Need Livewell Advice

[Jdab4]

Hi Folks,
I've got a 14' Aluminum fishing boat. It has a small livewell on the left side with a single drain/plug in the bottom which leads out throught the transom. Even with four people in the boat the well only fills a couple of inches when the plug is pulled. I'll need to make some changes to make this a functioning livewell.

I'm thinking about installing a pump (with a timer) to the existing drain line, to fill and circulate the well. I'll also need to install an overflow drain toward the top of the well (above waterline). My question is: If I do this, how will I drain the well when I'm done? The pump is only one direction right? It will fill the well but water can't go back through it to drain, can it?

Does anyone have any OTHER ideas?

 

[gcboat]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

First off is your drain plug a direct hole or does it have a 'clam shell' attachment on the hull? Most all will drain while underway but obstructions will prevent it from doing so. Check that drain - .

 

[Jdab4]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

First off is your drain plug a direct hole or does it have a 'clam shell' attachment on the hull? Most all will drain while underway but obstructions will prevent it from doing so. Check that drain - .

There's a stopper right there in the bottom of the well. As it is, I have to fill it manually (i.e.: put the plug in and dump water into it with a cup). When the plug is pulled and I'm under way, it drains. Technically it would drain even if I wasn't under way because the boat just doesn't sit very low in the water. As I said it only fills an inch or two with the plug out and four people in the boat.

 

[MWBROWN]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

Yes most of the pumps are one way.

You could add an intake thru the transom with a pump to a sprayer, and add a over flow to a "T" connected to the original intake/drain hose.
Mine is like that but it does not recurculate the water, just brings in fresh and the extra goes out the over flow. You will need to put a removeable plug in the hole so the extra water will not drain. The only thing I had to add was a valve to control the amount of water comming in. Most pumps pull more water in than the hose can drain. Got the valve at Lowes.
I just flip the switch from time to time, but a timer would be better.

Good Luck,

Mike

 

[Jdab4]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

Yes most of the pumps are one way.

You could add an intake thru the transom with a pump to a sprayer, and add a over flow to a "T" connected to the original intake/drain hose.
Mine is like that but it does not recurculate the water, just brings in fresh and the extra goes out the over flow. You will need to put a removeable plug in the hole so the extra water will not drain. The only thing I had to add was a valve to control the amount of water comming in. Most pumps pull more water in than the hose can drain. Got the valve at Lowes.
I just flip the switch from time to time, but a timer would be better.

Good Luck,

Mike

Okay, you lost me around adding the T connector. I'd like to avoid putting another hole in the transom for the pump if at all possible. I don't mind putting in the overflow fitting to allow excess water to drain, but I'm still confused as how to get the fresh water INTO the well and still have a drain at the bottom.

 

[MWBROWN]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

Well, I dont think intak and drain can be the same hose, so I suggested to add an intake with the pump, and the water would come into the top 1/4th of the well. You would have to add a hole there also.
The overflow would have to be another hole in the livewell, a little lower than the intake, and that hose would go into a "T" into the original drain hose.

Hope this helps.

Holes are ok, it you caulke with the correct stuff. They are good thru the hull fittings, some here at Iboats, some at other places.

Here is a sketch.

http://forums.iboats.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3810&stc=1&d=1184710903

Mike

 

[jtexas]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

The pump won't act as a one-way valve....in other words, when the pump's off, water will drain freely. That's why you need another hole in the transom. Livewell pump intake is a thru-hull fitting - put plenty of 3m 5200 on both sides, it'll be fine. Plug the drain & fill the tank.

With a fill pump you'll need an overflow drain. Mine is a hole in the side of the boat. The overflow is several inches above the waterline, but when running in really high winds, water comes in there anyway & overflows the livewell into the boat. The solution (from a prior owner) is a pump-out pump in the livewell, with the discharge directed out the overflow hole.

 

[MWBROWN]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

Hence the sketch.

 

[Jdab4]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

The pump won't act as a one-way valve....in other words, when the pump's off, water will drain freely. That's why you need another hole in the transom. Livewell pump intake is a thru-hull fitting - put plenty of 3m 5200 on both sides, it'll be fine. Plug the drain & fill the tank.

With a fill pump you'll need an overflow drain. Mine is a hole in the side of the boat. The overflow is several inches above the waterline, but when running in really high winds, water comes in there anyway & overflows the livewell into the boat. The solution (from a prior owner) is a pump-out pump in the livewell, with the discharge directed out the overflow hole.

The pump won't stop water from flowing back out of the livewell? Really? So if I put the pump in the existing drain line connected through the transom, I could pump water into the well but it would drain right back out once I turned off the pump? That's why a new water intake should be placed toward the top of the well. Okay!

What if I put some sort of one-way valve in the drain hole in the bottom of the well? I could put the pump on this line, allowing water to come in but not back out. At the end of the day I could just pull the "plug" and let the water drain out through the pump, right? Do they even make a one-way plug like that?

I really appreciate your help folks!

 

[MWBROWN]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

I suppose you could get what they call a ball-check valve. Not sure
how you would by pass it to drain from the same line.
Like the sketch show, the new inlet would be going into the top of the
livewell, so it would not drain back. When all done, just pull the plug.
If you are moving forward, it should drain almost all the water out, and the put the plug back in.

A thought, since you said you did not want to put a new hole in the transom
would be to add a "T" by the transome and put the pump on it, and just add a hole to the live well. The overflow might be tricky, but I think you could add that to the same hose just above the pump. Give it some thought.

Your welcome, and good luck.

Mike

 

[Jdab4]

Re: Need Livewell Advice

I suppose you could get what they call a ball-check valve. Not sure
how you would by pass it to drain from the same line.
Like the sketch show, the new inlet would be going into the top of the
livewell, so it would not drain back. When all done, just pull the plug.
If you are moving forward, it should drain almost all the water out, and the put the plug back in.

A thought, since you said you did not want to put a new hole in the transom
would be to add a "T" by the transome and put the pump on it, and just add a hole to the live well. The overflow might be tricky, but I think you could add that to the same hose just above the pump. Give it some thought.

Your welcome, and good luck.

Mike

Your sketch was a big help! I'm thinking of just sticking the check valve in the open drain hole at the bottom of the well. This would allow the well to fill but not drain. This wouldn't be permenant, as I would need to pull the valve out at the end of the day to completely drain the well. I will still need to put in an overflow, which I'll probably put right through the side of the boat. What kind of sealant should I use? Sylicone?

Just thought of another option. I could also use a tall pipe with a sprayer on the top instead of a check valve. That way the water would spray in from near the top of the well, and again at the end of the day, I could just pull this out to drain. Again, this is assuming the water *will* drain back through the pump when it's not running. This is way more complicated than I thought it would be.

Thanks again for your help guys!