Bilge pump question
 

My PO removed the manual bilge pump and the associated hoses. I'm interested in putting an automatic one in, maybe with an on/off switch. I see that the bilge water is intended to be pumped into the cockpit back by the scuppers. My bilge water is really not something anyone would want near them, so I really don't want bilge water coming out into the cockpit. I get water from various leaks I'm always running down, as well as some coolant from the FWC system. Also, the icebox empties into it, and it looks like if I were to put the shower head back in it would drain there too.

I'm thinking about putting a thru-hull out the stern, akin to the raw water out from the engine. Curious what the P30 community has done in terms of bilge pumps and where you have it coming out.

Thanks!

Yup. Two thru-hull fittings actually - one for the electric bilge pump and a separate one for a backup Whale Mk 5 manual mounted in the cockpit on the starboard side just aft of the lazarette. No check valves.

Thanks CLucas, I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought this arrangement needed modification.

Curious why no check valve, as it is a long run from the bilge to above the water line on the stern? I assumed you'd want one not too far from the pump.

No, it's not. The bilge pump outlet is on the starboard side of the stern, a bit less than half-way up.

Are you talking about coolant from the closed-loop part of the heat exchanger that circulates thru the engine? If that stuff has anti-freeze in it, you're not supposed to be putting that over the side, anyway. And why is it leaking?

I guess we now know why the OP removed the manual bilge pump.

Very strange, the things some boat owners do.

Jim

Check valves generally get a thumbs down when it comes to bilge pumps, since they can easily render the pump useless if they get clogged or fail to operate. Too close to the pump on a long hose run from bilge to thru-hull and the pump may not have enough pressure to open the check valve, rendering it useless. There are plenty of articles available on this topic -- from Cruising World:

Here's the article: Wire and Plumb Your Bilge Pump Properly | Cruising World. There's lots of good advice in these forums as well.

We use a check valve in our small 500 GPH pump which is our primary. We do not use it as a anti-siphon since that is separate. We find that this lessens the water that feeds back down the hose and into the bilge after the pump completes its cycle.

We do however have a secondary 3700 GPH pump that does not have a check valve.

I have four thru hulls on my transom.

1) The primary/maintenance bilge pump. It is a gray water diaphragm pump which gets me down to 1/8" of water in the bilge. The diaphragm pump is a series of check valves so it does not need an external one.
2) A 250 gph centrifugal pump for those Oh S**T moments. It is wired separately from the smaller pump
3) My manual Whale gusher pump for a backup or added capacity
4) My water HX output for my cold plate

The biggest issue I have is fitting three pumps/strum boxes in my bilge. It's pretty crowded in there, but I am very happy with the arrangement.
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VAPORIZERS

Did the P30 come with plumbing for a bilge pump originally? I assumed the setup I inherited was original - a manual pump setup and bilge outlet at the port-side rear of the cockpit. Maybe a bad assumption. Mine is a '74, maybe things changed over the production run?

Anyway, sounds like it's not uncommon to have a bilge outlet out the stern vice into the cockpit (no surprise there). As a new owner, just trying to get a sense of what is a reasonable idea from you guys' experience. Anyone else add a thru-hull to accomodate a bilge outlet? I'm nervous putting another hole in the boat, even if it is above the water line! Also, I assume this is not a big ticket item?

Thanks for the responses!

Yes.

That sounds like a very weird way to do things. If our boat had been that way my thought would've been something like "WFT?"

Maybe. But it really doesn't sound to me like anything Pearson, or any other competent, reputable boat builder would do, TBH.

I didn't have to, but I would not hesitate to do so should it prove necessary.

I wouldn't think so.

Jim

if you do the work yourself you can have one installed for a few hundred. This includes the pump, auto switch, plumbing, fittings wiring, and the 3-way (auto-off-on) switch. It should only take an afternoon.
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CumCatcherTS live