Might have buggered up this pump installation?

[steve yates]

On my 18 ft trailer sailer, there is no real bilge, the floor has been filled with pured concrete, presumably for extra ballast, which seems to work fine.
She tends to collect water over a period of time in the stb cockpit locker, and a bit in the stern locker. Its easy for water to run from one to the other, so its probably either collecting in the stern and flowing to the locker, or vice versa. If collecting in the stern I would suspect the cockpit drain fitting, either in the cockpit, (my prime suspect)with some leaking as it flows into the fitting, or at the through hull fitting, with some leaking as the tide comes in and the exit submerges. I plan on drying it out then sitting watching with some tissues as tide comes in to ascertain one way or another. Thats the background, so I installed a pump, sucking from the stb locker, with the idea of getting some kind of quick release later that I could swap in a roving hose and pump from anywhere in the boat.
The big mistake seems to have been to T the outflow into the cockpit drain hose. Now if I pump, it shoots any water out into the cockpit! Duh!

Shopuld I have expected that? I presumed the downward slope would have induced the water to go that way?

Possible changes solutions? Currently I'm thinking of a wooden bung tied to the cockpit drain entry, and insert it when I want to pump any water out from anywhere,
Or replace the drain hose for new and take the pump outflow higher and out through the stern as high up as possible to prevent water flowing into it.

Is my idea of quick release fittings feasible, like garden hose type ones, are they even available in larger sizes or would I have to get some kind of step down and accept a lower pumping rate.
The pumping isnt critical, but it seems a good idea to have the facility to rapidly empty the cabin should it ever get flooded. Actually, perhaps the inlet hose should be directed through the cockpit floor to the void below which can get some water sometimes?

Thanks, pics attached...

 

[vyv_cox]

I would not have a bung on the cockpit drain. One day you will forget to remove it and flood the boat. You could try a non-return valve in the drain hose between the cockpit and T. The usual cheap plastic ones are not great but will probably be good enough. If you ensure that the hose into the T loops higher than the cockpit it should drain as it does now.

 

[VicS]

The big mistake seems to have been to T the outflow into the cockpit drain hose. Now if I pump, it shoots any water out into the cockpit! Duh!

I wonder if Y piece instead of a T would be a better way of discharging the bilge pump into the cockpit drain.

Connect the hose from the cockpit to one arm , the bilge pump to the other and the stem to the outlet skin fitting. That way the water from the bilge pump will be heading in the right direction.

 

[steve yates]

I didn't even know you could do that Vyv, thanks, good idea.

 

[steve yates]

I had originally envisaged a y connector, but now I'm wondering if it would really have made any difference?
Perhaps I should have teed it into the cockpit drain pipe much further down, near the skin fitting ?

 

[LittleSister]

Possible changes solutions? Currently I'm thinking of a wooden bung tied to the cockpit drain entry, and insert it when I want to pump any water out from anywhere,
Or replace the drain hose for new and take the pump outflow higher and out through the stern as high up as possible to prevent water flowing into it.

I don't think exhausting the roving 'bilge' pump via the cockpit drains is a good idea. If you end top with a significant amount of water in the cockpit (e.g wave over the stern) the pump will only add to the problem and reduce the gravity outflow from the cockpit.

I suggest you fit an outlet for the pump in the transom, a little above the water line. Note that it does not need to be high up to prevent water flowing into it (not that you seemed worried about that aspect with your cockpit drain connection! ). The way to prevent back flow is to have a gooseneck in the hose inside the hull - i.e. the hose from the pump rises near the outlet to as close as possible to deck level (and is securely fixed there) before falling to the outlet fitting.

As Vyv says, the bung is not a good idea. A friend nearly lost a boat in the middle of Biscay due to a forgotten bung in a teed shared hull outlet.(And the fright this caused had far-reaching consequences for the intended round-the-world voyage of which Biscay was the first leg).