Bilge Pumps

A small racing keelboat that sees lots of rough water action will need a better pump system than a large powerboat that is mainly operated on a calm lake. Here are some suggestions:

• Daysailers and open outboard powered skiffs generally use a portable piston pump, bucket or hand bailer.
  
• Runabouts and ski boats use a single submersible electric pump in the stern or in the lowest point in the bilge. Boats with stern drives may have the pump under the oil pan of the engine.
  
• Small cruising and racing sailboats can use one large manual diaphragm bilge pump mounted in the cockpit.
  
• Offshore racing sailboats are required by the ISAF Special Regulations to have two permanently installed manual pumps; one operable from the cockpit and one operable from down below.
  
• Coastal and offshore boats will generally want automatic electric bilge pumps located in each compartment (bilge area) that can hold water, and a large manual pump for backup

Planing runabouts and ski boats use one submersible pump located aft. Small boats with large cockpits or low freeboard need bigger pumps.

Medium and large sailboats use multiple manual and automatic pumps.

• Each compartment that can hold water needs its own pump
  
• Additional large manual backup pump in accessible location
  
• Engine driven pump or second, larger electric pump recommended for emergency backup, especially for coastal/offshore sailing
  
• Head height affects flow. Sailboats have a deeper bilge
  
• Hull volume is smaller, so a small boat will sink more rapidly than a large boat.
  
• Less freeboard means small boats get swamped more easily.
  
• The bilge is smaller, so water will flood the engine and electrical system sooner.

Automatic operation requires either an automatic pump or a separate water-sensing switch. One disadvantage of using an automatic pump is that you may not be aware of your pump’s operation if you develop a steadily increasing leak. For example, your boat may have a brass gate valve that has become damaged from its loss of zinc through electrolysis.

If an automatic pump cycles on and off without your knowledge, you could be unaware of the leak before it becomes catastrophic and beyond the pump’s capacity. There are two solutions to this problem: Use a cycle counter to record how often your pump turns on and off. Log it. Alternatively, have a light or buzzer that turns on when your pump is energized to show you when it’s in operation.

Boats that have segmented bilges need modifications to the pump system since a single intake point may not get all the water. For a diaphragm pump: a flexible intake hose that can be manually relocated to different parts of the boat, or an intake hose manifold with several hoses connecting at a common point upstream of the pump. Another option would be to use several centrifugal pumps.

Larger powerboats use one or more pumps

• Each compartment that can hold water needs its own pump
  
• Engine driven pump or second, larger electric pump recommended for emergency backup, especially for open water boating

Match existing hose sizes and wire capacity, unless you want to upgrade the wiring and the thru-hull size too. Buy the largest capacity pump that uses the same hose diameters. For a few dollars more you can increase pump capacity significantly and still keep the same hose diameter. For a new installation, use the largest practical pump size.

High-capacity centrifugal pumps are relatively inexpensive and the easiest pumps to install, but they are rendered ineffective if your boat’s electrical system fails, and this is a likely occurrence if your boat takes on a lot of water. For this reason we recommend that, in addition to any electric pumps, you have at least one high-capacity manual diaphragm pump. Manual pumps can move substantial amounts of water (20 gallons per minute or so), but they are very tiring to use. Each gallon of water weighs over 8lb. and pumping it 15' or so is a challenging task for both the pump and the pumper. This is especially true if the pump’s location requires you to be on “all fours” or in some awkward position while pumping. Buckets may actually be more effective.

Integral automatic switches: many pumps are available with a float switch pre-wired to the side of the pump. This makes it simpler to install, especially in tight vertical bilges. Another way to accomplish this is with the Rule Automatic Bilge Pumps, which spin their motors every few minutes and use the current draw from the motor to detect whether there is water present. This has the minor disadvantage of running the motor whether there’s water present or not. Electronic switches use a pair of Mirus™ detector cells that sense the presence of water through the plastic housing using a low-impedance electrical field. Switches like the Johnson Ultima Electronic Switch have no moving parts to wear out and do not sense petroleum products, so you won’t accidentally pump fuel overboard if it is spilled in the bilge.

If an automatic pump cycles on and off without your knowledge, you could be unaware of the leak before it becomes catastrophic and beyond the pump’s capacity. There are two solutions to this problem: Use a cycle counter to record how often your pump turns on and off. Log it. Alternatively, have a light or buzzer that turns on when your pump is energized to show you when it’s in operation.

Centrifugal pumps are submersible and non-self-priming, so they must be sitting in the water in order to pump it, and can usually remove all but the last inch of water. They work the best when the bilge has a small sump where water collects. Centrifugal pumps use whirling vanes to draw fluid into the center of the pump and then push it outward from the center through an outlet port. They have a built-in strainer in their base that can be removed quickly for cleaning, which is important because the small impeller can get clogged with debris.

Diaphragm pumps are self-priming, which means they can lift water up an intake hose and expel it outside the hull. They use a membrane to increase and decrease the volume of a pumping chamber, drawing fluid in and pushing fluid out through a set of one-way check valves. Diaphragm pumps require an external strainer at the end of the intake hose, since a small amount of hair or bilge debris can cause the valves to clog.

Flow restrictions: diaphragm pumps try to move the same volume continuously. If something restricts the flow, they work harder and harder until they stop pumping, at which point something usually fails. Centrifugal pumps respond to increased head pressure by moving less and less fluid until they stop pumping. The motor will not burn up, but the pump will stop moving any fluid.

The challenge of getting water overboard: the effect of siphoning occurs when a hose is led to a body of water above the starting point. If this water ever starts to flow backwards it produces suction, that draws water into the boat. This is one reason why bilge pump discharges frequently exit high on the hull, well above the waterline. A vented loop can also be used to prevent back-siphoning.

Keeping the intake clean: a strainer or strum box is used on the intake end of the hose, to prevent debris from clogging the pump or hose. Bilges are full of junk more often than not, so bilge pumps must be easy to clear and clean. The valves in some diaphragm bilge pumps are designed to pass objects as big as a marble, but hair and fiberglass strands are very difficult to defend against.

When it comes to performance, installation is as important as the selection of a pump:

• Keep discharge hoses as short as possible. Long hoses have more resistance, which reduces pump performance.
  
• Use smooth bore hose. It is common to install corrugated hose for price reasons, but the ribbed bore reduces flow capacity and pump performance.
  
• Use a vented loop if the thru-hull can be submerged, especially on sailboats where heel might immerse the fitting that is well above the waterline when the vessel floats on even keel.
  
• Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for wire sizes to prevent voltage drop, especially on pumps that draw 10, 15 amps or more. Use the wire charts in the Electrical section of this website and size wiring for a three percent voltage drop.
  
• Use waterproof butt connectors for any wiring connections in the bilge area. These wires are notorious for getting water inside the insulation and turning into green mush.

3,500gph (or larger) emergency pump located above sump, and connected to manual switch. 400gph (or smaller) pump with integral float switch, connected directly to battery. What components are required?
A complete installation of electric bilge pumps requires several components:

• The pump itself.
  
• A connection to the boat’s battery.
  
• A switch to be turned on and off. Most pumps will utilize a manual on/off switch, a float switch, or both. A float switch automatically activates the pump once the water level rises above a certain point and turns the pump off when the water level falls.
  
• An intake hose, if you are installing a diaphragm pump, leading from the lowest possible spot in the bilge to the pump. It can be a corrugated hose, especially when the pump is mounted high above the bilge.
  
• A discharge hose, which should be smooth leading from the pump to the thru-hull for overboard discharge of the extracted water.
  
• Thru-hull fitting above the waterline