Emergency Bilge pump installed

Got it installed, ended up removing our manual bilge pump which had the same exact size hose the new pump needed. Getting another 2" hose through the area we had to would've been impossible. Also we didn't have to install a sea cock which is nice. So here it is.

Clean looking install Oliver. Nice upgrade too.

Sweet!

What's in the box? A DC to AC relay?

Capt.Bill11 said:

Sweet!



What's in the box? A DC to AC relay?

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Just a breaker, went simple with no relays. They're will be a breaker at the panel too. I felt since this pump is so high capacity that I would like be able to control it from the engine room when possible or the PH panel.

CPseudonym said:

Clean looking install Oliver. Nice upgrade too.

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Thanks. The hardest part of the job was wrestling that 2" hose.

N4712 said:

Just a breaker, went simple with no relays. They're will be a breaker at the panel too. I felt since this pump is so high capacity that I would like be able to control it from the engine room when possible or the PH panel.

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OK. Just thought I recalled you thinking about making it automatic. Why the huge box for just a breaker?

Capt.Bill11 said:

OK. Just thought I recalled you thinking about making it automatic. Why the huge box for just a breaker?

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All that Lewis had. Over kill yeah, but our engine room is huge so It don't matter. But one day I may decide to hook it into a relay with an ultra switch, so I'll have more then enough room.

N4712 said:

All that Lewis had. Over kill yeah, but our engine room is huge so It don't matter. But one day I may decide to hook it into a relay with an ultra switch, so I'll have more then enough room.

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Room to upgrade, never a bad thing.

If you ever need smaller boxes check with Pacer Electric over by Headhunter.

Capt.Bill11 said:

Room to upgrade, never a bad thing.



If you ever need smaller boxes check with Pacer Electric over by Headhunter.

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Yep, I use them all the time. We have a company account at Lewis which Is why we got it from them.

Pacer is awesome, could spend days playing with all the goodies in that place.

Nice! What's the HP on the electric motor? Does it end up being the same capacity as the hydraulic version?

twistedtree said:

Nice! What's the HP on the electric motor? Does it end up being the same capacity as the hydraulic version?

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Yep, 180GPM. It's 2HP. They had a bigger 5HP 280GPM, but it was double the price and didn't feel it was all that necessary.

How long does it take to get to the Strum box , the strainer at the suction end of the pump?

If big water gets in an amazing amount of stuff is washed into the bilge

A centrifugal pump needs modestly clear water to keep pumping.

First class job. Will it self prime?

Oliver

Since the pump will never be needed for its intended purpose, what else could/would it be used for?

sunchaser said:

Oliver



Since the pump will never be needed for its intended purpose, what else could/would it be used for?

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Maybe anchor was but I do t think it can handle the head the pressure.

HopCar said:

First class job. Will it self prime?

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According to pacer it is self priming, but haven't tested it yet as I'm waiting for Buck to get me my Navy strainer.

FF said:

How long does it take to get to the Strum box , the strainer at the suction end of the pump?

If big water gets in an amazing amount of stuff is washed into the bilge

A centrifugal pump needs modestly clear water to keep pumping.

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I have a Buck Algongquin navy strainer on its way to me so she won't suck up any foreign objects.

They are kinda self-priming - once they have been primed. You need to initially fill it with water for the first priming. From there on, enough residual water is supposedly retained in the pump chamber to get it going on subsequent tries.

One issue with an infrequently used pump is the tendency for the entrapped water to evaporate off, at which point it will no longer self prime. One clever solution is to pre-prime it with non-tox antifreeze which won't evaporate. That should leave it always ready to go.

I have pumped many boats out doing salvage work. You might want to make sure you have good access to the strainer. They clog a lot. When water rises all kind of things move around. One 2" pump may keep ahead of a minor leak. But not a larger one. For instance 4 3" trash pumps won't stay ahead of a 4 x 6 engine vent hole until you cover it up.

Does it have a priming port? If so mount a radiator over flow tank above it and plumb it to the port with a valve. Just keep the tank full so you can use it to prime the pump quickly when needed.

Capt.Bill11 said:

Does it have a priming port? If so mount a radiator over flow tank above it and plumb it to the port with a valve. Just keep the tank full so you can use it to prime the pump quickly when needed.

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That's a good idea, and reminds me of another variation that I heard where the owner plummed it into the boats pressurized water system. Turn a valve and top it up.

Now I just need to perform one of these tricks on mine. I tested it before delivery, but haven't touched it since.

Great setup Oliver.
Bluetide

If totally dry, it will self prime after the water gets high enough to wet the motor.
Water has to get into the pump by the central end port, so the motor will be half underwater when it can pump.
Is the motor sealed?

sdowney717 said:

If totally dry, it will self prime after the water gets high enough to wet the motor.
Water has to get into the pump by the central end port, so the motor will be half underwater when it can pump.
Is the motor sealed?

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No the motor isn't sealed.

sdowney717 said:

If totally dry, it will self prime after the water gets high enough to wet the motor.
Water has to get into the pump by the central end port, so the motor will be half underwater when it can pump.
Is the motor sealed?

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I would think the point of having that pump would be so the water would never get high enough to self prime it even if pumps like that were sealed.

Capt.Bill11 said:

I would think the point of having that pump would be so the water would never get high enough to self prime it even if pumps like that were sealed.

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In an emergency, the brain is going to be somewhat panicked and who is going to think clearly to fill the pump with water so it might function? The water will be rising, the pump will go under and short out in the salt water, besides there would be a parasitic drag on the armature as it tries to spin in the water. So not a failsafe emergency pump you could rely on. In a sinking type event, you want to buy as much time as possible, so you want a pump to keep running even as it gets soaking wet flooded over as the boat steadily sinks.

I have 2 old pool pumps. I have in the past thought of for this emergency pump idea, but with their open motor design and having to be primed realized a much better idea would be use a submersible sealed sump pump meant to be submerged and still function.

Open bodied pumps that may need priming are used all the time on larger boats as bilge/fire pumps. Priming is really a nonissue with a little planning and practice.

Are there high volume submersible pumps that can match the output of open bodied pumps? And if so how much space would they take up in a bildge?

Greetings,
Mr. 11. A quick Google for high volume submersible de-watering pumps brings up a myriad of choices. As to comparative capacities...You're on your own.
A random listing... http://www.globalpump.com/submersible-high-volume-dewatering.php

What's the output of a large Diesel engines water pump in comparison? What if you had a second hookup into the water pump from the bilge?

Capt.Bill11 said:

Open bodied pumps that may need priming are used all the time on larger boats as bilge/fire pumps. Priming is really a nonissue with a little planning and practice.

Are there high volume submersible pumps that can match the output of open bodied pumps? And if so how much space would they take up in a bildge?

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Maybe there are.
Tsurumi Pump - Products - LB Series Pumps - Tsurumi Pump
I just dont like metal AC pumps in salt water due to long term sitting they do corrode.

When I setup a sort of emergency pump system in my boat, I added 2 Rule 3700 pumps. So I have now two 3700 Rule pumps, two 2000 rule pumps and a 500 Rule pump.

So supposedly 11,900 gph capability, have to discount the head pressure of about 18 inches, so go figure. I doubt that is enough, but it would help if the boat was sinking.

I sealed the aft bulkhead on the boat, so it is a separate compartment. I then tested it by flooding it and initially the water came in fast, but it eventually slowed significantly almost to stopping coming in. So if that section with the struts got holed, the boat would not sink quick, and give me time to figure out something while the pumps keep up. In that section exists a rule 2000 and a rule 500 pump.

Bulkhead is placed about 6.5 feet forward of the stern transom, placed by OEM builder. It is now entirely watertight going up 3 feet. I sealed and or moved every penetration thru the bulkhead, put wires up at the top, etc.... The way the hull is made, this aft section can only sink so far, seems the hull forward of this can support a flooded compartment. I thought it worth my time. Marina had a 40' cabin cruiser lost when a wave caused boat to hit a rock in the stern in a storm, somehow boat hit bottom out on the York river, it split open the hull back there or cracked the strut loose and the boat went down in 5 minutes.