David:
It sounds like your mounting/access issues are boat-specific,
so I can’t offer anything there. However, I agree with your assessment that
the manual electric pump should be the one deepest in the bilge, and the
automatic backstop should be higher up. The idea with the automatic is to save
the boat if you’re not there (or asleep), not keep the bilge dry. Based on a
recommendation from someone on this list, last year I purchased an Ultra pump
switch for the automatic. http://tefgel.com/contain.php?param=pumpswitch_infor
I haven’t installed it yet, and need to decide what kind of pump to pair it
with. The manually operated electric pump that came with the boat is a Jabsco
diaphragm pump, which works well for this purpose.
Matt
C&C 42 Custom
From: David Knecht via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com>
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2021 11:42 AM
To: CnC CnC discussion list <CnC-List@cnc-list.com>
Cc: David Knecht <davidakne...@gmail.com>
Subject: Stus-List Bilge pumps
Practical Sailor had an article recently about bilge pumps and I have three
questions.
1. They recommended two electric pumps: a lower capacity automatic as deep in
bilge as possible and a second higher capacity wired to a switch higher up. I
am unconvinced by the logic. I have had an automatic pump get stuck on, so it
ran until the battery ran out of juice. I worry that will happen more
frequently with a deep automatic in the part of the bilge that will most
frequently have water and crud. I would argue for the opposite setup so I can
pump out incidental rain water etc. at my discretion but the automatic will
kick in when there is high water.
2. On my boat, I have a small floor panel I can remove to access the bilge and
my current pump (Whale super-sub which is the only pump I found that fits) is
deep in the narrow bilge there. If I were to try to put a second pump in, I
think it would have to be somewhere else which means under the flooring and
inaccessible which seems like a bad idea. That flooring is a PITA to remove,
since it is screwed down and to remove the flooring adjacent to the small
panel, where a pump would make sense, I have to unbolt and support the table
because the mast runs through it and the table bolts to the flooring. That
takes about 30 min minimum so I don’t think that is a good place for a pump one
wants to access with some ease. I could put it further back under the rear
flooring which is more easily removed, but it would have to be a pump that sits
low to fit. Have others modified the floor attachment to make access to the
space underneath easier?
3. If one has two pumps, it is OK to tie the outlets together through a Y
valve with check valves?
David Knecht
S/V Aries
1990 C&C 34+
New London, CT
Dr. David Knecht
Professor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of Connecticut
91 N. Eagleville Rd.
U-3125
Storrs, CT 06269-3125
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