Bilge Drain Hole

Note: This site contains eBay affiliate links for which SeaDooForum.com may be compensated
Status
Not open for further replies.

nesnfred

Member
Has anyone attempted to install a low pressure check valve in the hole where the bilge pump expels water? I have a 2008 Wake 230 and on quick stops, the wave pours in through that hole on the face of the swim deck...seems like a poor design. Thanks!
 
i dont know your boat design but make sure the bilge hose has a loop just before the exit hole, stop the siphoning
 
No, the hole on the edge of the swim deck where the bilge pumps out...gotta check for the turn in the line as suggested above, that will take care of it...
 
I checked the line this morning...two big turns in the line already...does anyone know of a bilge pump that does not allow backflow...
 
In case you're still looking for a solution for your drain issue Whale makes an inline check valve.

https://www.amazon.com/WHALE-WATER-SYSTEMS-59416-Non-Return/dp/B00144AQG4


I'm nervous about using one...everything I have read talks about the risk of that failing and then how easy it is to burn our that bilge pump. The design is so terribly flawed with this boat. Every slow down washing water up onto the swim deck and into the bilge opening. There should be a simple flap there that will open under pressure of exiting water but not open in...I may have to engineer something!

Fred
 
That would be ideal. It would have been nice if the cap/housing for the opening on the swim deck were screwed in place so it could be removed and replaced with something different. Then replacing it with a scupper valved would be easy. However, it looks to be a threaded housing that has a fixed tube on the interior where the bilge hose attaches. Accessing it is also nearly impossible from the inside because of its location...it's way up in there.
 
I have the same problem on my 230 Wake. The reason the loops don’t help is because the loops are below the hole where the water expels. It’s my understanding that the turns have to be above the hole or gravity allows the water to flow through the loops. Based on the boats design, there is no space inside under the the swim platform to raise the loops higher. I plan to extend the hose so I can put some loops higher in the bilge compartment. It that doesn’t work, I plan to use an in line bilge pump. The in line check valve is too risky in my opinion. The inline bilge pump cost more but is reliable and will not allow back flow. I’ll post my results.
 
As those mentioned, placing a loop above the outlet prevents water coming down, but with a loop below the water line, they have similar results. Running the hose up and above the water outlet, without a loop would rely primarily on gravity to prevent water flowing down, as it has to travel upwards first. With a loop below the outlet, water that gets in would then have to travel upwards, against gravity, before it can come back down. That's quite a bit of momentum needed to do that and Im guessing you're seeing water collecting in that bottom section of that loop.

My main concern and advice if you do try raising loops higher in the bilge compartment is that the higher that tube is, it makes it harder for the bilge pump to actually push water out when it needs to. I don't know the specs of the bilge pump exactly, but I feel as though its strong enough to do what it needs to do but not the best, as most OEM parts. Yes, if you did raise the loops higher, it could do still pump water out, but it would add additional strain and wear it out faster.

I trailer my boat, so for me, this isn't a big deal. I too have waves push water in, but water enters from the anchor locker, people getting in out of the boat after being in the water, and other sources. When I get my boat out of the water, I unscrew that drain plug and let any residual water in the bilge get out.

If you are concerned about back flow, are you more concerned about water accumulating in the bilge or wear induced on the bilge pump itself?
 
As those mentioned, placing a loop above the outlet prevents water coming down, but with a loop below the water line, they have similar results. Running the hose up and above the water outlet, without a loop would rely primarily on gravity to prevent water flowing down, as it has to travel upwards first. With a loop below the outlet, water that gets in would then have to travel upwards, against gravity, before it can come back down. That's quite a bit of momentum needed to do that and Im guessing you're seeing water collecting in that bottom section of that loop.

My main concern and advice if you do try raising loops higher in the bilge compartment is that the higher that tube is, it makes it harder for the bilge pump to actually push water out when it needs to. I don't know the specs of the bilge pump exactly, but I feel as though its strong enough to do what it needs to do but not the best, as most OEM parts. Yes, if you did raise the loops higher, it could do still pump water out, but it would add additional strain and wear it out faster.

I trailer my boat, so for me, this isn't a big deal. I too have waves push water in, but water enters from the anchor locker, people getting in out of the boat after being in the water, and other sources. When I get my boat out of the water, I unscrew that drain plug and let any residual water in the bilge get out.

If you are concerned about back flow, are you more concerned about water accumulating in the bilge or wear induced on the bilge pump itself?

Those are great points. I plan to test it by putting some water in the bilge. I wonder too if the problem with mine is that the "loops" look more like a horizontal bow tie, from the factory. I wonder if making the loops vertical so the back flow has to go against gravity would help? But the force of the bilge would overcome that resistance? I agree, it's not the end of the world that water constantly washes in but it creates a damp bilge which generates lots of mildew in the bilge. It just would have been nice if they had put the bilge outlet on the starboard side of the boat like Yamaha does so you don't get back wash and as the driver, you can easily see if water is being expelled from the bilge.
 
I was in there this afternoon installing the batteries...I forget how impossible it is to access that bilge hole from the bilge. You would have lay in there on top of a lot of hoses. I’m 6’3” and 205...so it just seems impossible. I will probably live with it as is until the bilge pump needs replacing and then just install an in line pump with a new bilge hole on the starboard side.
 
Those are great points. I plan to test it by putting some water in the bilge. I wonder too if the problem with mine is that the "loops" look more like a horizontal bow tie, from the factory. I wonder if making the loops vertical so the back flow has to go against gravity would help? But the force of the bilge would overcome that resistance? I agree, it's not the end of the world that water constantly washes in but it creates a damp bilge which generates lots of mildew in the bilge. It just would have been nice if they had put the bilge outlet on the starboard side of the boat like Yamaha does so you don't get back wash and as the driver, you can easily see if water is being expelled from the bilge.

@nesnfred I didn't realize the loop was a horizontal bow tie shape. Yeah, keeping it vertical to go against gravity is ideal, like a roller coaster loop. By design, the bilge pump is supposed to be powerful enough to help bail water out. So if you put a vertical loop or 2 in there, it should be fine on the pump. Just wanted to make sure you, or somebody else, goes overboard and creates a massively long and complex tubing design that prevents water getting in, but at the same time, makes it really hard for the bilge to pump water out.

Definitely have a good point on the damp bilge causing mildew. This is definitely something I want to address now. Regarding accessing the bilge hole or other components in the bilge, I think you're engine bay has a similar design, not like a speedster 200 engine bay. When I do maintenance or inspecting around the bilge, I have a long piece of really hard wood, can't remember what type, but I got it from home depot for a project and only needed a bit and had a long piece left. I wrap some towels around the end and lay it down across the bilge, like a scaffold. The towels just help protect the fiberglass so the wood doesn't rub against it. But this allowed me to lay down on top, since it supports my weight (6'2" and 200 lbs), and it allowed me to better reach other parts of the engine further back, without having to rest on the engine or other parts. Not sure how the layout is in your 230 compared to my 210. Your bilge hole may likely be further out, but maybe getting a piece of wood like me may help you reach.
 
A scaffolding board is a great idea. I think there is enough room on the side ledges where the batteries mount to place a board. That could enable me to reach over to twist the bilge line loops. I will attempt that and post pics for others...thanks for the help!
 
A scaffolding board is a great idea. I think there is enough room on the side ledges where the batteries mount to place a board. That could enable me to reach over to twist the bilge line loops. I will attempt that and post pics for others...thanks for the help!

Glad I could help! Good luck and look forward to seeing what you come up with! When I used mine, there where times where the board wasn't as long to reach across the hatch ledges at certain angels. Would have helped a bit more, but I would suggest measuring the length of the gap where you want to place it and then add a few more inches for support and wiggle room incase it slides around as you move.
 
Update on the project...I had a motorcycle ramp to experiment with the scaffolding idea but it's still too far to reach that way. So last night I had my wife in the boat with me and I slipped all the way in with her holding my legs to pull me out, no kidding (I'm 6'3" and 200lbs and there was a moment when I thought she might not get me!) And then with a socket on an extension with an elbow I was able to get to the hose clamp attaching the bilge hose to the thru hull fitting. Of course when they were building the boat, they installed the hose clamp facing away! I found a leak in the bilge hose so it had to come out. I'm going to reinstall by rerouting the bilge hose to pump the water out of the ballast air vent thru hull fitting on the starboard side of the boat. I'll post pics when done. We don't use the auto fill feature with the ballast because we got the boat used and the pumps are missing, which was common on these models burning out from the switches accidentally staying engaged. We fill the ballasts now manually with a over-the-side pump. I realized last night too another reason this should be done. When you have a cover on your boat while the boat is in the water, the cover goes OVER the factor bilge thru hull fitting! So if your boat was to take on water, the water trying to pump out would be obstructed by the cover! Terrible design!! The cover does not go over the starboard ballast thru hull air vent. For the existing factory, stern bilge thru hull fitting, I'm going to attach a long bilge hose to it with a ball valve joint on the end to seal it off and next summer install an inline bilge pump as a back up bilge. The inline pumps do not allow back flow of water. Also, the ballast air vent doesn't back flow water because it is too high above the water line. So I'll have to go back in to attach that hose...this time I'll have a teenage son on each leg!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top