Seawater pump to galley sink?

[Bob Stay]

Hello Bob here, I wonder if anyone else has fitted a sea water pump to fill the sink?
Sea is fine for washing up etc, I use it a lot and hauling up the bucket etc is boring, especially in the rain.
The plan is to add another sea cock and some sort of hand pump, with a discharge over the sink. A classic bronze "village pump" type jobby would be just the ticket, has anyone else gone down this route, a penny for your thoughts.
Would there be any advantage to a filter, just above the W/L, like the engine one?

 

[davidaprice]

My 1987 Maxi 999 has one of these, and they're quite normal equipment in other boats I've inspected at our club. Rather than a hand pump, there's a foot pedal pump (this model: http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/pr...ndlyID=Whale-Gusher-Galley-Pump-foot-operated). As you say, great for at least pre-rinsing the washing up.

 

[temptress]

Hello Bob here, I wonder if anyone else has fitted a sea water pump to fill the sink?
Sea is fine for washing up etc, I use it a lot and hauling up the bucket etc is boring, especially in the rain.
The plan is to add another sea cock and some sort of hand pump, with a discharge over the sink. A classic bronze "village pump" type jobby would be just the ticket, has anyone else gone down this route, a penny for your thoughts.
Would there be any advantage to a filter, just above the W/L, like the engine one?

We have a foot operated Seawater pump in the galley - very useful and saves on fresh water which is important to us here.

 

[vyv_cox]

I have used a foot operated seawater pump and found it to be extremely effective. I have considered installing one but there is no space on our boat. If you have the space I would certainly go ahead.

All pumps should have a strainer upstream.

 

[Kelpie]

Our Vega had two foot pumps side by side, one being for fresh and one salt. We tended to leave the saltwater seacock closed most of the time to avoid accidentally filling the kettle from the wrong tap! It was extremely useful for doing a pre-soak and for rinsing out the sink afterwards. Mind you the dogs are pretty effective as a pre-wash system for dishes too. Didn't have a filter upstream of the pump. The only problem with it was that the pump was much stiffer and slower to operate than the freshwater one, which I assume was a sign of salt buildup.

 

[TC Tuckton]

Visiting a very hospitable Dutch boat at Harlingen many years ago I noticed three pumps to the galley sink. On enquiring I was told "Salt water, fresh water and lager."

 

[[70521]]

We have a sea water hand pump.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Warning, the expectation of a lovely, thirst quenching cup of tea can be ruined.

 

[earlybird]

My boat had a foot operated sea-water galley pump, a Whale Mk 3. I had little real use for it so the seacock was normally kept closed. However, my habit is to leave all seacocks open on winter hardstanding. Very soon after launching this spring I realised that the bilge was rapidly filling up. The leak was from the foot-pump, I'd omitted to close its seacock. Later examination showed a hole in the pump diaphragm, up to then I hadn't thought about the fact that all that stood between me and the ocean was a piece of very thin rubber.
That pump is now in the skip, and I'm not planning on a new one.
Since, by design, the normal installation will be below the water line, should my pump have been installed with an anti-syphon loop and valve between the seacock and pump inlet? I can't find any guidance on the Whale web-site.

 

[lw395]

My boat had a foot operated sea-water galley pump, a Whale Mk 3. I had little real use for it so the seacock was normally kept closed. However, my habit is to leave all seacocks open on winter hardstanding. Very soon after launching this spring I realised that the bilge was rapidly filling up. The leak was from the foot-pump, I'd omitted to close its seacock. Later examination showed a hole in the pump diaphragm, up to then I hadn't thought about the fact that all that stood between me and the ocean was a piece of very thin rubber.
That pump is now in the skip, and I'm not planning on a new one.
Since, by design, the normal installation will be below the water line, should my pump have been installed with an anti-syphon loop and valve between the seacock and pump inlet? I can't find any guidance on the Whale web-site.

No, an anti syphon loop won't work like that.

 

[prv]

Since, by design, the normal installation will be below the water line, should my pump have been installed with an anti-syphon loop and valve between the seacock and pump inlet?

Never thought about it before, but I see what you mean.

The problem with inserting a loop and anti-siphon valve is that then the pump will simply suck in air through the valve. If you pump vigorously you might exceed the amount of air it can let in and hence pull some water over the loop as well, but the pump will probably always be a pain to use, with lots of air in the intake line (the external side of the loop will always drain down to the waterline if the valve is working properly).

Pete

 

[maby]

We have a foot pump operated sea water tap in the galley, but the only use I've ever made of it since the boat was delivered is to amuse the cat.

 

[earlybird]

The problem with inserting a loop and anti-siphon valve is that then the pump will simply suck in air through the valve. If you pump vigorously you might exceed the amount of air it can let in and hence pull some water over the loop as well, but the pump will probably always be a pain to use, with lots of air in the intake line (the external side of the loop will always drain down to the waterline if the valve is working properly).

Pete

Point taken, I hadn't thought it through very much because I don't intend to reinstate the pump, I suppose I'd got the Lavac bleed system vaguely at the back of my mind.
I'm still very clear however at the feeling of panic after motoring to my berth after launch and then looking in the bilge, I had done a quick check in the slings, but primarily that was for the shaft seal and the engine inlet!