Emergency Bilge Pump

Irie308

Well-Known Member
May 28, 2013
2,577
CT
Boat Info
2004 420 DB, GHS Hydraulic Lift
Garmin 8600/Garmin 1222 plus
AB Mares 10 VSX with 30 hp Tohatsu
Engines
Cummins 450C 8.3 L Turbocharged
Rereading through our recent survey and i noticed the surveyor had the below recommendation. Just wondering if anyone has done this and what would be the pros and cons. I can see this also being useful for winterization.

***Plumb engine intakes so they can be utilized as emergency bilge pumps***
 
It is on my list to do this as well. You see it a lot on larger sportfish and yachts. This is the one I am going to install. I don’t think there are any cons except maybe the cost and an additional valve to maintain. In an emergency situation taking on a lot of water these big diesels can move a lot of water and can help the bilge pumps keep up. They also make a fitting to be able to winterize through this port as well



https://www.groco.net/products/valves-seacocks/accessories/ssc-series-service-adaptor
 
I have heard about it, but never actually seen one. Unless you are running off shore often, I would imagine keeping tabs on the functionality of your bilge pump and back ups would be sufficient. I have a 120V submersible 1 inch discharge that I keep on board for emergencies, be it mine or someone else.
 
I installed these on my 36DB it was primarily for flushing the gassers but the install wand winterization was easy.
I forgot about it for this boat and now I’m changing all my intake hoses so this is back on my list thanks...
Here’s a thought do you think you could remove the plug while the motor is running? (Suction pressure)
I wouldn’t want to shut the motors down if the water in the bilge where that high.
 
Last edited:
You could always plumb it in with a ball diverter so the transfer time without water flow would be minimal (just like priming after launch). Just swing it over to divert and it would start picking up water from the bilge.

-Kevin
 
You could always plumb it in with a ball diverter so the transfer time without water flow would be minimal (just like priming after launch). Just swing it over to divert and it would start picking up water from the bilge.

-Kevin
This maybe the way to go with a tee instead of the groco valve. As havana shamrock stayed above, I wouldn’t want to messing with the plug on the groco tee in an emergency. Then put a disconnect on the emergency strainer pick up so you could add an intake to flush and winterize through. I don’t think I am going to get to it this winter but I will get it done in the near future.
 
Rereading through our recent survey and i noticed the surveyor had the below recommendation. Just wondering if anyone has done this and what would be the pros and cons. I can see this also being useful for winterization.

***Plumb engine intakes so they can be utilized as emergency bilge pumps***
It’s a great concept, but the one reservation I had about installing the Groco model on my boat is the service adapter that replaces the plug for winterization or fresh water flushing has a garden hose fitting.
A garden hose won’t be enough to use to winterize my Caterpillars.
My current method is to remove the intake 2” ID hose from the seacock, hold it in a big container with 7 gallons of pink antifreeze while an assistant starts a motor then yell to him to shut it off when the 7 gallons is gone. It takes a matter of seconds for the thirsty diesels to suck up 7 gallons of antifreeze. A garden hose just won’t cut it.
If you have diesels and want a setup like that you’re better off trying to put something together yourself that can accommodate a hose big enough to feed your motors.
 
It is on my list to do this as well. You see it a lot on larger sportfish and yachts. This is the one I am going to install. I don’t think there are any cons except maybe the cost and an additional valve to maintain. In an emergency situation taking on a lot of water these big diesels can move a lot of water and can help the bilge pumps keep up. They also make a fitting to be able to winterize through this port as well



https://www.groco.net/products/valves-seacocks/accessories/ssc-series-service-adaptor

Might not be the best choice for thirsty diesels. Read my post above.
 
Might not be the best choice for thirsty diesels. Read my post above.

I agree, to winterize this fall I made up something similar to what you are describing, a 10gallon bucket with a through hull at the bottom and then a 2” hose that goes to a fitting I made that screws into the top of the strainer. If I fill up the bucket prior to starting with water and then have 2 hoses running into it at full output I can run the engine for about 45seconds before the tub is dry and I need to shut down. I have remote start/stop switches in the engine room so this makes it easy for one person to manage.
That being said if you were trying to use this as an emergency pump system and had both engines running they would be pumping a serious amount of water out of the bilges.
 
I agree, to winterize this fall I made up something similar to what you are describing, a 10gallon bucket with a through hull at the bottom and then a 2” hose that goes to a fitting I made that screws into the top of the strainer. If I fill up the bucket prior to starting with water and then have 2 hoses running into it at full output I can run the engine for about 45seconds before the tub is dry and I need to shut down. I have remote start/stop switches in the engine room so this makes it easy for one person to manage.
That being said if you were trying to use this as an emergency pump system and had both engines running they would be pumping a serious amount of water out of the bilges.

True, but I don’t think the garden hose would be enough to feed the diesels and the impellers would likely burn out pretty quickly once you close the seacock and start using the setup as an emergency bilge pump.
 
Rereading through our recent survey and i noticed the surveyor had the below recommendation. Just wondering if anyone has done this and what would be the pros and cons. I can see this also being useful for winterization.

***Plumb engine intakes so they can be utilized as emergency bilge pumps***

I am a bit late to the party here, but this is a typical surveyor recommendation. I question its applicability and worry about what an insurance underwriter will do with it.

I have seen insurance underwriters jump on a suggestion like this and require it before binding coverage. On a Sea Ray you can usually get the requirement dropped because it goes well beyond the OEM equipment which is adequate for the USCG, the ABYC and everybody else.

As far as applicability, for use as an emergency bilge pump off the intake sysyem for the engines, the intake plumbing must be the same size as the seacock or you run the risk of overheating and buring up an engine. Also, there should be a minimum number of bends (ell's, t's) in the energency piping. Most larger boats have a very simplistic set up......there is a hard pipe going from the seacock up to a "T". From the "T", there are whatever connections are needed to go to the sea strainer and on to the engine out of the top of the "T". Then on the other side of the "T", an added valve, and an "ell" connected to the emergency intake pipe which runs parallel to t he intake pipe and terminates approx. 1" from the floor of the bilge. When needed for an emergency, you only close the seacock and open the "crash pump" valve which was added.

The problem with Sea Rays is there is usually very little room to add the necessary pipes and connections between the seacock and the strainer. In fact, I have never seen boats under about 60' equipped with them. It might be easier to add an additional high volume bilge pump to the boat at a more convenient spot than at a seacock.

Groco does offer a Series Service Adapter that attaches to the top of the seacock but there are some fit issues on smaller boats due to the added height of the seacock with the SSC adapter in place. On a diesel boat the usual size adds 5"-6" to the height. The other issue is that the SSC requires monthly service with a silicone lubricant and without regular service, you will not be able to get the plug out of the SSC adapter when you need to.
 
Add a secondary bilge pump. In the event of a real emergency use a knife to cut the hose off the thru hull and drain the bilge.
 
I don’t get what you mean by this??

I believe he means shut the thru-hull, slice the hose and let the engine draw from the water in the bilge. I can't imagine a worse idea...draining your bilge of water and then immediately burning up your engine. :) Though sinking with your engine still running is also a bad idea, so what do I know.
 
I believe he means shut the thru-hull, slice the hose and let the engine draw from the water in the bilge. I can't imagine a worse idea...draining your bilge of water and then immediately burning up your engine. :) Though sinking with your engine still running is also a bad idea, so what do I know.

But he said "Add a secondary bilge pump. In the event of a real emergency use a knife to cut the hose off the thru hull and drain the bilge."

The only hose on a bilge pump is the one that takes the water OUT of the bilge, and OUT the thru hull. So if you cut the hose off the thru hull you have just disabled your working bilge pump because now it pumps water into the bilge. AND, once your boat sinks down so the thru hull is below the water line, you now have MORE water pouring in.

So, maybe I am thick, but I still don't get it.
 
Wait a second, I think I get it. He means cut the hose off the engine intake thru hulls (and like you said, shut the sea cock off first). The comment about the secondary bilge pump is a completely separate idea.

So, now my real comment is that by the time you notice you have a problem, on most Sundancers, there is no way I would try to stop, open the hatch, crawl into the bilge around running motors and try to find the seacocks (they will be underwater), shut them off (now the motors are running with no cooling) and then try to cut the heavy rubber hoses that are underwater.

If the boat is that badly damaged, its an insurance write-off and the priority would be my passengers safety and myself. My priority would be to get life jackets on everyone and get ready, radio CG with location (DSC mayday call), and try to run to the closest shallow water.
 
I can't agree with the idea of cutting the intake hose. That means if you can remedy, patch, or come up with a work around for the source of the leak, you will be dead in the water with no way to get home when the water level in the boat gets below the cut hose.

The last thing you want to do is to allow an engine to die or to shut it down in an emergency.

This might help put things in perspective......a few years ago, a friend of mine was leaving Panama City on a trip to Apalachicola in a 370DA. We were following them in our boat, looking forward to a few days in a quaint little village about 3 hours east of us. There was a dredging operation underway in the ship channel. The dredge was sitting on the east side of the pass and was pumping the sand to the State Park on the west side of the pass to increase the size of their beach. That meant the 3' dia dredge pipe was or should have been submerged in the pass to allow boats to pass over it. Somehow air got into the pipe and a section floated near the surface. I don't cross dredge pipes unless there is no way to pass on the non-pumping side of the dredge. My friend chose to take the normal path and attempted to pass on the west side of the dredge between the dredge and the pumping side meaning he had to cross the dredge pipe. I was creeping around the dredge to the east when I hear my friend shouting a "Mayday, Myday, Mayday" call on the VHF. When we cleared the dredge we crossed to the south and got to the 370DA within 3-4 minutes. The boat was spewing water out of all the bilge pump outlets and the owner and his wife were panic stricken. He had run across the dredge pipe that has partially refloated and was about 18" below the water. He "gave her a haircut" (hit the steel pipe with both props and both rudders. The struts were pushed up thru the bottom of the hull and she was sinking. The water level was about 6" up on the engines. We took beach towels and a putty knife and forced the towels in cracks aound the struts. The Coast Guard arrived and took the 370DA in tow and pulled her clear of the dredge pipe. By then, we had stopped about 2/3's of the inflow, the CG called in SeaTow to tow the boat to the nearest travel lift which wappened to be 6 slips down from the 370 owner's slip.

My point with this story is that the 2- 2000 gph bilge pumps + a cycle from the 2000 gph emergency pump once every 5 minutes were able to keep with with the water flowing in after our beach towel patch job. If you keep your wits about you, you usually don't need to resort to drastic repairs like cutting an intake hose.
 
I don’t get what you mean by this??
Ok the context of the comment -- people where talking about adding a valve or something to the engine intake to use in an emergency. My preference would be to add a second bilge pump rather than messing with the engine intake. If you ever needed the engine intake to de-water the boat in an emergency, you can cut it off. But you'll likely have bigger problems in that case anyway. I probably typed that in bed on my Ipad so I wasn't all that clear.
 
I think crash pumps are a great idea and are basically free. However, I don't see myself in the engine room throttling shutoff valves so as to pump water while not overheating an engine in a sinking emergency.
 
I think crash pumps are a great idea and are basically free. However, I don't see myself in the engine room throttling shutoff valves so as to pump water while not overheating an engine in a sinking emergency.
Good point. I would imagine if we were talking on that much water my first instinct would be to get the family off the boat and into the dinghy. Also not sure if i would want to be down below with that much water. On the river maybe, but not in 80 plus feet of water.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,948
Messages
1,422,805
Members
60,930
Latest member
Ebrown69
Back
Top