Do I need back up bilge pump?

photographer

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 25, 2015
Messages
33
I was speaking to a marine engineer yesterday and he recommended that I better have a back up bilge pump. I have a 18" bowrider.
I am a professional photographer and I understand the importance of back up equipment.
My question:
Do I really need a back up bilge pump installed in my boat? What is your experience? Thanks!
 

gm280

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
14,585
WOW, I can see this going both ways. I never had a backup bilge pump, but then I never boated where a major problem would be a life or death situation either. I boat local lakes with so many others on the water all the time that I don't have a back up pump. However, IF I boated large waters I could see such a back up pump being more interesting then. JMHO!
 

Starcraft5834

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Messages
1,677
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I will tell you why. this happened to me in July.. was out with family having an awesome time on one of the NYS Finger Lakes, took off for town to get lunch and experienced "hydro lock". why, because I did not notice that my bilge line was clogged and water was not being tossed out of the boat. it was collecting for hours, I gunned it, all that water came to the back of the boat and submerged the engine enough to lock it up,, had to be towed back in to the dock by some helpful boaters... got it out of the water on the trailer and a stream of water poured out the drain hole steady for seemingly forever... thinking my engine was destroyed, I drained all the fluids, removed the spark plugs and turned it over expelling the water from the cylinder. put new plugs in and fluids, runs fine, no damage... this situation happens very rarely (bilge not working) but can be fatal to your engine..... so therefore my recommendation for you is yes do it....
 
Last edited:

Maclin

Admiral
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
6,761
I assume you have one now. Is it connected to a float switch with battery power all the time> Or otherwise fully automatic? Can it be tested?

As to whether or not you need a backup depends on the usage I think. Hours at a time offshore not in sight of land, maybe. Have a need to go out in rough weather no matter what, probably.

In one of my boats I just have the one, hooked to full time battery power thru an integral float switch and also a manual switch on the dash.Never felt the need for a backup. I always reach back and hit the float test switch to make sure it spins heartily. I do test it occasionally out of the boat in a tub.

The other boat is smaller and did not have a factory installed bilge pump. It always had a dry bilge, no water ever drained out on the ramp after running, UNTIL...one time I had not tightened the drain plug after sticking it in evidently. I use the rubber stopper type that compresses between two washers with a t-handle bolt. Senior moment I guess. Freaked out some when I tried to unscrew it to drain it on the ramp after retrieving and it the whole plug just turned, yikes. Pulled it out with almost no resistance and about 2 gallons of water came out, worked it's way in past the plug I think. Felt very lucky (and kind of sick) as that plug could have and probably SHOULD have come out when running out on the lake for an hour or so. Automatic bilge pump with mechanical float switch installed the next weekend.

If you do install a secondary backup be sure to plumb the outlet separately to it's own hull fitting.
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
227
Imperial.....if ai was you I'd check to see that your pistons come all the way to the top
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
227
Had a glitch....anyway I had a similar issue once. Once I got it all cleard out it ran fine but...had the head off at a later date and one piston did not come all the way up o he top. Further diagnoses found a gooseneck bend in the rod right under the wrist pin from trying to compress water!
 

smokeonthewater

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
9,838
Do you need a backup today, no... Do you even need a pump, not likely.... When a wave or big rain event puts water in the boat then you will need a pump... When that pump fails you will need a backup.... Do you want to build your ark BEFORE the flood or AFTER?

I suggest adding the biggest bilge pump you can fit/afford as a backup with the float switch 6" higher than normal and installing a new small pump in the lowest place water collects with the float switch in the same place for normal service.

When/if the small pump fails or is over run the big pump will be ready.
 

southkogs

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
14,785
I'm with Maclin.

It's one of those deals of not needing one really until the boat is sinking. Redundancy is important, but at the same time ... the only way to be redundant on everything is to have several boats and several crews out there on the lake with you. You need to evaluate what needs to be redundant for the conditions you typically boat under.
 

SDSeville

Lieutenant
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Messages
1,481
I had a bait tank malfunction this summer and pumped a few hundred gallons of water into my boat a few miles offshore. I sure was glad I had a second bilge pump with me.
 
Last edited:

joetheis

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2014
Messages
308
I would, but I'm German and have a back up for EVERYTHING!
My story.......
Wife and I were out on the St. Lawrence fishing out of my '80 Silver line 20' cuddy.
Drove out to main channel, fired up my 9 HP troller and trolled for a few hours.
"Let's go over to Flynn's Bay and go swimming.
Fired up the 228 Merc and hit it, "Hmmm she;s not getting on plane"?
A hick cup in the engine, my wife picks up the dog coup and water is FLYING out of the coup!
(I had just had the bellows and "U" joint replaced the week before).
"Son of a Golf Club", (not what I said, but you get the point).
I'm 3 miles from French Creek, (our home port),
I look, the main bilge is pumping away, (I may have heard it kick on before, if the radio wasn't blasting)!!
She looks at the water, it's getting worse..........
I had a spare bilge wired in with a cigerette plug end and a long hose.
I had her plug that in, now I'm pumping 160? gal an hour, and still losing.
"Put your life jacket on, your phone in a plastic bag.
Float away from the boat and hang onto it, it won't sink, (I think), when it goes down.
I praying, she's crying and the boat is chuggin along LOW in the water.......
I limp into the marina, only to find a A**hole at the ramp loading up his boat with coolers and kids!
I scream, I'm sinking, get the F.... out of the way!
(they must have been short, cuz it went RIGHT over their heads)! Never ever bothered to look up!
"OK, I'll dock here, it's easy to pull her out once she goes down"!
I shut the motor off, and both bilges are pumping then stop????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!
I open the coup and it's dry?????????????
Come to find out a expansion plug had rusted away, (it was a rebuilt motor and I guess they forgot the brass ones)!
So, the motor was pumping water into my boat!
I'm SURE if I had just one, they'd been pulling her from the bottom, EPA would have been slapping me with fines up the aft!
Moral of the story...
Weird things happen, but you can limit the SH** that comes with it, get a spare bilge!
Joe
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,417
As with any "redundant" system, everything has to be duplicated to be effective. Separate outputs, separate power supplies, separate switches, etc.

Two bilge pumps connected to the same dead battery or failed switch are no better than none at all.
 
Last edited:

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,583
Yes, If
You boat way offshore, if so also add another battery
Your maintenance is not done on a regular basis

No, If
Your within 1/2 hour from shore
Your maintenance is done on a regular basis

For both the above you need a marine radio

My back up bilge pump is a bucket
 
Last edited:

airshot

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
4,222
For piece of mind YES I do have a backup pump, each one is wired to a separate battery....just in case. They also have separate discharge hoses...just in case.
 

bassman284

Commander
Joined
Jun 24, 2006
Messages
2,839
Wow interesting. Gotta say, some of the posts in this thread were totally indecipherable. That saiid, before I would add a second bilge pump, I might look around and figure why I was getting so much water in the boat. If you're taking on enough water to require a 2nd bilge pump, that boat probably shouldn't have been on the water in the first place.
 

K-2

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Messages
406
or a high water alarm, easy to make one yourself .
 

1216bandit

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
214
Some really good advice here! The other thing to consider is that the smaller the boat, the less water it takes to become a serious problem, so look for something that really moves the water out quickly!
 

phillipgo

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 26, 2015
Messages
31
If you are alone, you can,t use a manual pump or a bucket and drive the boat.
 
Top