Live well advice help!

[wilson750]

I got a new boat to me and the live well is in the floor. The drain at the bottom goes out threw transom and there is a inlet/overflow near top that empties out in bilge. I'd like to put a pump on the live well to keep the water fresh. I also don't like how overflow at top empties into bilge. Has anyone had/ have similar live wells?

 

[TyeeMan]

What kind of boat is it? Is it a factory live well? If so it should already have a pump. Also, the live well should over flow out the side of the boat, not into the bilge.
In previous boats I've owned, a plug would be inserted into the hole at the bottom of the livewell, the drain. Depending on the boat, the live well pump is mounted to the transom, or slightly forward and connect with tubing. It draws water in from the hole through the transom and pumps it to the spray head located at the top of the live well.
Once the live well is full, excess water is spill overboard via a tube and fitting in the side of the boat.

Then to drain the live well, you reach in and pull the plug. Water will then either drain out the same fill hole in the transom of the boat or like my boat it will dump out the bottom of the boat through the hull.

If you are spilling water into the bilge I have a hunch there is something missing.

 

[Silvertip]

It's called a "stand-pipe". Look at one at any boat dealer, or in your toilet tank. It plugs into the drain hole and is shorter than tank depth. Properly used, there should never be water through the overflow to the bilge.

 

[TyeeMan]

Sheesh, I totally forgot about the systems that use the stand pipe. Good point!

 

[BTL]

If you are spilling water into the bilge I have a hunch there is something missing.

I'm thinking that "overflow" hole that's spilling into the bilge is actually where the spray head is supposed to be coming in. I've never seen a livewell that had two different drain holes.

 

[wilson750]

Yeah the top hole just empties into the bilge and the bottom hole goes out threw transome. I guess I need to mount a pump so the water sprays in at the top and some sort of pipe to fit into the bottom drain for overflow?

 

[BTL]

Yep, exactly. Sounds like the previous owner removed the livewell pump and plumbing and never replaced it. If this boat had a factory-installed livewell, there should already be a hole in the transom or the hull to mount the pump.