Is a manual bilge pump worthwhile?

[Marco Flamingo]

I had a manual bilge pump (Guzzler 10 gpm) mounted on the rear bulkhead in my engine room. It appeared to be original. The intake hose went the length of the ER at deck level (behind a fuel tank) and down the ER front bulkhead to the bilge. The discharge hose was coiled, but apparently was to be fed through a screw-on access port in the rear bulkhead and out through the lazarette hatch (when opened) and overboard. Not only was the run long (30' total), complicated, and difficult to set up (10 minutes?), but being on my hands and knees down in the aft end of the engine room reaching between the genny and the hot water tank is not where I would want to be pumping in an emergency.

I removed it and was looking at other possible locations. But how many trawlers have a manual bilge pump aboard and how many of those are really just a "feel good" installation like my original setup?

I'm presently reworking my 12V bilge pumps and have to wonder if something like adding the auxiliary pump in a Home Depot bucket (in another thread here) would be where I should spend my time, effort, and money. I understand that if my engine can't start, the genny can't start, the batteries are dead or shorted from high water, a manual pump would still work. But if the batteries were flooded from high water, there is no way I'm going into the engine room to setup and use a little manual pump. Time to change from pump mode to swim mode.

Thoughts on the value of a 10 gpm manual bilge pump?

 

[rslifkin]

As far as I'm concerned, unless you typically have at least 3 or 4 people on board, a manual pump is worthless. With a small crew, you're far better off spending time doing something about a leak than sitting there pumping. Just make the electric pump setup more robust and/or carry a large pump (not a bilge pump in a bucket) like a sump pump or trash pump that can be deployed (either self powered or generator/inverter powered).

 

[SteveK]

worthless below deck. If my electric bilge pumps quit then it is time to abandon ship and not go below to make the last effort while going down with the ship.
The only purpose they serve is for the survey to show you have one.

 

[High Wire]

Manual pump

10 GPM, right, I believe! Maybe for a couple minutes. Ok half of that.

10 GPM X 60 minutes = 600 GPH. Thats equal to the smallest 12V bilge pump you can buy.



Electric pump

2000-3700 GPH Rule pump (Ok half of that) wired and fused to either house or starter bank with a simple push/pull switch mounted at the cabin door. Pull the switch ON then do damage control to slow the leak.


Which do you think would be a better use of your time?

 

[alormaria]

I have the big portable Edson emergency manual bilge pump mounted on a board and two 10' hoses attached. I've used it twice to get rid of water fast after I found the leak and fixed it then had to get rid of all the remaining water. It made quick work of it. The adrenaline helped.



I wouldn't want to use it continuously for any length of time.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, try and do the pump for a period of time. Most people will not be able to do it very long. We just replaced all our bilge pumps just because. They were working but appeared to be quite old so we put all new ones in. Also were able to go a bit bigger than the old ones.

 

[HopCar]

I carried one for years. Then I realized manpower would be better spent trying to stop the leak. I believe more pumps the better, but not manual. Add more pumps or increase your power reserve for the pumps you have.

 

[Giggitoni]

Try not to keep irreplaceable family heirlooms on board. Even though our boat has an inoperable, saloon located, museum-quality hand bilge pump, we don’t plan on fixing it. Safely get off the sinking boat and call your insurance carrier.

 

[OldDan1943]

On my N46, came with a manual diaphragm operated bilge pump permanently mounted. The surveyor asked me if it worked and I said YES. No hoses to rig, had a foot valve and discharged through a hull fitting.

The water would need to get to the top of my batteries, on my AT34. The water would have to be between 3' and 4' in depth, overflowing into the battery boxes. I could best spend the remaining time afloat contacting the USCG, launching the tender and the 8 man, auto inflation raft and EPIRB, the 2 hand held VHF (with GPS) and punch the "come get me" buttons on the VHF on the boat and on the VHF, gather up food and water and brandy (for medicinal use only), first aid kit, flares, pack up the iPhone etc. Oh forgot, cue the band to play "Nearer my God to thee" from the upper deck as we paddled away from the "soon to be sunk boat." Yes, I do have high water alarms that are hooked to a 5 inch fire bell. Also, a bilge pump counter, to determine a trend, if necessary when not on the boat.

Daymn, I forgot to call my insurance company to warn them, I will be making a sizable claim for total loss on the boat. LOL Good thing I have a portable Sat phone, with GPS, in a water tight box.

 

[FF]

The best use for a manual pump is as a check on weather the rest of the system is doing its job.

They also are the easiest to set up for the folks that want dry bilges and to get "the last drop".