Engine Flood Pump....Would this work ?

[MikeinLA]

OK, So I was taking a look at my new diverter valve (actually I was stalling the start of my head plumbing project) when this idea hit me. Now, this might be common knowledge, but it's the first time I thought of it. First you would hook up a diverter (Y) valve to your engine cooling saltwater inlet. The main connection going to the engine with one of the ends of the Y going to the inlet and the second end of the Y connected to a hose running to the lowest part of the bilge. In an emergency where you blow a thru hull or worse, hole the boat, you could turn the diverter from the inlet side to the bilge hose side have the engine act as a bilge pump. I'm not sure of the flow rate or if it would be worth it, but would it work? OK, I'll get on that head project now.

Mike

[Blue Eagle]

Hi Mike,

First - I fully understand your prevarication when faced with dealing with the head - but now GET ON WITH IT! lol

Second - Yes, this is something that I've heard of being done in the past - and it will help in the event of flooding with a couple of provisos:
1) You'll want to fit a very efficient strum box to the end of the pick-up tube in the bilge, or risk mincing your impeller when it sucks up some of the miscellaneous crud swilling around the bottom of your bilge (maybe yours is spick-and-span, but mine certainly isn't, and moreover since it's about 2'6" to 3' deep in an encapsulated keel, it's murder to get down into and clean!), fail to do this, and you'll risk having two crises instead of one!

2) Although there were mutterings about it on another thread, I would give serious thought to installing a bronze one-way flap valve in the vertical part of the bilge draining pipe - to guard against a failed y-valve gradually back-filling your bilge.

cheers,

Blue Eagle