Bilge pump recommendations please

[NoonOcean]

We have full keel monohull with a deep bilge. The bilge pump needs to pull water up more than 6 feet to reach the pump itself before it pushes to the through-hull. A submersible pump is not an option for us - it would sit too deep in the bilge to reach for servicing and the prop shaft is in the way.

We have had trouble finding a suitable pump. Does anyone have a make and model they have had success with and would recommend for our situation?

[malbert73]

Problem is you will need a self-priming pump with diaphragms that could clog or be damaged by bilge crud. I bet there are solutions others could share re pumps that can do this.

My old Luders 33 had a deep bilge in the full keel also (it was a tool eater [emoji3]) and the solution was a PVC pipe attached to the outlet of a standard bilge pump, which rose to the top of the bilge and then attached to the exit bilge hose. The PVC pipe also served as the handle to raise the pump for servicing and cleaning. That way a standard submersible centrifugal pump could be used.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by NoonOcean

We have full keel monohull with a deep bilge. The bilge pump needs to pull water up more than 6 feet to reach the pump itself before it pushes to the through-hull. A submersible pump is not an option for us - it would sit too deep in the bilge to reach for servicing and the prop shaft is in the way.



We have had trouble finding a suitable pump. Does anyone have a make and model they have had success with and would recommend for our situation?

We have a ~4.5' deep keel (plus at least 3 ft higher for an anti-siphon loop) and a Rule non-diaphagm pump at the bottom of this. Pumps no problem. (We also have 2 large manual bilge pumps, just in case....)

Of course, a diaphragm pump even better.

The solution to placing the pump way down in the bilge (by previous owner) was to screw down the switch and pump on a piece of thick plexi/lexan, that fits perfectly at the bottom. The wiring and hoses are long enough so that we are able to pull the whole pump/switch up for cleaning/repair etc. (Not hugely differebt from solution above). Solves the accessibility issue.

Can't say about the prop shaft. Perhaps a photo will help?

[Calif.Ted]

As said, you need a positive displacement pump that will pump either air or water, diaphragm pumps are most commonly used for remote located bilge pumps. The largest Jabsco has a 10' lift capability, my boat uses a smaller model with 7' lift.
https://www.defender.com/pdf/500725_Jabsco.pdf

[rwaldrop13]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

We have a ~4.5' deep keel (plus at least 3 ft higher for an anti-siphon loop) and a Rule non-diaphagm pump at the bottom of this. Pumps no problem. (We also have 2 large manual bilge pumps, just in case....)

Of course, a diaphragm pump even better.

The solution to placing the pump way down in the bilge (by previous owner) was to screw down the switch and pump on a piece of thick plexi/lexan, that fits perfectly at the bottom. The wiring and hoses are long enough so that we are able to pull the whole pump/switch up for cleaning/repair etc. (Not hugely differebt from solution above). Solves the accessibility issue.

Can't say about the prop shaft. Perhaps a photo will help?

I have a deep well in the bow lazarette on my Hatteras, and since this is the backup pump for the V-berth head, I did almost this exact same technique, using a scrap piece of Starboard.

[Peregrine1983]

Edit: Our prop shaft is also in the way and our pumps sit between 4-5' down in the bildge which makes servicing a pain, but the pumps themselves are extremely reliable. We fit these pumps easily past the shaft and have pinned back the pump hoses so they are well clear of the shaft. Would that approach be possible on your boat?

Not sure what size boat you have, but we have a beastly Rule 3700 as our primary on our 42' ketch with a Water Witch sensor.

Our secondary is a Rule 2000 Automatic

Two is one and one is none as they say... And if there's one thing I wouldn't go cheap on it's bilge pumps.

[Tom_F]

We replaced the OEM remotely located bilge diaphragm pump with a new model of the same pump: https://www.defender.com/product3.js...4229&id=151003 Works fine, although I would have preferred a higher capacity pump.

[dcarratt]

I have one of these, Viking Power32, as the main bilge pump. No problems in 3 years of use.
https://www.spxflow.com/johnson-pump...e-water-pumps/

[MicHughV]

I had a similar situation...I fabricated an L shaped piece of stainless steel, about 6" wide, with the long leg about 4-5' high..and the short leg about 12" long. On the short leg I mounted a submersible pump and float switch. This I lowered into the bilge (bottom of keel) in front of the engine where there was room. It worked fine, When I wanted to service the pump.....ie, clean the strainer, etc......I just pulled the L piece out...the L piece was fastened to a frame with a simple wing nut, so I could remove it by hand, without having to look for tools.
Maybe this can give you an idea.

[sv_pelagia]

We also have a Water Witch bilge switch. Works great (with caveat below) and has benefit that it won't switch on if diesel goes into bilge (yes, this saved us once).

Caveat: the Water Witch sensors (which look like 2 quarters placed side by side) need to be cleaned periodically. If not, we've found they can switch on and stay on. Cleaning is simple: we tape some paper towel to the end of a pole, and wipe the sensors off. 2 minutes.

[wrwakefield]

You may want to take a close look at the Whale IC Bilge pump. It exceeds your stated specs. [Download manual.]

We use one for the 'maintenance' bilge pump. [i.e., keep it dry. There is a stack of other pumps for emergency water removal.]

We use a slightly smaller Whale model for shower sumps. All are solid state automatic water sensing [no moving sensor floats, etc.] They have been working for years without issue.

They also have built-in delay timers. [1 second before turning on; 45 seconds after sensing last water before turning off for the bilge pump.] This leaves the bilge line empty every time the pump runs.

We keep a rebuild kit on hand [same for both pump models] but have yet to need it. It will be fairly quick and simple to install the new diaphragm when the time does come.

In case this is of interest.

Cheers! Bill

[Captain Puget]

I’ve enjoyed https://www.aridbilgesystems.com/

Vaccum based, and can handle your rise/ head.

[c.K.]

Originally Posted by Peregrine1983

Edit: Our prop shaft is also in the way and our pumps sit between 4-5' down in the bildge which makes servicing a pain, but the pumps themselves are extremely reliable. We fit these pumps easily past the shaft and have pinned back the pump hoses so they are well clear of the shaft. Would that approach be possible on your boat?

Not sure what size boat you have, but we have a beastly Rule 3700 as our primary on our 42' ketch with a Water Witch sensor.

Our secondary is a Rule 2000 Automatic


Two is one and one is none as they say... And if there's one thing I wouldn't go cheap on it's bilge pumps.

I made a bridge from a strip of ply wood right under neath the cover of the bilge, a strip of stainless4" wide 5 feet long 90 degree angle with the pump mounted at the bottom and90 degree at the top facing the opposite direction with a small lip that hooks over the plywood bridge
Need to service? just pull up the entire assembly very easy you can make this as long as the depth of the bilge

[sailcrazy]

We, too, have a deep and narrow bilge. The only access is a small opening directly in front of our Yanmar engine. Several years ago, I glued together a few pieces of PVC pipe, in the shape of an "L". Our bottom bilge pump is bolted to the bottom "L", and a second "L" is attached to the pump output. After having several float switched fail, we've switched to electronic (Water Witch) switches, that have not failed us yet(8+years). That pump electronic sw is bolted just above the bottom pump. Then we added a 3rd "L", for a backup bilge pump, with an electronic switch attached, and then a Hi water alarm (Johnson) above it. The discharge hoses attach to the top end of each respective PVC pipe. All the wiring is zip-tied to the PVC, comes up out of the hole, and makes their respective connections-above water. All 3 PVC pipes are zip-tied together, act as a unit, is lowered down into the hole/bilge, and the discharge hoses attached to the upper ends. We pull it out 1/yr to clean, and so far it has worked flawlessly. Cheap, easy to make (or replace if needed), and it works.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by NoonOcean

We have full keel monohull with a deep bilge. The bilge pump needs to pull water up more than 6 feet to reach the pump itself before it pushes to the through-hull. A submersible pump is not an option for us - it would sit too deep in the bilge to reach for servicing and the prop shaft is in the way.

We have had trouble finding a suitable pump. Does anyone have a make and model they have had success with and would recommend for our situation?

Many put bilge pumps and switches into deep bilges, including mine which is 4ft deep, using a stick of some type.

Just mount it to the stick and down she goes with it all attached.
You can add a slider to lengthen it, if needed.

Very simple, you can mount any submersible pump this way.
Boatyarddog