[Public-List] Automatic bilge pumps

Mon May 8 19:19:05 PDT 2017

The only sizing that really matters is to buy a pump that can sufficiently reach the discharge outlet. 

George 

Sent from a primitive pocket computer. Please assume all errors are due to that.

> On May 8, 2017, at 18:56, Mike Lehman via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> I wholeheartedly agree with Gordon on this...the water should stay outside
> of the boat! Fix leaks or potential leaks by replacing hose, clamps etc.
> 
> On Mon, May 8, 2017 at 5:26 PM, Gordon Laco via Public-List <
> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
>> Hello Bill,
>> 
>> Any automatic bilge pump should only be relied upon to evacuate minor
>> leaks when you’re not aboard.  So any pump will do… I believe the 450 gal
>> per hour variety is nice and small, and won’t run your battery down too
>> much.
>> 
>> I personally (well professionally too) have a prejudice against automatic
>> pumps.  Here’s why.  The main thing an automatic pump will do is hide a
>> problem from you.  You’ll never know your boat has developed a chronic leak
>> until one day you arrive and the bilge is full and your batteries dead.
>> Worse, you may be happily sailing and notice that your bilge is full, your
>> battery is dead, you can’t start the engine, and because the water is up
>> you can’t find which hose or whatever is causing the problem.
>> 
>> A very powerful electric pump which might keep up with the ingress of
>> water from a ¾” through hull whose hose has fallen off, will only keep up
>> the fight for a relatively short time before it kills the battery.
>> 
>> I know some insurance companies, usually non-marine specialists, think an
>> automatic bilge pump is a safety item, but actually it is the opposite, in
>> this writer’s opinion.
>> 
>> You can buy a meter that will let you know if and how many times the pump
>> has come on… but strangely enough most people don’t use them.
>> 
>> Your best defense against a leak is vigilance.  Vigilance in prevention
>> (good hoses, good clamping, good through hulls, a regimen that involves
>> closing ball valves when you’re not using that through hull)   Your second
>> defense is your manual pump.  Last and least is your electric pump.
>> 
>> Gord
>> #426 Surprise
>> 
>> 
>> On 2017-05-08, 5:13 PM, "Public-List on behalf of WILLIAM NEWMAN via
>> Public-List" <public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org on behalf of
>> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
>> 
>>    Hello everyone,
>>    I expect that the weather there has been better than here, Toronto,
>> endless rain, but seems to be ending now.
>>    I will appreciate any advice regarding the best auto bilge pump for
>> the Alberg 30.  I purchased a Rule pump in Florida during a vacation from
>> the Canadian cold. It has worked flawlessly for about 15 years. It has now
>> decided to go to the bilge pump heaven so I need a replacement.  I see that
>> the Rule product is still very much available.  My question is what is the
>> proper gallons per hour for the Alberg 30?  I have not yet removed the old
>> one from the bilge and expect the model number to be difficult to read or e
>> may even be obsolete.
>>    Wishing a great season to all of your members,
>>    Bill NewmanGreat Lake Alberg AssociationMarion Rose, #
>> 233newman423 at rogers.com
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>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Mike Lehman
> ~~~_/)_/)~~_/)~~~
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