J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Can I run auto bilge pump through manual Whale pump?

I really want to mount an auto bilge pump and I cant use the standard "run up the port side locker drain to sink drain through-hull" since I have the extra water tank option blocking those locker drains.

Going up the starbord side has a lot of problems unless I wanted to put a hole on the starboard side of the boat up high.

Looking at it this weekend, I'm wondering why I cant just run the exhaust of an electric pump through the existing manual hosing?

For this to work, I would need to know if the manual Whale pump would pass a presurized flow of water, and also if the electric pump would do the same for a suction.

I've not explored either of these questions yet, but I thought I would see if any one had any other good reasons why this is a bad idea.

thanks - dan

I have wondered this my self. I have the same issue - can not find a way to route a bilge pump up to the sink drain because of the extra tank.


David
#397

Yes, it is the Problem I Can't Solve.

Lately my packing gland has been acting up which has me more worried than usual. I suspect that the local yard bent the shaft on the last haul-out. I was not there when they pulled her out, and didnt notice a problem till after taking delivery and operating for a week or two, so I can't prove it...

Moral of the story - always be there when your boat is hauled!

-dan

I explored the Whale Gusher path and decided against it. The water will pass through the Whale pump and the back flow is restricted by rubber flapper valves (Google the Whale Gusher rebuild kit and see the parts). The problem is getting a Y with a reducer on the suction of the whale pump, and the possibility that any air leak on the electric bilge pump path would render the Whale pump useless.

Mark Rotsky (Nemesis) & I ended up routing through the sink drain. Look at this link for details: http://j30.us/files/Rhapsody/Rhapsody-Electric-Bilge-Pump.pdf

[This message has been edited by Rhapsody #348 (edited 06-02-2008).]

I forgot to mention that you could run the hose forward in the bilge to the sink in the head too if you can't get to the galley sink drain.

Thats a thought, I could go out the starboard side drain - forward, through the bulkhead and hanging locker, then back through the other side so I could access the head sink drain above the water line.

or go the direct route by the hull transducers where the wiring passes, then under the head and through the port locker. I'm not sure how large the opening is for the Xdcr cables and wire harness, but that's where the forward bilge path drains to the main bilge.

I set this arrangement up when I bought the boat in 1994. It has worked fine ever since. I put in a check valve close to the electric bilge pump to keep the water from back flowing into the bilge.

On my boat, the auto bilge pump hose runs on the starboard side past the fuel tank, into the hanging locker where it goes up the bulkhead for a vented-loop, back down the bulkhead where it connects with a "T" into the anchor well drain/through-hull.

Seems to work quite well.

AC Rauzer II #448

Finally mounted a bilge pump (note i first started talking about it in June 2008

As mentioned before, I have 2 water talks on the port side, and I verified that there is no going under them with a hose.

So I routed my 3/4" hose up the starboard side (note that even then, the flex house would not fit, so I used plumbing hose for that segment).

From there, I just go forward to the hanging locker, up and to a thru-hull at the top of the anchor locker. So the water just drains down through my fixed anchor locker drain.

I figure this is good for the following reasons:

-no anti-siphon needed
-no new holes in hull
-shortest possible hose length
-if anchor locker drain clogs, no problem, it will be very obvious at next visit to the boat

I mounted the automatic pump using methods I found here on the list.

Ive attached some pictures

-dan