Bilge Pumps aboard Seaweed

On the first of each month I test each bilge pump. Seaweed has an automatic 800gph SeaSense Pump along with two 2000gph Johnson Pumps. Incidentally, I'm a proponent of the SeaSense800 because it is heavy, (Calder in his Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual tome advocates weight as one criteria in value) and mine works. Guaranteed for three years, and the one on Seaweed functions to perfection. Oh, and have I mentioned it is inexpensive?!  $40 (circa 2014) versus lots more for the similar Rule automatic bilge pump.
 

Rule's are fine pumps too though more expensive than the SeaSense. [For the uninitiated, Rule is a particularly well-regarded brand of bilge pumps.]

A float switch will turn on a pump when water reaches a certain level. I prefer the auto but some, such as the Johnson 2k pumps require float switches.  No real preference so I have both a Rule float switch and one by Attwood.  They work fine for me.

↓ Affiliate links ↓

Bilge Pump Maintenance aboard Seaweed

In any event, on the first of each month I turn the switch to "On" for each of my Johnson pumps and listen for the motor. Next, I flip the switches (each is on a separate unit) back to Automatic and go into the bilge and lift the float switch. Again I listen for the motor and voila: called it good.
 

Both of my Johnson's are high and dry and indeed the SeaSense800 does the "work" -- my rudder post weeps so there's a bit pumped out with some regularity. I did check once to verify that the pumps would come on properly -- i.e. before the sole in my cabin was flooded.
 

So in the meantime each month I check that the pump motors come on, and quite frankly felt a bit virtuous about the whole process.
 

Now the SeaSense (lowest point) does have one issue. Each month I remove hair from it -- mine's long and I swear to you the First Mate sheds her weight in fur (four pounds!) each week.
 

Unless  you are bald, your bilge pump maintenance needs to include clearing the screen at the bottom of your bilge pump(s) regularly. A clogged bilge pump does you no good whatsoever.

HOWEVER in an effort to spend more money on this blasted engine swap, the two exhaust pipes were tee-ed together temporarily. Water (each pipe is 3") came in and flooded the bilge. Although one of my Johnson's worked perfectly the other ran but did not pump water.

I had never checked to see that the pumps did
more than make noise. That was not a good plan.