Two of my bilge pumps failed this past season.
They BOTH broke where the discharge hose clamp surrounds the discharge nozzle's perimeter.
Two Questions:
A) I don't know if I tighten the clamp too much, or if I use the wrong hose (see pic) that may be too stiff and puts angular pressure to the pump's nozzle.
B) In my search for new pumps I ran across similar ones to the Rule brand that I currently have, called Seaflo (not Shureflo)
In the past I had a Seaflo fresh water pump and was very happy with it.
However, now I'm looking for centrifugal pumps - not diaphragm - and wonder IF anyone has experience with Seaflo centrifugal pumps.
I'm talking about the cylindrical Seaflo 1100gph model, which will replace both this rectangular one, as well as the other one which is my shower discharge pump (not shown here).
Yannis,
The 1100 GPH Rule pumps that you have now are about the smallest pumps that you should have on your boat. If I were you I would go with 2 new Johnson 2200 GPH pumps with Ultimata Cylinder style upright ( spelling ) auto pump switches. Those 1100 Rules only pump about 900 GPH at a 3' head overboard discharge and the Rule lever style auto switches are crap. There is a chart in the Lewis Marine or Boat/US catalogue showing how much each pump actually discharges, you would be surprised how little a 1100 Rule actually pumps.
It looks like the clamp at the outlet might have been tightened too much or the angle was too steep putting excess pressure on the discharge plastic part.
Good luck with what every you install but make sure the pump is large enough to discharge water fast enough to handle a broken thru hull fitting of 1-1/2'' that when broken off allows at least 500 GPM of sea water coming into your bilge. And another safety item that you should have on your boat is a bag of tapered wood plugs to fit each size thru hull on the boat. They are around $20.00 for a bag of assorted sizes.
Pete Fallon
From the looks of your hose, it is probably more flexible than the one I use. I actually use sanitation hose. Here in the US that hose is white and smooth on the inside. Yours looks like it has wire for support and flex.
If you think you are making too sharp of a bend, try turning the pump so that the outlet gives you a more direct route otherwise if you have the room make the turn in the hose a little bigger to relieve some of the stress.
Follow Pete's advice for pump size and float switch. Here is the link for the switch.
I am very aware of the two elements that you brought up, namely the pump’s min discharge capacity, as well as the necessity for wood plugs.
I do not have ANY through hull fittings below the water line in the area where those two pumps are installed, in the cabin that is.
My galley’s discharge hole is well above the waterline, equiped with a seacock and so is my head’s sink’s one. As for the shower’s, that one is behind the engine bulkhead, still well over the waterline. The head’s intake through hull is also in the engine compartment. So, there is no risk of a fitting breaking away in the cabin, simply because there aint none.
The lowest point where any water would accumulate, in the 28 CABIN bilge, is exactly where this rectangular pump is sitting, right at the foot of the v berth bulkhead. This is water that filters into the cabin ONLY when the boat is at rest and it is water that comes in when I wash the cockpit deck, through the engine/cabin bulkhead holes, two on each side, by the stringers. If, and when I find water in the cabin bilge, I have two options to dispose of it. Either by manually using this pump (from the switchboard) while at rest, at which point I also have to use a sponge for the leftovers that the pump cannot pick-up, or, when cruising, when ALL cabin bilge water comes back against the engine bulkhead, I open the through hole made at the bulkhead’s lowest point so water transfers into the engine room and then all the way aft, where I have two 2000gph rules with float switches.
But you’re right. This cabin pump HAS to be upgraded so it proves useful in the event when two hazards happen simultaneously.
A through hull failure under the deck AND an engine failure. In that case, if the boat is not moving, water flowing into the engine bilge WILL filter through into the cabin, where a powerful pump should be able to send it overboard.
Thank you, also for the advice on the pump model.
ADDITION: Peter, I called them and they proposed, among other pumps, a Mayfair model; they said it once was the same company. Do you know them? Are Mayfairs reliable, or as reliable as the Johnsons? Thanks.
Last edited by Yannis on Feb 16th, '18, 04:53, edited 1 time in total.
It is because my hose has this wire that makes it a bit stiff. It is a bit flexible, but I was wondering if I should pick another hose type which is more flexible than this one. Also, I was thinking of whether I tighten the clamp too much but that clamp HAS to be very tight...maybe instead of a metal clamp I could use two tier-ups? Or is this a shepherd’s approach?
And NO the pump’s output pipe cannot be modified upwards so as to ease the angle with the hose!
Thank you for the link, I’m sure most of what brands exist can be found in Greece. If not, there is always this magical thing called internet...!
I have limited space for making hose swirls because right next to that pump I have a 150 lt flexible fresh water tank...
I will try though that angled fitting you said ...only thing is that the angle is neither horizontal nor vertical, as the tube then goes sideways over the stringer (but under the sole) in a very confined corridor, upwards through the hanging locker to the starboard hull side...you can imagine the trajectory !
Galileo and Michelangelo were not as good in inventing things as we all here are asked to be, given the circumstances!
Michelangelo had a whole church to work with...we are stuck in the confines of a tight bilge.
Anyway...its a boat, always compromises.
Find a pump with discharge angled or higher can hurt the pocket
Modify discharge with angled fitting...angles and fittings reduce flow.
Turn standard pump 90 deg lose valuable space.
Raise pump a little to ease pressure on hose, but can't suck the last bit of juice out.
Beside the two red Rule bilge pumps above that are broken, here is my raw water Shurflo pump that stopped working.
I'm trying to open it to see whether I can rinse/fix anything inside but the 8 screws in the perimeter, all 8 of them, don't budge.
I sprayed them, talked nice to them, tried all tricks I know, still nothing. Before I ruin them, does anybody have any idea how they can be loosened?
Thanks.
(The body of the pump is aluminum, the screws are SS, ideal recipe for electrolysis...)
I use a mix of 50% atf ( trans fluid) and 50% acetone. I use an old mustard bottle with a tip to dispense onto stuck screws.
That mix is by far superior to any commercially available brands
Google engineering studies .
From Popular Mechanics Magazine:
"And if you don't mind a little mixology, try concocting a homemade cocktail of automatic transmission fluid combined 1:1 with acetone, which can be as much as four times—repeat, four times—as effective as any other product."
Last edited by Donmystic1 on Feb 21st, '18, 11:54, edited 1 time in total.
One of the old school impact wrenches that you hit with a hammer will also do wonders on something like that. Let the penetrate have plenty of time to soak in.
Will do, Rawleigh, for the time being I let it soak in Don’s magic recipe.
In the meantime I tried to fix something else at home and ...I’m in bed with a terrible lumbago, I think the pump will have to wait a few days...
Your potion of acetone/trans fluid that I mixed 50/50 for easing out the pumps' screws is not homogeneous; the acetone is lighter and separates, how do you make sure that a homogeneous mix can be applied? Anything I do wrong?
Your potion of acetone/trans fluid that I mixed 50/50 for easing out the pumps' screws is not homogeneous; the acetone is lighter and separates, how do you make sure that a homogeneous mix can be applied? Anything I do wrong?
Thanks.
Yannis try Mineral spirits. Will not evaporate off as fast and should mix better.
By the way I came across these bilge pumps over the weekend at a boat show.
