Bilge locations ? General Forum Forums

I thought about building a baffle and putting a bilge pump in up there but time and effort over came me I bought one of those 100 dollar bilge pump in a box kits and just screwed it down and ran the shower drain to it, the condensate from the AC, and after sealing the lower bilge from the rest of the boat with a through hull in it, I ran a hose from there to it. Then put a 3/4 inch output hose to a above waterline through hull on starboard. Also put in a one way valve on that line as well as a anti siphon loop as high in the starboard closet as it will go. So far 4 or 5 years later it still works like clockwork and I have yet to even clean it out. If it is overwhelmed it will leak out the top and drain back to the main bilge. Whole length of the boat has stayed bone dry from up there since it was installed. It's a small pump and only going to be good for fairly low gallon inputs. But it does good for shower and normal water off the anchor chain etc..  If I was going to get crazy I would glass in a box with a sealing lexan lid and put 2 bilge pumps in. A small one that comes on first and sucks it totally dry from the lowest part of the box and a large 1000 to 1500 gallon one capable of handling green water pouring in around the chain hawse pipe. It would only come on if water rose over the small one. All water inputs would flow through a very large pvc tube 4 inches maybe with lots of little holes all over it to act as a large filter so that stuff can't get to the pumps other than water. Just have it on a 4 inch threaded fitting that you can just unscrew it from every few years or if needed to clean. Like I said I have never cleaned out the litte 2  inch acrylic one in the consumer version I bought and it has never plugged up.

Before I got this setup I had a pump that was gravity fed from the shower pan and then pushed the water through a hose to the bilge from there. Nasty and given to getting plugged and not working every shower and a half. Bad design of prior owners. We only ever once in a while shower in the head on our boat though so if you do a lot then I would expect to clean it a lot more often of hair and such. Maybe every 6 months or so. It's a good filter design though. Kinda like a scrum box in reverse.

ROFL.... sorry... I can see it in my head but obviously my fingers aren't up to the process or transcribing that picture to others. I'm going to blame the flu and being sick for the last week.

Ok trying again.  the lower bilge I am talking about is the lower anchor locker. Not sure what medicine I was smoking last night to call it the lower bilge.

I used a 1 1/4 inch thru hull fitting inserted from the lower anchor locker  thru the opening that drains from there to the big compartment under the vberth where the holding tank normally sits. I used a massive ammount 5200 goobered around it to seal it in and make it waterproof so that any run off has to go through the thru hull. Then connected that to the new bilge box with some hose so that all water runs to the new bilge box.

Yes a new through hull for this. If you used the one down below the sink in the head the boat would flood and sink you need to pump everything up and above the waterline.. Actually I guess with a anti siphon valve it would have worked going to a below the water level through hull. Didn't actually think of that but I wanted it above the water line so that you can hear it pumping overboard when it is running. You can't hardly tell it is on otherwise.

Still a bit sick so if any of this is still confusing just ask more questions. There was at the time definitely method to all my madness.

Rick said
so the through hull from the lower to the upper "bilge" under the V berth was to direct the water from the upper bilge to the sump? Is that right or was the through hull to transmit the water from the upper bilge that was coming from the chain locker directly to the sump so it didn't have to meander through the lower bilge?

What's directly under your shower? I have a pan but it was cut up and then siliconed back for some reason and reasonably leaks like a sieve. I'm guessing it has to be some kind of catchment to direct the water to a hose/pipe but I'm wondering what kind. Also, mine has a garden hose that goes to the bilge under the galley. Is this big enough to handle a shower. I suppose if it's bigger than the hose feeding the shower it should be although the shower is pressurized and the drain is not. What's  yours? 

Did the winter cold a couple weeks back. Makes me stupid. Can't speak in whole sentences. Shouldn't be allowed on the road. Generally sucks.

lets start at the upper anchor locker just under the deck and accessible from the door at the front of the vberth in the forward bulkhead. No modifications there. Water coming off the chain of somehow making its was into the chain hawse pipe  drains from that upper anchor locker to the lower anchor locker that is the most forward compartment on the boat accessible from under the mattress in the tip of the Vberth. That compartment had a hole in the bottom of its aft bulkhead right in the V of the hull so that water that drained down from the upper anchor locker could continue to drain out and through the lower anchor locker. On our boat it was pretty small so I wallowed it out a bit and jammed a 1 1/4 inch through hull fitting down through it. With lots of 5200 around it to seal it in. I then ran a hose from that fitting to one of the inputs to the bilge box located under the hatch in the floor of the vberth. I located the bilge box we installed just slightly aft and port side of that hatch so that it was easy to access to clean or maintain it.

Our shower pan also has been cut out and sealed back in with silicone as you describe however no leaks on ours. The hose from the drain in the shower pan runs forward and around the bilge box to one of the input fittings on the forward facing side of it. We had a third input from the AC condensate drain going to it also until we tore out the AC system.

all water interring the bilge box is pumped out through a single 3/4 inch hose. First it goes through about 6 inches of hose to a one way fitting that keeps water from running back into the box from the anti siphon valve. Then up through about 8 ft of hose that runs into the base of the starboard vberth full length closet and up the forward bulkhead in that closet right next to the door frame. At the top of the closet it goes into a anti-siphon assembly and then 4 ft section of house come down out of the other side of the anti siphon valve and then over to a through hull high up under the side deck.

No water from the anchor lockers or shower ever goes through the boat or to the main bilge anymore. It all pumps out at the front of the boat now. It is one of our top love it projects on the boat for making life easier and nicer. Up there with the composting head and solar.

the hose from the shower to the sump is 3/4 inch I think.. not sure. I think I pulled the drain that was in there and fit a bigger fitting in the shower. still drains slow but it does it reliably. I have yet to have it overflow taking a shower. However that being said the process for showering in there is turn water on with shower handle and get wet. Turn water off. Soap up and scrub all over. Turn water back on and rinse. We might use a couple gallons or so all told.

yep I resemble stupid and muddied mind right about now with this shit I have.

lol.... only those that have gotten lucky have dry bilges with wood or fiberglass boats Mines only dry because we aren't living on the boat right now. Next time I fill the tanks a couple  gallons will end up down there and the bilge pump will pump it out except for the last cup. So no more dry bilge!!