"Homemade" portable backup bilge pump

[bsangs]

Anyone here ever fashion together a portable backup bilge pump?

My manual Whale Gusher pump continues to baffle me, and if I don't have it working properly before we set out up the Long Island Sound in August, I'd obviously like to have a second means of pumping water out the boat, just in case. I was thinking of cobbling together an automatic bilge pump; long hose that would reach to the cockpit or out a porthole; and some 12-volt battery clips, for quick and easy connection to the battery. Understanding that if too much water gets in it would likely render the batteries useless, and the need for a strong enough pump to throw water up a steep incline, are there any other drawbacks to this?

 

[Christian Williams]

I think you should get the manual Whale Gusher working. It is really the best defense against serious leaks, and when you need it it is there, ready to go.

 

[Loren Beach]

Anyone here ever fashion together a portable backup bilge pump?

My manual Whale Gusher pump continues to baffle me, and if I don't have it working properly before we set out up the Long Island Sound in August, I'd obviously like to have a second means of pumping water out the boat, just in case. I was thinking of cobbling together an automatic bilge pump; long hose that would reach to the cockpit or out a porthole; and some 12-volt battery clips, for quick and easy connection to the battery. Understanding that if too much water gets in it would likely render the batteries useless, and the need for a strong enough pump to throw water up a steep incline, are there any other drawbacks to this?

When I had to rebuild or replace it way over a decade ago. It's a spendy, high capacity manual pump, but those rubber internal check valves will get hardened and refuse to seal after many years. I replaced our pump because I was not able to extract the ss screws from the aluminum housing that held the check valves in place. I also have observed that the bellows can check and crack on any pump after enough years pass.
And then there is the effect of decades of 'decay' on the old ribbed hose the factory installed from the strum box in your bilge to the pump and thence to the thru hull fitting.
Take the pump out and rebuild it, but pivot to plan B if you have to and replace it. Hoses, if original, are beyond their design life by many years, also.
I would advise to skip on "Rube Goldberg solutions" and repair it right and do it once... and be done for another 20 years.

As for a Backup Plan, yup we do have a bucket....
But that's in addition to our two Jabsco 12 volt pumps and the manual Gusher pump in the cockpit.

"Plan C"
I have seen this big Edson pump on a larger cruising boat their emergency backup. Costly, but well regarded.

Edson Portable Manual Bilge Pump Kit

Edson Portable Manual Bilge Pump Kit Model 165 Manual Aluminum Portable Pump (Dewatering pumps) Kit is a complete pumping system. <br> <br>The Edson 30 gallon per minute (30 GPM) Model 117 Lever-Action Side Inlet Pump is mounted on a Carrying Board, wi

www.landfallnavigation.com

We saw one of those installed flush with the cabin sole on a Santa Cruz 52, and the owner referred to it as his "Oh My God" pump!

 

[peaman]

If your manual Gusher pump is original equipment, it is way overdue for a rebuild or replacement. Function relies on two rubber flapper valves opening for flow and sealing against back flow, and with age, those flappers stop sealing so you end up just moving air back and forth. Rebuild kits are available.

 

[bsangs]

Have done all that with the Whale. Still a no-go, unfortunately. Next step is to redo the hoses, but am not getting to it this sailing season. Thanks for the link Loren.

 

[Loren Beach]

Just so we are all on the same pump page .......

Whale Systems

Whale makes outdoor living easy and enjoyable with a wide range of quality low voltage pump, heating, and water systems.

www.whalepumps.com

This is the stock Ericson (and Olson factory installed pump model.
If it is working, i.e. the internal check valves are working as designed, then it will evacuate water from the bilge. That's if (!) the hose to the bilge is solid with no air leaks.
Trouble shooting this stuff for function is actually kind of easy... it's the access to the hoses and the backside of the pump that causes so many swear words in most all boats. (sigh)
Rebuilding the pump is not too complicated either, once it's out and on your work bench. On our boat this all took some major spelunking into the aft sections of the hull, and probing around under the internal moldings where those OEM hoses had been routed.

 

[JSM]

Anyone here ever fashion together a portable backup bilge pump?

I have an 8" section of hose that I attach to the fresh water pump when I winterize. I keep in onboard in the summer, in case of an emergency I can hook it up to the pump, put the other end in the bilge and use the engine as a pump.

 

[bsangs]

I have an 8" section of hose that I attach to the fresh water pump when I winterize. I keep in onboard in the summer, in case of an emergency I can hook it up to the pump, put the other end in the bilge and use the engine as a pump.

That's a great idea, but do you put a screen on the end of the hose when you use the engine? I'd fear debris getting in there and gumming up the works.

 

[JSM]

That's a great idea, but do you put a screen on the end of the hose when you use the engine? I'd fear debris getting in there and gumming up the works.

Only did it once after a big rain and my bilge pump was in op. Good incentive to keep a clean bilge .

 

[bsangs]

Only did it once after a big rain and my bilge pump was in op. Good incentive to keep a clean bilge .

So you just removed the seawater hose from the water pump, connected the "bilge" hose and simply turned on the engine, I assume?

 

[southofvictor]

We borrowed a portable Rule high speed pump setup from a fishing boat last month after making landfall in Newfoundland (on somebody else’s boat) and it worked like a dream. Alligator clips on long cables plus enough lightweight hose to reach the cockpit. We’d been manually pumping almost all the way across from the Azores and while it was thankfully effective it was a PITA especially in weather. Both auto pumps were inoperable within 48 hours of departure and I wasn’t able to troubleshoot effectively until we got the water cleared out of the bilge with the portable pump we borrowed. I’m going to make one for our boat before we head out this fall. It fit into a small shopping bag, so small price to pay space-wise. It’s not a substitute for the manual pump but it seems like a simple addition.

 

[bsangs]

We borrowed a portable Rule high speed pump setup from a fishing boat last month after making landfall in Newfoundland (on somebody else’s boat) and it worked like a dream. Alligator clips on long cables plus enough lightweight hose to reach the cockpit. We’d been manually pumping almost all the way across from the Azores and while it was thankfully effective it was a PITA especially in weather. Both auto pumps were inoperable within 48 hours of departure and I wasn’t able to troubleshoot effectively until we got the water cleared out of the bilge with the portable pump we borrowed. I’m going to make one for our boat before we head out this fall. It fit into a small shopping bag, so small price to pay space-wise. It’s not a substitute for the manual pump but it seems like a simple addition.

That's a long way to be manually pumping. How's your shoulder/elbow doing? I eventually ended up getting something very similar, though it's not from Rule. Works fantastically well. Also purchased a manual, high-capacity Thirsty Mate Super Pump from Beckson. No more worrying about that PITA Whale that I could never get working properly.

 

[bgary]

My manual Whale Gusher pump continues to baffle me

What's it doing?

My boat sat for several months while I was working on the mast, and when I got around to testing things I found the Gusher didn't work. Pump-pump-pump and no sign of water moving.

I went down a rabbit-trail on the internet, and found a variety of sources that said that if left to sit for an extended period the valves inside a Gusher can become stiff. The fix is to get them wet. So (following random advice from some random internet guy) I connected a piece of hose to the inlet in the bilge, raised the other end up about 8 feet to get it above the level of the pump, and filled it with water. Pump-pump-pump and in a surprisingly short period of time it started working, and has worked ever since.

Short of the valve issue, the other possibility that comes to mind is a hole in the hose somewhere between the bilge and the pump. If enough air can get in, there won't be enough suction to move water.

ymmv. But, yeah, as Christian says, a working Gusher pump is the easiest/fastest way to move a bunch of water when you need to.

 

[bsangs]

What's it doing?

That original post was from a couple years ago, bgary. It's doing nothing now, as it was taken out of service and replaced with two other forms of manual backup.