Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

[Robertpel9]

Is it normal for some water to stay in the bilge. My pump will start sputtering out after when it gets to the last "1 1/2 inches of water. It works great eliminating the rest but will never get the bilge completely dry

I am thinking this is not a good thing as isn't it bad to have water sitting in there all the time from a longevity standpoint

I am a real rooking with this but in the very deepest part of the hull there is a white unit that says automatic float switch which i think is the bilge pump right?? However there is a flat black unit up about a foot ont he left side of the engine compartment floor, i have no idea what that is, maybe something to do with the depth finder, etc, not sure

Anyway is it ok to have this inch and a half of water in there or am i asking for trouble and needing to replace something????

 

[JCF350]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

Normal.

Finish draining on trailer or use shop vac if it bothers you.

Last "slip" boat I had I'd just squirt a little biodegradable soap in there and shop vac later. Helps to keep the oder down.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

If you were to pull the pump out you would see the pump itself sits on a screen or filter to keep things from being sucked into it, this screen lifts the pump a bit which is why it doesn't get all the water, as long as it pumps when there is more water it is working like it should and as stated, if you want that last little bit out you will have to use a shop vac.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

my concern is why you have so much water in there, there shouldn't be but a very small amount, unless folks are constantly in & out of the water, next time you pull her out..remove the drain plug...make sure ALL the water is drained...next trip see how much water is in the bilge,my boats stay dry, a good amount means something's leaking,and by good amount i mean 2 quarts over a 8 hr day.

 

[arks]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

My boat stays in the water and we use a sponge to keep the bilges dry- no big deal if there's no leaks.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

I always have water in my bilge. Mostly due to heavy rains. When it hasn't downpoured for awhile, I take my washdown hose and spray water in the bilge to wash/rinse out old stagnant water. Usually there is only about a gallon that stays in there. No big deal for me.

 

[Robertpel9]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

I always have water in my bilge. Mostly due to heavy rains. When it hasn't downpoured for awhile, I take my washdown hose and spray water in the bilge to wash/rinse out old stagnant water. Usually there is only about a gallon that stays in there. No big deal for me.

That is what mine is from too, any buildup from rain etc as i have it in a wet slip.I just want to make sure this gallon that is always there is not going to cause me rotting issues, etc

 

[jollymon]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

My bilge pump leaves about 1-2" of water also. I learned a neat trick to dry it out. I purchased a self priming pump and mounted it in the engine compartment, with two hoses, the intake hose is about 2 feet long, and just hangs there, The out put hose is long enough to hang over the side of the boat. When I find standing water in the bilge, I throw the discahrge hose over the side, turn the pump on and vacum the water up. Next time I haul the boat, I am going to put a drian in the side of the boat for the discharge hose.

I used a "harbor frieght" cheap pump. It works perfect for my needs, 12 volt, 23' foot lift.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

As a side note to this topic, I have a marine A/C system. Being in the refrigeration field, I have often thought about adding a condensate coil for the hot gas prior to it going into the water cooled condenser. I thought if I put the coil in the bilge during the hot season that it would dry up the excess water. Many commercial freezers/coolers have this type set up to dry up the condensate water from the evaporator coil. Seems like it should work as well in the bilge.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

Jollymon,

I would be worried about the cheap pump being a spark hazard down there.

 

[Drrockter]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

SS:
Are you sure about that? Our cases use Hot gas to defrost on occasion but use calrod heaters in pans for evaporating water on a Self contained set up. I wouldn't think a Hot gas setup would do so good for that.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

SS:
Are you sure about that? Our cases use Hot gas to defrost on occasion but use calrod heaters in pans for evaporating water on a Self contained set up. I wouldn't think a Hot gas setup would do so good for that.

Yeah, I know what your talking about. Our walk in freezers have heat strips for the defrost. On our small roll around units made by Traulson, have the hot gas coils. All they are is 1/4" copper tubing formed into a a retangle shape that sits in a pan. Once the condensate drains from the evap into the pan, the hot gas dries up the condensate water. One thing that makes me a bit leary of this plan is the humidity. During the drying process it could reak havoc on the sheet metal parts on the engine without a fan exhausting it.

Then on another set up from Bevregaire (sp), the condenser fan blows across a row of pads that soak up the condensate in a pan in a wicking type fashion. I'm thinking that even this method would be good even if you didn't have A/C. Just a bilge blower blowing across the pads (similar to sponges) would work.

As for now, for the amount that I have in my bilge, I'll just deal with it Thanks.......SS

 

[jollymon]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

Jollymon,

I would be worried about the cheap pump being a spark hazard down there.

Maclin,

Since I am in the bilge, with the hose in my hand, when I turn on the pump, I am not so concerned with "spark", The bilge hatch is open, and I am standing in the bilge when I do it. I would smell any vapor long before it becomes a problem.

You could also use a "wash down" pump from shurflow, or such.

And for a real laugh, the pump I bought from harbor frieght is a "Marine Pump" not that for a minute I believe it is any different than any of thier other pumps, except that it is a 12volt pump.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Bilge pump never gets rid of all water

I gotcha, I feel better now, don't want to be reading about you in the headlines anytime soon unless you win the lotto or something like that!

I know these forums get hit by thousands of searches and can just see somebody taking it out of context and trying to save a buck or three and....ouch.

I like Harbor Freight for stuff like that, things you don't use very often and do not want to put out the big bucks that other places have it for.


Happy boating everybody