BILGE PUMPS AND ONE WAY VALVE

[Sharphooks]

I was on the water at 5 AM this morning and by 5:10 AM I had a nice spring in the boat. I used the wash down hose to bleed the fish and hose blood off the boat and in so doing, I noticed that in between the pump cycles I could hear running water, even with the spigot shut off.

I headed back to the beach to wait for the incoming tide so I could get back to my dock, get the fish put away and trouble-shoot the wash down system.

I dropped the hook and once the mains were shut down I immediately heard the bilge pump cycling but noticed no water was coming out of the through-hull. I opened the lazarette and Holy Mackerel, there was 2 feet of water in the bilge and the level was increasing despite the bilge pump cycling. MY batteries were half-submerged….wtf?

LOng story short—the hose to the wash-down pump had sprung a big leak just behind the hose clamp and was spewing into the bilge behind a bulk-head

I closed the wash down thru-hull valve and shut off the pump. Once back to my dock I got behind the bulkhead, cut the hole out of the hose and re-fastened the clamp. No more leak. BUt now I had to deal with the Rule bilge pump

I removed the Rule from its base, expecting to see gunk in the pump vanes….nope….completely clean. I could see water and bubbles in the exit hose but again, nothing was coming out of the thru-hull…just a dribble.

Long story short—I traced the hose and found a black flanged box that I later found out was a one-way flapper valve that had been installed to keep water from flowing back down the hose when the pump shuts off.

I removed the valve, replaced it with a barb fitting in between the two sections of hose, clamped them down with hose clamps and the pump started working again lickety split

Boy, that would have been fun to deal with in a 30 knot blow out on open water. And my 3,700 GPH Rule back up pump also wouldn’t power up….oxidized fuse….funny how sometimes everything shiats the bed all at once like that

SO glad I got both those items trouble shot today and nice to get a spring so fast and furious like that (on a piece of bait I had used yesterday for a two hour tack and was too lazy to take off the hook)

 

[Rain City]

I was on the water at 5 AM this morning and by 5:10 AM I had a nice spring in the boat. I used the wash down hose to bleed the fish and hose blood off the boat and in so doing, I noticed that in between the pump cycles I could hear running water, even with the spigot shut off.

I headed back to the beach to wait for the incoming tide so I could get back to my dock, get the fish put away and trouble-shoot the wash down system.

I dropped the hook and once the mains were shut down I immediately heard the bilge pump cycling but noticed no water was coming out of the through-hull. I opened the lazarette and Holy Mackerel, there was 2 feet of water in the bilge and the level was increasing despite the bilge pump cycling. MY batteries were half-submerged….wtf?

LOng story short—the hose to the wash-down pump had sprung a big leak just behind the hose clamp and was spewing into the bilge behind a bulk-head

I closed the wash down thru-hull valve and shut off the pump. Once back to my dock I got behind the bulkhead, cut the hole out of the hose and re-fastened the clamp. No more leak. BUt now I had to deal with the Rule bilge pump

I removed the Rule from its base, expecting to see gunk in the pump vanes….nope….completely clean. I could see water and bubbles in the exit hose but again, nothing was coming out of the thru-hull…just a dribble.

Long story short—I traced the hose and found a black flanged box that I later found out was a one-way flapper valve that had been installed to keep water from flowing back down the hose when the pump shuts off.

I removed the valve, replaced it with a barb fitting in between the two sections of hose, clamped them down with hose clamps and the pump started working again lickety split

Boy, that would have been fun to deal with in a 30 knot blow out on open water. And my 3,700 GPH Rule back up pump also wouldn’t power up….oxidized fuse….funny how sometimes everything shiats the bed all at once like that

SO glad I got both those items trouble shot today and nice to get a spring so fast and furious like that (on a piece of bait I had used yesterday for a two hour tack and was too lazy to take off the hook)


View attachment 119082

I know this pain. So much so, I don't even want to talk about it. Sorry that happened.

 

[brutus]

I was on the water at 5 AM this morning and by 5:10 AM I had a nice spring in the boat. I used the wash down hose to bleed the fish and hose blood off the boat and in so doing, I noticed that in between the pump cycles I could hear running water, even with the spigot shut off.

I headed back to the beach to wait for the incoming tide so I could get back to my dock, get the fish put away and trouble-shoot the wash down system.

I dropped the hook and once the mains were shut down I immediately heard the bilge pump cycling but noticed no water was coming out of the through-hull. I opened the lazarette and Holy Mackerel, there was 2 feet of water in the bilge and the level was increasing despite the bilge pump cycling. MY batteries were half-submerged….wtf?

LOng story short—the hose to the wash-down pump had sprung a big leak just behind the hose clamp and was spewing into the bilge behind a bulk-head

I closed the wash down thru-hull valve and shut off the pump. Once back to my dock I got behind the bulkhead, cut the hole out of the hose and re-fastened the clamp. No more leak. BUt now I had to deal with the Rule bilge pump

I removed the Rule from its base, expecting to see gunk in the pump vanes….nope….completely clean. I could see water and bubbles in the exit hose but again, nothing was coming out of the thru-hull…just a dribble.

Long story short—I traced the hose and found a black flanged box that I later found out was a one-way flapper valve that had been installed to keep water from flowing back down the hose when the pump shuts off.

I removed the valve, replaced it with a barb fitting in between the two sections of hose, clamped them down with hose clamps and the pump started working again lickety split

Boy, that would have been fun to deal with in a 30 knot blow out on open water. And my 3,700 GPH Rule back up pump also wouldn’t power up….oxidized fuse….funny how sometimes everything shiats the bed all at once like that

SO glad I got both those items trouble shot today and nice to get a spring so fast and furious like that (on a piece of bait I had used yesterday for a two hour tack and was too lazy to take off the hook)


View attachment 119082

This will make me sound OCD lol, i go through my electrical every spring before i take my boat to renfrew, replace anything thats dos not look new, terminals, fuses, and clean baterie poles, check for leaks around through hullls, make sure all valves and seacocks are not seized, and i still have issues sometimes. Ive helped lots of people with electrical at the docks over the years, and its aways the same s… wires are shot and no maintenance till it craps out, owning a boat and keeping it running is a job that needs to be taken seriously

 

[Sharphooks]

This will make me sound OCD lol, i go through my electrical every spring before i take my boat to renfrew, replace anything thats dos not look new, terminals, fuses, and clean baterie poles, check for leaks around through hullls, make sure all valves and seacocks are not seized, and i still have issues sometimes. Ive helped lots of people with electrical at the docks over the years, and its aways the same s… wires are shot and no maintenance till it craps out, owning a boat and keeping it running is a job that needs to be taken seriously

You’re smart. I’m completely neurotic about my engines and the fuel system because in the past Ive taken long trips into the middle of nowhere so having reliable power gets my full attention but I don’t go through the rest of the boat like I should. I carry Emory cloth and always keep my downrigger plugs and sonar power plugs squeaky clean but that’s about the only preventative electrical or mechanical stuff I do

I didn’t even know there was a one-way flapper valve in the bilge pump layout and didn’t know those things can fail. Now I know—-they can and they do

I would have been in a world of hurt if all the crap that happened yesterday had been out on the stormy brine in a blow. There was so much water in the bilge I thought I’d holed the boat!

The bilge pump had cycled for several hours with no water going out the through-hull fitting because of that busted valve. I only finally heard it cycling once the engines shut down, and the only way I finally got it to shut off was with a hand pump I carry in the bilge. I was able to get enough water out of the bilge so the auto switch finally tasted air instead of water. Without that goofy little hand pump there would have been no way I could have shut it off except maybe pulling the fuse….it was hot to the touch

 

[Marley]

You’re smart. I’m completely neurotic about my engines and the fuel system because in the past Ive taken long trips into the middle of nowhere so having reliable power gets my full attention but I don’t go through the rest of the boat like I should. I carry Emory cloth and always keep my downrigger plugs and sonar power plugs squeaky clean but that’s about the only preventative electrical or mechanical stuff I do

I didn’t even know there was a one-way flapper valve in the bilge pump layout and didn’t know those things can fail. Now I know—-they can and they do

I would have been in a world of hurt if all the crap that happened yesterday had been out on the stormy brine in a blow. There was so much water in the bilge I thought I’d holed the boat!

The bilge pump had cycled for several hours with no water going out the through-hull fitting because of that busted valve. I only finally heard it cycling once the engines shut down, and the only way I finally got it to shut off was with a hand pump I carry in the bilge. I was able to get enough water out of the bilge so the auto switch finally tasted air instead of water. Without that goofy little hand pump there would have been no way I could have shut it off except maybe pulling the fuse….it was hot to the touch

This is why I like the idea of an audible bilge alarm, or maybe a high level alarm. I have a light on my dash but it is hard to see in daylight and it is hard to hear my bilge pump as well. Can catch you by surprise. I had a hole in my bilge pump hose once and didn't notice till I had wet feet. Was luckily able to deal with it but could have been bad.

 

[Aces]

This exactly why I carry a spare 500 gph pump with a long hose and a long power wire with alligator clips to quickly connect to the battery

 

[RevyG]

This exactly why I carry a spare 500 gph pump with a long hose and a long power wire with alligator clips to quickly connect to the battery

Same here

 

[Max123]

Yikes. How is your bilge pump wired? I run mine off the battery, but route it through a breaker/disconnect so I can manually kill it if needed. Lots of wiring diagrams show just the in-line fuse.

 

[Sharphooks]

It’s routed like yours….i found it this morning in a huge bank of switches (unmarked)… it’s marked now…and I just discovered that ABYC warns against the use of in-line anti back flow valves for the precise reason I found out yesterday … if the valve fails the pump can’t push water against the head that builds up above the valve

 

[brutus]

This is why I like the idea of an audible bilge alarm, or maybe a high level alarm. I have a light on my dash but it is hard to see in daylight and it is hard to hear my bilge pump as well. Can catch you by surprise. I had a hole in my bilge pump hose once and didn't notice till I had wet feet. Was luckily able to deal with it but could have been bad.

I have one, its a motorcycle horn, on a saperate float switch set up a bit above my main switch, when water gets in to that level you ear it , it was on my survey report for insurance. Taking on water in a boat is not a good feeling, ask me how i know. So now i do my part to keep water out

 

[brutus]

It’s routed like yours….i found it this morning in a huge bank of switches (unmarked)… it’s marked now…and I just discovered that ABYC warns against the use of in-line anti back flow valves for the precise reason I found out yesterday … if the valve fails the pump can’t push water against the head that builds up above the valve,flap valves on bilge hose are useless, the litle bit of back water coming back in the bilge is nothing

 

[Offshore]

These work great and the counter lets you know if you’re pump has been running when you’re not on the boat
https://www.westmarine.com/aqualarm-bilge-pump-monitor-alarm-and-counter-2623825.html

 

[Rain City]

I have one, its a motorcycle horn, on a saperate float switch set up a bit above my main switch, when water gets in to that level you ear it , it was on my survey report for insurance. Taking on water in a boat is not a good feeling, ask me how i know. So now i do my part to keep water out

I want to do something like that too

 

[brutus]

I want to do something like that too

Relly easy to do, float switch,horn of your liking and a bit of wire done,piece of mind priceless

 

[Rain City]

Relly easy to do, float switch,horn of your liking and a bit of wire done,piece of mind priceless

Would have saved me a near sink job

 

[SpringFever2359]

This is why I like the idea of an audible bilge alarm, or maybe a high level alarm. I have a light on my dash but it is hard to see in daylight and it is hard to hear my bilge pump as well. Can catch you by surprise. I had a hole in my bilge pump hose once and didn't notice till I had wet feet. Was luckily able to deal with it but could have been bad.

When I got a boat we overnight on I installed the high water alarm made by Jonhson that (if its not already on ) turns the rear bilge pump on, also have what @Aces has , plus the manual pump, looks like a big bicycle pump.
Can easily pass the spare electric or manual to anyone in an emergency.

 

[Aces]

When I got a boat we overnight on I installed the high water alarm made by Jonhson that (if its not already on ) turns the rear bilge pump on, also have what @Aces has , plus the manual pump, looks like a big bicycle pump.
Can easily pass the spare electric or manual to anyone in an emergency.

Yeah I’ve thrown it onto other boats many a time