J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Whale Gusher Galley Pump Mk II

I disassembled the foot pump from the head to see why it is not working. It's 20+ years old, the one at the bottom, Mk II (or Mk 2) (Whale Gusher Galley Pump Mk 3 & Mk 2 exploded). The intake and outlet valves looked fine, the rubber diaphragm was a bit distorted but still pliable with no tears or holes. I adjusted the diaphragm and reassembled, but it's still not pumping.

A spares/rebuild kit consisting of rubber o-rings, valves and diaphragms is about $30 US, while a replacement Mk 3 from discounters is $100. I like saving money and don't mind the work, but I wonder if the rebuild will do the trick or if I should save the trouble and splurge on a new one.

Anyone used this repair kit? Any experience as to whether the Mk 3 is a drop in replacement and will hold up for another 20 years?

Bob,

I rebuilt the same galley sink pump on Rhapsody a couple years back using the $30 rebuild kit. You'd be amazed at the number of o-rings that sucker has on each inlet and outlet connection. The rebuild works fine. I'd check to make sure you have all the o-rings properly seated so you aren't pumping air.

The deformed diaphram and perhaps one of the other seals is likely sucking air. I have rebuilt both the galley and the head pumps with mixed results. The first one I did was great, however the second one leaked for some unknown reason and I could not get it to stop and ended up finding a replacement at a used gear chandlery. During the rebuild, it was pretty tricky to get everything to line up with the spring in the middle of the body trying to push everything apart. Since I am pretty thrifty, if I had to, I would try the rebuild again.

There's a lot to be said for just adding one cheap electric pump:
link to defender's page on water pump

It's from the head sink and I've lived without it for several years so I'll go cheap and hope I can fix it. Somebody once told me electric pumps aren't a such a good idea if you have limited fresh water.

Bob,

I was looking at the equipment from hull #420 yesterday. Ted has two of the pumps and they are supposed to be in working condition. This might be another alternative. You can reach him at tkaper6862@aol.com or through the for sale section of the Forum.

LUMPY

I ordered, received and installed the spares kit and the pump works. One suggestion: before disassembling mark the two halves of the cover plus the inlet and outlet nipples so you can put all of it back together in the correct orientation.

To Whale Pumps: a more detailed exploded diagram would be a gib help. The resolution of the jpg above is so low you can't read the text or see the orientation of the valves. The valve screws are the only tip off.

Bob, I purchased the maintenance kit, and it worked very well. I have the MK II model. I replaced the external plastic peice which effectively made the unit look brand new.

For those who have electronic bilge pumps - it is advisable to periodically pump AND TEST the manual pump. This will slow the pump from going dry rot etc...

Premature in saying the pump worked, having only tested it in my sink at home. After installing in the boat, under load it leaks apparently around the housing seal. I tightened the screws to max but no luck stopping the leak or the sound of air bubbling on each foot pump. An associate at West Marine figured water probably froze inside and before giving up I should slather it with Marine Tex. Not sure if it would be better to just cover the outside, glue at the seams, or buy a MK III as I originally considered. A bit demoralizing for a do-it-yourself type.

Where is the Whale Foot Pump installed in the head? Hull 255 has a hand pump, which is not particularly convenient, but I don't see a space that could be gotten to for a foot pump installation.