Bilge pumps

[james]

I have just traded the "toy" 500gph bilge pump that was with my boat when I bought it to a 2200 west marine.

I brought both pumps in the house to show my wife,who sometimes, (rightfully) thinks that I look for reasons to buy stuff for "COOL CHANGE".

The difference in pumps could not be more striking. The "sahara" weighed in at about 6 oz , while the WM 2200 kicks the scale at 5+ lbs.

by the way when I compared the West M 2200 to the rule 2000, guess what I found, the Rule weighs in at 3.5 lbs!

you could (I guess) interpret this different ways. How I see it is, there is a LOT more motor in the WM.

It amazes me that people put such a piece of carp(sahara 500) bilge pump in to protect their prize possession! of course the wiring job was lousy too. electrical tape (: for connections.....ohh well.

James

[therrick]

I'm considering installing two bilge pumps; one 750 gph with the float switch mounted on the cockpit floor, and a 2200 gph with its float switch mounted a couple of inches off the floor. My theory being that the smaller pump can handle the occasional splashes with a minimum of battery use (3A) and that if I really get splashed both pumps (3A + 7.5A) will kick in to empty the cockpit. Redundancy in bilge pumps also seems like a good idea to me.

Based on the pictures, it looks like the West Marine 2200 bilge pump is made by Johnson Pump. If so, I found an online seller (Aftermarket Marine) with the pump for about $55.
http://www.amarket.com./imbp2200.htm It looks like this pump will actually evacuate about 1900 gph with a 3-foot head.

I also like the apparent operation of the Sure-Bail float switches. They seem to be resistant to clogging if they're maintained regularly. http://www.amarket.com./imsb001.htm

Does my proposed bilge pump arrangement seem sound to you experienced boatmen/women? Has anyone else had personal experience with Aftermarket Marine?

Thanks,

Tom Herrick

[Sea Wolf]

Tom-

Sounds basically good to me. You might fill the boat with water whith a hose while its resting in the water to see just how much water has to be in the boat before the second pump kicks in. I know you're thinking of the 1/2 operation as being an underway situation, but if the boat is moored, it rains, and the small pump doesn't turn on or fails, how much water will it take to start the larger pump? Will water enter the cabin first? How many inches is the big pump mounted above the level of the first?

Are you planning on adding "manual on' switches and circuits to be able to turn each of the pumps on independently of the float switches?

Joe.

[therrick]

Yes to the manual switches for both pumps. If for some reason the float switches are clogged or otherwise non-operative, there must be an override. The boat will be trailered so I won't have to be concerned with long-term leaks or precipitation in a marina.

My current thinking is that the 2200gph pump float switch elevation would be about 2-inches off the cockpit floor, though that's still a hell of a lot of water in the cockpit (somewhere around 60 gallons). Both pumps would be mounted on the floor; only the larger pump switch would be elevated. So if I wanted to clear the decks using both pumps I'd have to switch on the larger pump manually after the water level dropped to below its float switch.

To enter the cabin, water level would have to rise to seven and a quarter inches to begin seeping in around the closed door, or the boat would have to pitch forward, which I don't think would be the case with water in the cockpit. In rough water it might be another story, however.

I hadn't thought to test the system by actually filling the cockpit but that's certainly the way to make sure. I can use my washdown pump to bring in water from a river/lake around here to see how things work in a controlled situation - before the SHTF in salt water.

Thanks,

Tom Herrick

[Falco]

The Johnson Pump web site is here: http://www.johnson-pump.com/JPMarine/default.htm The distributors page is here: http://www.johnson-pump.com/JPMarine/default.htm?page=/JPMarine/marine_distrib/distribframeset.html

Interesting to note a 2200 gph pump (at 0 head) will pump 36 gal a minute, or 300 pounds of water. I mention this because you may want to consider the weight of the water you allow to build up with a higher mount rather than the volume. 60 gallons = 600 pounds which will take a little less than 2 min to evacuate from your cockpit. Hmmm. How much water in the cockpit does it take to push the gunnels of a C-dory underwater? Dunno. I would mount the Mother of All bilge pumps on the floor and be done with it. Mount the baby pump on the floor with a separate switch. Leave this one on at the dock and turn the Mother on while at sea. Mother will draw 7.5 amps. Auto float switches on both.

P.S. I see the L-series from Johnson also comes in a 4000 gph size. Oooo.

[Falco]

P.S. 7.5 inches of water in the cockpit of a 22 (not including the bilge area between the tanks - just the open area) would weight 1,131 pounds.

[Jimbo]

OK Guys I have a problem not related to Cdorys but to do with bilge pumps. My other boat is a 20' Regal with tower and ballast system that I built for the kids for wakeboarding. I bought a ballast puppy pump for the filling and draining of the bags. It only pumps 9gpm which is too slow. I picked up a 2200 and hung it over the side and now we have some serious water flow. It fills 5 bags (2 in the bow under the bowrider cushions, 1 in the ski locker, and 1 on both sides on the motor compartment, about 150 gal. total) in about 6 min. compared to 15 or 20 min with the ballast puppy. The problem I have is how do I avoid having to lift the engine cover to connect to my manifold system for the bags each time we fill up. I have a 1" thru hull fitting at the front of the engine well that the ballast puppy connected to. Any thoughts on how I can adapt the 2200 to the 1" thru hull? Or do you know of a 12volt pump that will give me 36gpm?
Tnx, Jimbo

[therrick]

Jimbo,

The Johnson 4000 gph pump mentioned by Falco ought to do the job. Looks like 66.666 gpm at 0 head. Based on 1900 gph at 3-feet of head for the 2200, you might be getting somewhere around 56 gpm actual throughput on the 4000 pump. Don't know anything about connecting to a thru hull, but by restricting flow to a one-inch hose you're going to lose at least 20% of your throughput on the 2200 and 50% on the 4000. Sounds right since you're getting around 25 gpm actual vs, 31 gpm theoretical throughput. Then, I'd be concerned about what that restriction does to the pump motor over the long haul. Does the 2200 sound like it's laboring when you use it? I've never done anything like that, but basic plumbing makes it seem as though you'd need to consider a 2-inch thru hull to take advantage of the increased flow of a larger pump. I don't remember if the 4000 gph pump is available in 12V or not - probably is though; you'd have to check the Johnson Pump Web site that Falco referenced to make sure.

Ah, Maple Bay... Nice place, Jimbo.

Good luck with it. Hope this helps and that my math isn't too flawed.

Tom Herrick