Bilge pump removal on DE45. General Forum Forums

Could anyone please tell me how to get the bilge pump out of a DE 45. Mine is directly under the engine base and I can’t even see it properly,let alone bring it out. I have isolated the fault to the pump and need to pull it,replace it,or repair it. What a potty place to put a bilge pump!  If nothing else this item should be accessible!

This is the most unseamanlike builder’s botch-up installation I have seen on this boat!  It much have been the first thing they screwed down after the ballast. When a small boy tried unsuccessfully to squirm under the engine to get to the defunct pump I decided to do what you did and fit a diaphragm pump in-line on the outlet pipe,higher up and easy to get to. There is also no obstruction in the pump,because it can be back flushed and we even emptied the bilge using a rotary impeller pump on an electric drill. So a powerful diaphragm pump will be much better and self priming. Why do builders do such stupid things?

I can…I did it.

You'll need to pull up the floorboards and actually get down into that narrow compartment directly on top of the keel that runs under the engine. 

Then you shimmy aft until you can reach over the edge,into the sump…  you *will* be able to reach the bottom and the pump.

Some notes:

1. A headlamp is a necessity
2. If you are a "plus-sized" individual,you'll need to hire a kid to do this.
3. If you have any claustrophobic tendencies,you'll want to hire a kid to do this.
4. While you are there,you might as well scoop out the accumulated (and probably unidentifiable) debris in the sump.  Who knows –you might find that wrench you dropped 4 years ago?
5. I was afraid to do this while Eolian was in the water.  The speed/log transducer(s) are in this space,and I was afraid that if I broke one off,I would drown before I could get out of there.  So we did it on the hard.
6. By even the loosest standards,this qualifies as what is called a "Confined Space" in industry.  Don't go down there when you are on the boat by yourself.
7. I was able to change out the bilge pump without having to remove/re-install the strainer.  You might be able to also,if you install the same brand/size of pump.
8. Afterwards,you'll probably want to throw away the clothes you wore doing this.

It's tight,it's nasty,but you can do it.

bob

s/v Eolian

DE45 #11

Seattle

Jolly Roger said:

Could anyone please tell me how to get the bilge pump out of a DE 45. Mine is directly under the engine base and I can’t even see it properly,let alone bring it out. I have isolated the fault to the pump and need to pull it,replace it,or repair it. What a potty place to put a bilge pump!  If nothing else this item should be accessible!

Hey,we have a DE 45',and one of the previous owners cut the board out right behind the engine block ( right below the fridge of course) and put the bilge pump there. He zip tied it onto an aluminum pole,which was a really stupid idea as far as the metal choice,but made pulling the pump up much easier (thank god it broke after we pulled the pump up). He did a crap job with the wiring and such,but pulling up the bilge pump was extremely easy,and made repairing it (and redoing the wiring,and making a new bracket) easier. It wouldn't have been easy if the fridge was still in the way,but we yanked it out to put in a pantry in its place and so it worked out pretty well. climbing into the bilge to get the pump out is a horrible idea,and not practical if you have to get the pump up in a hurry. The way its rigged up now,we put in another emergency bilge pump that we can access anytime.