Blige pump vs drain plug

[indytoatl]

I have a 2008 21' bowrider I bought last year, my first boat. I've noticed the only time the blige pump extracts water is when I'm washing the inside of the boat with a water hose. If I look in the engine compartment there is still a lot of water after the blige pump turns off so I open the rear drain plug to finish the job.

When I open the drain plug after a full day on the lake at least 10 gallons of water flows out.

Two questions:
Why isn't there a pump for the engine compartment or is mine malfuctioning?
Why do I never see the blige pump extract water while I'm driving or idle on the lake all day?

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

do you have more than 1 pump? if not then the 1 you have is not at the lowest point in the hull

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

the better ? how is 10 gallons of water getting in?

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Aside from your bilge pump issue - 10 gallons of water in the boat is a bad thing. You need to figure out how all that water is getting in.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Aside from your bilge pump issue - 10 gallons of water in the boat is a bad thing. You need to figure out how all that water is getting in.

yes, mine never kicks on either, but because i take on a thimble full of water on the back side of my drain plug after a whole day

 

[indytoatl]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

I think I found the source of the water. My swim deck has two port holes that I think are suppose to be sealed. I stuck the water hose in both of them and water was entering the engine compartment at a gallon per hour rate. Is there a special caulk I should use or just Home Depot stuff?

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Those holes are from where the swim ladder used to be. I wonder if whoever installed that platform forgot to plug the bolt holes that are up there?

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

I'd use a marine caulk but any will do if you fill with caulk and then run stainless steel screws in the holes to make a tight seal.

I think I found the source of the water. My swim deck has two port holes that I think are suppose to be sealed. I stuck the water hose in both of them and water was entering the engine compartment at a gallon per hour rate. Is there a special chaulk I should use or just Home Depot stuff?
View attachment 191086View attachment 191087

 

[indytoatl]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Those holes are from where the swim ladder used to be. I wonder if whoever installed that platform forgot to plug the bolt holes that are up there?

You nailed it. The water is coming from the behind the bolt and washer. I will try to find a marine
caulk sealer. You would think that roofing/gutter sealer would make a good solution but I'm not
sure if it only adheres to metal.

 

[indytoatl]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

do you have more than 1 pump? if not then the 1 you have is not at the lowest point in the hull

It's sitting right below the engine. I found it in the owner's manual and took a picture of mine.
Should I be concerned that it's not draining that much water?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Use 3M 5200 marine sealant, available at Home Depot in the paint dept at the adhesives section.

Remove your drain plug before washing your boat, actually your drain plug should be removed when the boat comes off the water and not put back in until prepping for the next launch.

 

[reckler]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

You nailed it. The water is coming from the behind the bolt and washer. I will try to find a marine
caulk sealer. You would think that roofing/gutter sealer would make a good solution but I'm not
sure if it only adheres to metal.

View attachment 191099

Use a marine adhesive or epoxy...5200 Marine Adhesive is good stuff and very durable.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

You nailed it. The water is coming from the behind the bolt and washer. I will try to find a marine
caulk sealer. You would think that roofing/gutter sealer would make a good solution but I'm not
sure if it only adheres to metal.

View attachment 191099

Better take those out one at a time and seal them from the outside

 

[QC]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

A quick tip if you do have water in the bilge at the end of the day yet it doesn't seem like the pump is "seeing" any. Try running the throttle up slowly in gear. When the stern is squatting the pump should be under water if she is aft, and mounted maybe a little bit high. This would indicate that some water is hiding forward which may mean the ski locker is the actual low point, and indicates the need for a second pump. This also allows you to monitor water during the day. If you can get the pump to run with the method I mention, then you can keep track of it and learn a thing or two, like you're still taking on water. Another thing new boaters don't realize is how much water enters the boat if you have swimmers getting in and out. My boat doesn't take on any water at all without swimmers. On a hot day I may run the pump three or four times a day and can go for a while getting all of it out. I can definitely get more out if I bump the throttle up a little in gear.

BTW, no guarantee you have found the point of water gettign in. Although possible, it is a little hard to imagine 10 gallons getting in that way. I wouldn't imagine any water coming in there when you are on plane.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Looks like you are finding the source of the 10 gallons . . . so that is a good thing.

About the bilge pump . . .

Two questions:
Why isn't there a pump for the engine compartment or is mine malfuctioning?
Why do I never see the blidge pump extract water while I'm driving or idle on the lake all day?

I assume it is in the forward part of the engine compartment??? And it probably needs a couple inches of water in order for it to activate ??? When your boat is in the water, the lowest part of the boat is probably at the transom, which may be a fair distance from the bilge pump. So that is probably why the bilge never empties, and that couple inches of water can be quite a few gallons.

To make matters worse, when you are on plane or coming up on plane, the angle of the boat is typically more than when at rest in the water, so the depth of water is further back towards the transom and away from the bilge pump.

So, as you can see most bilge pump installations are designed to get excess water out of the bilge, but not all of the water. If there were a second bilge pump near the transom, then you would be able to get most of the water out of the boat.

I recently moved the bilge pump in my boat to the transom, because that is where the deepest water is located. So hopefully, it will empty the bilge pretty much all the way

 

[QC]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

I agree with that ^^^^^^ although it is the opposite of what I was thinking, same principle.

 

[indytoatl]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Better take those out one at a time and seal them from the outside

I must have missed the second bolt, maybe it's hidden behind something. I will look again and see if I can find it.
How would I get to the front of the bolt now that the swim deck is installed?

 

[indytoatl]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Great advise on adding a second blige!! I will start researching it asap. Would you guys
add all new plumbing or tap into the existing stuff?

 

[tazrig]

Re: Blige pump vs drain plug

Remove your drain plug before washing your boat, actually your drain plug should be removed when the boat comes off the water and not put back in until prepping for the next launch.

^^^+1 and store your boat with a slight bow up attitude so all the extra water drains out the stern.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Bilge pump vs drain plug

Re: Bilge pump vs drain plug

I haven't see the words "Automatic" or "Float Switch" anywhere in this thread.
If your pump does not have a Float Switch or an Automatic Water Sensor built in, it will not run unless you manually turn it on!

What Make/Model Pump do you have?

A bilge pump will lower the water lever to about a half inch before it starts to suck air.
Do not expect it to remove ALL the water.

Sealants:
Do NOT use any SILICON Based Sealant on a boat.
The 3M products are PolyUrethane Based. They are way more appropriate.