with catastrophic alarm. Also plumbing engine raw water intake to bilge via y-valve.

[Insequent]

Three in bilge with float switches. Plus one diaphragm type, manually switched, with a pancake pickup to get the bilge almost dry.

Two in shower sumps with float switches.

Three in spare parts inventory.

[johnma]

Three normal, one high water level emergency, and one shower sump.
John

[AusCan]

I have 3 on my 30 footer plus a couple spares.

I also keep a variety of plugs, foam balls, tarps, bits of plywood, etc for dealing with a breach of the hull if necessary. I could never see the point of installing manual pumps. I would think that I'd be better off trying to slow the leak, rather than manually stroking a low volume pump if there ever was a hull breach.

Bridaus - I'm surprised you aren't aren't intimately familiar with your bilge pumps. Especially if it has been running daily. I'd be somewhat concerned about where the water is coming from.

[cardude01]

Originally Posted by AusCan

I have 3 on my 30 footer plus a couple spares.

I also keep a variety of plugs, foam balls, tarps, bits of plywood, etc for dealing with a breach of the hull if necessary. I could never see the point of installing manual pumps. I would think that I'd be better off trying to slow the leak, rather than manually stroking a low volume pump if there ever was a hull breach.

.

What kind of foam makes a good plug? Would memory foam work or some other type? I have a memory foam mattress topper on the master bed so it’s available in an emergency.

[eagle419]

I have 3 water tight bilge compartments, with an auto pump and a switched scavenger pump in each.

There is also a high capacity main engine driven fire/bilge pump with input & output manifolds.

Plus a manual fire/bilge pump on deck, also with input/output manifolds.

This setup is inherited from the boat's commercial survey past, but I reckon it's the bare minimum for this old wooden boat.

On my (long) list is a portable trash pump, plus upgrading the three auto pumps.

[bridaus]

Originally Posted by AusCan

Bridaus - I'm surprised you aren't aren't intimately familiar with your bilge pumps. Especially if it has been running daily. I'd be somewhat concerned about where the water is coming from.

I know where two are, and I'm in the act of getting familiar. Boat is new to me, and even after purchase it was a few hours away. Just got my hands on it, going through it stem to stern.

I know where the water is coming from (rain/deck leaks). I'm not sure it runs once a day, the check valve (I know) is busted and water runs back down in. I don't think it's really ejecting very much water at all. That's another thing I need to get a handle on. I'm first tending to dangerous wiring.

[eagle419]

Originally Posted by cardude01

What kind of foam makes a good plug? Would memory foam work or some other type? I have a memory foam mattress topper on the master bed so it’s available in an emergency.

Google TruPlug.

They're good for circular or irregular holes, can be compressed by hand and are easily trimmed and shaped.

Memory foam might also be good for this purpose, but imagine searching for and finding your leak, then getting back to your berth, then stripping it down to get to the mattress, then grabbing a suitable knife, then cutting out a suitable shape, then taking it back to the leak, then recutting to size, then stuffing it in the hole/breach.

All too stressful for me - I keep tapered softwood plugs at each through-hull, and several TruPlugs.

Not cheap, but in a flooding emergency who's counting?

[Fletcher500]

Good reminders about having tools on hand to seal a hull leak. I have two foam plugs, water proof putty material, and that’s about it. Finding the leak in the hull with water in the bilge would not be easy, and if it happened at night...yikes.

On a related subject, Rescue Tape should be on the list. We used two rolls to seal a fairly significant leak in an exhaust riser offshore 3 years ago. Drove the boat 125 miles back to Port and it held. Can be used for hoses, and other things

[AusCan]

This article shows a few methods of stemming the flow during a hull breach.

https://www.admiralyacht.com/wp-cont...at-sinking.pdf

[eagle419]

Here's my extra roving 'flooding box' with spare plugs, waterproof putty, rescue tape, knives, plug hammers etc etc.

Too much preparation is never enough.

[cardude01]

I have a toilet wax ring. I’m set!

[Fletcher500]

I have those same red, conical, plugs. Has anyone ever used one to seal a hull breach? How did it go?