110 volt sump pump as backup?

[boating rich]

We just got 6 inches of rain in a 24 hour period and my sump pump was cranking away for three days with full 1 1/2 pvc piping. It was a huge amount of water coming from my basement. It made me think..If I had some major leak on the boat like hitting a container, wouldn’t it be great to have a half horsepower 110 pump running off the generator instead of a 4000 gal/hr 12 volt little pump to keep me floating?

These sump pumps are cheap, easy to plumb and can lift a good amount of water 15 feet. I was thinking of having one as backup to my two normally sized 12 volts bilge pumps.

Am I missing anything in that logic?

 

[rslifkin]

If you have the equipment to power it and can put the thing in a position where it'll draw from low enough in the bilge to be useful, then yes, a high powered sump pump can make a good emergency pump. Pool pumps, electric trash pumps and other high output 120v pumps are also options.

 

[mvweebles]

I like the idea. I've used sump pumps for years and like yourself, have marveled at their durability. I have decent bilge pump capacity aboard, but for a longer passage with limited options, makes sense to have a Plan B dewatering option. Economical approach. Maybe install a standby outlet through hull 2 feet above waterline. Store the pump in a bucket with hose that can be connected in about 5 minutes as an emergency trash pump.

Good thought.

Peter

 

[Lepke]

I carry 2 120v sump pumps and hoses, I never had to use them.

 

[boating rich]

I am glad it isn’t too silly of an idea.

 

[Portage_Bay]

I think it's a good idea. I would be concerned that they won't stand up to salt water corrosion. I'd keep it out of the bilge until needed.

 

[PPandE]

I was on the hard once for over a month using a Home Depot sump pump for my a/c’s. It never quit but by the time I launched, the salt water had taken its toll. After cleaning and storing for a few months, it wouldn’t restart.

 

[Dwk]

An AC pump has lived on board since we have owned the boat. We have never had an emergency to use it. I used it when we deep cleaned our bilge when we first bought the boat in place of bilge pumps.

 

[rgano]

I was on the hard once for over a month using a Home Depot sump pump for my a/c’s. It never quit but by the time I launched, the salt water had taken its toll. After cleaning and storing for a few months, it wouldn’t restart.

But as a backup pump, which supposedly is NIB when you put it on the boat, it is still a good idea. I carried one in my trawler, and may get one for my current smaller vessel.

 

[caltexflanc]

We carried one, which we had at our former home on land. I kept it in a 5 gallon bucket. It came in handy a couple or three times, dewatering a swamped dinghy twice, and once when a deck drain hose leaked into a bilge where it turned out the limber holes were clogged. The biggest challenge was getting the long floppy discharge hose positions correctly. I also, in addition to a couple of installed high water pumps, had spare bilge pumps which could be deployed via long cables and alligator clips. Looking back, I think I would have merely gone that route if I hadn't already owned the sump pump. But you got to have a tested plan on how you are going to deploy whatever solution you decide on.

 

[PPandE]

But as a backup pump, which supposedly is NIB when you put it on the boat, it is still a good idea. I carried one in my trawler, and may get one for my current smaller vessel.

I completely agree. Mine was a cast iron pump and proved to be a one time use item. Either stepping up to something marine grade or stepping down to something plastic would be a better choice, at least in my situation.

 

[ksanders]

Having a AC powered emergency dewatering pump is a Great idea!

We have one that is rated at 60 gallons per minute at a 10’ head.
We keep it, along with a 12 gauge extension cord and 25’ of 2” quick disconnect hose in a cabinet in the salon.

This is not a household sump pump, it is a stainless steel, corrosive liquid rated, continuous duty industrial pump I bought at Grainger.

 

[syjos]

I've carried a 110 VAC pump designed for sewage on Sandpiper and previous boat. Have not needed it for dewatering Sandpiper but have used it to bail out a friends boat when he lost a thru hull.

If the pump can survive sewage, it will survive in salt water. I did run fresh water through it after that one use and run fresh water through it once a year to test it.

I carry 20 feet of collapsible 2" hose for the pump.

 

[IRENE]

Timely thread for us...thing of replacing the manual pump with a submersible trash pump (110VAC). We are a 2 person crew and if we hole the hull, there will be too much to do to obligate one crew to the manual pump.

I would follow the guidance in this post with regard to keeping it mounted out of the water. Looking at a Honda brand stainless unit.

Any problem with using the 2” discharge line and seacock for the manual pump which will be removed?

Thanks!

 

[FF]

The sump pump usually will not tolerate seawater for long.

Mounted above the bilge many house well water pumps will self prime a few feet and move lots of water.

As they are great pumps adding a method to use it as a deck wash, fire pump , or a dink pump would only be a valve or two and some hose.

Unlike a sump pump they would not tolerate being underwater.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I have always carried one. Pretty cheap from H.F.

Of course you will need to keep your head about you when the water starts gushing in to get the genny started or to have your inverter ready.

pete

 

[Lepke]

My sump pumps are all plastic except for the ss shaft. I don't think they're any more susceptible to corrosion than the average bilge pump.