C-Forum

I've just completed a How-to on fitting a bilge pump in a SWWC, (and fitted my bilge pump whilst I was at it).

Please do tell me if can make this guide clearer.

Link Here

Right, Minor issue with this, it seems to lose suction part way through emptying the boat, it drains it to the last 1"-2" within a minute 30, but the last just won't drain; (admittedly this is a test without me in it because the weather outside is about -5), and it works rather better when the airbag isn't in the front.

I'm not too worried now, but if I have this problem whilst I'm actually in it at the pool; then I'll have to rearange the system to move the pump to somewhere less crowded; I also suspect that I could do with more batteries (8*1.5 v is technically enough, but the pump is optimised for 13.6 volts)

Well done how to article! I especially like the use of the pelican box as the housing for the electronic components!

Losing suction while getting the last inch or two of water out could come from getting air sucked into the pump which could disrupt the suction. But, hey, if it gets all the water except for an inch or two, sounds like you're doing pretty good to me.

Yep, well done article, thanks!

Pictures couldn't tell but I feel the pump base is actually getting too much under the bag; the more you'll inflate it the more water there may be left.

Under the saddle setups works better to my knowledge, being lower too. But then the hose can get an assle to set too.

I've seen under bag setups before, but I beleive they were much closer to the saddle itself, keeping the bags at least half away. Again, not sure by looking at your pics.

Pumps like these you may have to stop them, wait a bit and go so they get back their suction. I love my Tsunami pump for that: it will pump out a blend of water and bubbles restlessly until the batteries dead.

Right, It's going to have a follow up article on me outfitting my prelude with pumps, question is, how much benefit will I get from a dual pump setup; and would two Tsunami 800's be better than a single Tsunami 1200 in real terms.

Related; I should be ok to wire the two pumps together in parallel; provide the same voltage, and just make sure my batteries have enough amp hours to sustain the extra draw?

Truth be told, strikes me as being much more complicated than necessary. River water simply doesn't conduct electricity all that well, particularly not at low voltages. (Saltwater and chlorinated pool water are a different story.)

I use pumps and don't waterproof anything. I'm more concerned about wires poking through air bags.

Industrial Velcro attaches pumps to the hulls nicely while allowing for hull flex.

Keep the pipes short. I just re-did the pipes on my Ocoee to squirt out just behind the thwart behind my saddle. Works great and the water squirts out just a bit behind where I lay in my correction pry.

Having logged a hundred or so trips with this set up my $0.79 ordinary light switch left exposed and zip-tied to a forward thwart has not let me down. (Note I used the mnemonic "right on" (likely an American expression) to orient the switch.)

I don't know what all is available on your side of the pond. The battery is the heavy bit. The pumps are comparatively light. I use twin Attwood 1250's. One cool part of that is the 'yakkers get a kick out of the twin water streams spewing out of the boat. If you time it right you can squirt them in the neck. (Louie might like that feature.)

Werker brand battery WKA12-2.3F is the best compromise I've found so far. Again, zero waterproofing has not been an issue. Note the battery case is made of black ABS plastic so it's easy to glue stuff to it to serve as attachment points. Mine rides on the thwart behind my saddle with a bit of bungee and a cheap little 'biner.

Cheers,

Ken

It is designed for saltwater; my nearest two playspots are tidally fed. and truth be told, the case was mainly chosen to stop me unexpectedly tearing the components apart; otherwise 'd have wrapped all the wiring joins and left it at that.

I dissagree on the battery front; Using commercial dry cells gives me flexibility, and ease of replacement. I can choose between 2750mAh and 11000mAh (AA & D) depending on how long I want it to run for; and replace them with a £0.29 non-rechargable jobbie if I'm suddenly short miles from home.

Josh,
I use a sealed Lead Acid, weighs about the same as 1/2 a liter of water...powering an Attwood V1250.
Battery, fuse and gubbins all sit in a Cliptop (£1.49) lunchbox.

It is not fixed in any boat and jumps in and out of the Astro and Zoom....the airbags keep it in place. Both boats empty plenty fast enough....

I have a spare battery and have never needed to use it in a days paddling.

(PS....a quick roll in my CU and it comes up with only 2" of water in it anyway... )

Chris

wetnobby wrote:(PS....a quick roll in my CU and it comes up with only 2" of water in it anyway... )

Thats what's annoying me.

Josh, you might be interested in this

http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/bilge-sa ... 8949.bhtml

I dont think you need two if you have a 1250, and the attwood is excellent

and also this

http://www.canoecolorado.com/canoeing/bilgepump/

batteries - lithium ion, and the on/off can be a marine switch - not expensive, most chandlers sell them

the through the hull thing. not sure it needs it. yes its more elegant a solution than a pipe popping out the top, but i dont want to drill a boat, no matter what, for both structural integrity reasons, and for resale purposes.

nice guide by the way