Buying Guide for Boat Bilge Pumps
Boat bilge pumps are safety devices used on most boats worldwide to protect the hull against water entry by directing water flow into the bilge, where it drains and is taken out of the hull before the water enters through the ballast holes. There are many boat bilge pumps, with the most common being positive displacement pumps or positive displacement ballast pumps, driven by a series of gears from the engine or generator, powering a pump impeller inside the bilge.
Benefits of Boat Bilge Pump
Prevents Flooding
Liquids from leaks, drainage, and washdown are eventually drained into the bilge wells of ships. These wells will overflow if not maintained, which will cause problems in the engine room. The balance of the boat will be affected if one compartment floods because oily water will get to the machinery. Aside from that, the oily water could damage machinery. All these can be prevents by the boat bilge pumps
Prevents Sinking
Bilge pumps are responsible for pumping water from bilge wells every day, but they can also be lifesavers in an emergency. If there is a small hole in your ship, a bilge pump might drain it more quickly than it comes in, depending on the size of the hole and the pump's GPM. If you experience an emergency, it is highly recommended that you install a drainage pump with the greatest possible capacity. You can also use ballast and firefighting pumps to help pump out the water.
High Capacity
A boat bilge pump is simple to use, has a high capacity, and is low cost, and can handle small debris. It can also provide a constant flow. These factors have led to centrifugal bilge pumps replacing the reciprocating bilge pumps.
Self-priming Capability
Bilge pumps have the capability of self-priming, which is their main advantage. Pumping is done by means of a piston. In a pump chamber, when the piston moves downward, water is sucked into the chamber, and when it moves upward, water pressure is increased inside the chamber.
Factor consider before buying Boat Bilge Pump
Adequate Capacity
You should expect that the pump won't reach its theoretical capacity based on its gallons per hour rating, since other factors, such as hose diameter and height to the bilge outlet, will substantially reduce a pump's performance. The maximum capacity of any pump is about 60%. Avoid cheap, corrugated bilge hoses, whose corrugated surface can greatly reduce pumping capacity. Vinyl or sanitation hoses of smooth, reinforced construction are a better alternative.
Automatic Operation
Look for bilge pumps with prewired float switches or pumps that detect water by spinning the impeller every few minutes and detecting it via an inductive draw. If the pump is to be turned on when the water is present, an external float switch or electronic water-sensing switch could be added.
Redundancy
Many small boats come from the factory with just one bilge pump, but it is recommended that you have at least two in case one fails. Make sure the backup pump is installed higher than the primary pump to prevent the primary pump from being overwhelmed with water.
Battery
Check to see if your battery switch is in the 'on' position if your helm pump does not operate either in the automatic or manual mode. To verify if your electronic hardware works, operate a few other pieces. If your battery doesn't react, it is possible it needs to be recharged or replaced.
Conclusion
The most important point to keep in mind when choosing a bilge pump is to match the pump to the bilge job. The most common bilge pumps are submersible pumps. They are installed in the bilge and connect to the discharge hose that runs to a discharge point in the boat.
If a submersible pump is not powerful enough, it will not be able to remove the water from the bilge fast enough, leaving the pump to work harder and possibly burn out. Just make sure that you pick a reliable pump to get the job done. That will keep your boat stable and ensure that your crew is safe.
