Dry Bilge Solution?

YYZRC

My 330 has a perfect low spot right at the garboard plug. A rigid tube into that area would be sufficient. No pickup needed except to facilitate the water sensors. 

Ian

Is there a check valve to stop the reverse flow? On the bilge pumps no matter how long you keep it running, what is in the pipe work never gets pushed out and flows back.

YYZRC

I don't think you would need a check valve with a diaphragm pump since it will pump air with the water.  I would probably try a loop in the output hose though.  I will experiment this weekend.

rasbury

There is no check valve so your going to have that little water in there..that pump with the flat pick up you can shove to the back looked like the way to go!

J3ff

Well I went ahead and ordered the 170 version with the timer. Would prefer the water sensing one, but 400 is too much.  With the 170 version you get the choice between Auto, ON, or OFF... so here it'll be nice to have, can just leave it on Auto during the rainy seasons while away at work, will turn it to ON when up on plane for a few mins, and off during the dry season (where it literally doesn't rain for weeks at a time). Will be here Saturday and installed Sat evening. 

Willhound

As @icoultha mentioned there is no check valve on a bilge pump but before anybody gets any ideas I'm pretty certain reg's state no check valve allowed as if it sticks it could render the bilge pump useless. 

davidbrooks

@Willhound you are correct.  There is another thread on here on that very topic.  I installed a new shower sump a few weeks ago.  Went to test it out just before Rinkervous was cancelled and it didn't work. Seems the shower sump has a quasi check valve in it as a rubber gasket.  Kind of like a small rubber cover you see over garbage disposals.  I had to open it up a little.  Also had to blow out the line.  Seems that over time some gunk had dried up in there from non use.  I could easily see the same happening  with this.

YYZRC

Willhound said:

As @icoultha mentioned there is no check valve on a bilge pump but before anybody gets any ideas I'm pretty certain reg's state no check valve allowed as if it sticks it could render the bilge pump useless. 

I was wondering why no check valve on the bilge pump. Makes sense. 

J3ff

Also heard it causes problems in cold weather

YYZRC

I added a $25 Amazon diaphragm pump today and it works awesome!  I think I'm going to hook it up to a 12v timer and just let it cycle a few times a day.  

J3ff

I've got the sea flo one installed, it works as advertised. The only issue I see right now is that they want you to screw it into the floor... not going to happen while the motor is in... took the bilge water down to where the regular bilge stopped being able to pull it out, turned on the sea flo one, it ran for 11.5 mins till it got it all out...took almost ALL the water out as it says... I imagine in an hour or so it'll be dry down there... The ONLY thing I feel that they did that was stupid was give you an Auto/off/Manual switch where the MANUAL is a temp on situation, meaning you'd have to sit there and hold it down for a while... that's just dumb. Shouldn't be a momentary on, should just be a regular leave it on kind of deal, might try to find a switch like that and put it in its place. 

There is a work around though, you can hold down a "manual" button on the controller and auto then becomes manual, but you lose the auto function in that case.. silly engineers. 

YYZRC

What does auto do? Just runs on a timer?

J3ff

Yeah, you can set intervals and how long you want it to run for. 

J3ff

Well go figure. Had been raining everyday here for weeks, put the dry bilge in and it hasn't rained since. 

YYZRC