Bilge Pumps

Bilge Pumps

I like having back up equipment on the boat and 4 bilge pumps seems like overkill.

When the main electric bilge pump failed to move any liquid from the boat when I flipped the switch to turn it on I was not overly concerned. There is a small bilge pump with a float-switch in the motor compartment that should come on if the water level got up to it. There are also two manual pumps.

When the main electric pump did not work I figured I could use the small manual Whale Gusher Manual pump.  It also did nothing. It had not been used for years and I was sure the valves were gone in it. At that point I thought I should check the big Manual pump. It was bolted to a floor insert of a storage locker and it stored upside down and out of the way. I knew it had not been used for over ten years and I knew it would not work. I was correct. Every thing was purchased new at the same time.

Seal and valves were gone.

No big problem, I could order the seals and fix both pumps. I thought I should check the float switch pump.  My luck was holding true. It did not work either. The leads were John Deere Green.

I figured that was the easiest to fix so I did that first. I had success on the first try. The main electric pump was almost unaccesable. After I got it out I figured I could get it working without major problems but I was not going to put it back where it had been. I would have to go on a parts run to fix that pump.

The bilge still needed to be pumped. I got my small portable manual pump from our day sailor and made  a usable setup to drain the bigger boat. Fixing 4 pumps was not what I had in mind to do for the day. 

I checked the main bilge monthly. I felt like kicking myself for not checking the others. I have added to my monthly boat check list to include redundant systems. 8-)