Background.
Some time ago I came across a posting about
Bilge pumps that contained the following link to an article on
Bilge pumps by David Pascoe:
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/bilge_pumps.htmWhile I don't agree with everything that Pascoe states, it was an eye opener, and I was taken aback in looking more closely at the standard
bilge equipment provided in the Horizon 200.
Initially the stock thru hull looked pretty good with an apparent ID of about 1 1/2".
Only upon looking into the "gift horse's mouth" I observed that farther up inside there is restriction to about 3/8". Not promising.
Next, I identified that the stock
pump is the Rule 500 that Pascoe thoroughly bashes.
With the height difference between the
pump and the top of the loop near the thru hull in addition to the restriction at the thru hull, it became clear to me that this setup would have difficulty in keeping up with any but the smallest of leaks. No way would it keep up with a missing drain plug, for example, and perhaps not even an on water impeller change.
Having become very fond of my boat, I decided to take steps to greatly increase the chance that after taking my boat out, my boat would be able to return to shore along with me.
Part I.
I resolved to remove the Rule 500, and replace it with the Rule 1500 Pasoe spoke favorable of. While perhaps not meeting Pascoe's suggested
bilge pump output for a 20' boat alone, it will make a tremendous difference. The Rule website showed that the stock float switch is compatible with the 1500, so all I need to do is replace the
pump, the hose, and the thru hull using 1 1/8" tubing and fittings.
Access to the
pump required that I remove the Sunsport seating rear bench. Even then access to the
pump, the hose, and the thru hull was an exercise in contortion.
I replaced the stock SS capped plastic thru hull fitting with a solid SS Attwood 1 1/8" thru hull, cementing it with 3M 4200, as FW did at the factory.
Ok, so the picture is sideways. It's a round fitting, ok? Anyway, I do think that the stock fitting looked nicer with the rounded SS cap, but I'm very happy knowing that there is a wider bore with no additional flow restriction, and that the solid SS fitting will last as long as the boat.
With only a few scratches, cuts, and abrasions, and of course a few choice swear words, I was able to run and affix the
bilge hose,
...and install the new
pump.
I must say that the Rule 500 looks like a toy compared to the 1500. This configuration has the added benefit of using the stock float switch, wiring harness, and manual
pump switch at the helm. A change from the stock 5 amp fuse to an 8 amp fuse was also made. With my current setup this
pump runs off of an existing dual purpose 120AH battery.
Part I of the project is complete.
In part II, I plan to add a second Rule 1500 as back up
pump, this coupled with another project to add a second battery will I believe even meet Pascoes recommendations. More to come.
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