Bilge Pump Install | Boat Restoration

Better To Float

While cleaning out the boat we discovered the bilge pump did not work, that is bad. It started smoking when we filled the bilge with water looking for leaks. It got very exciting as to disconnect the bilge pump in hopes to save the wiring.  This also reminded us why it is so important to have a fire extinguisher on the boat.

Now that the travesty is adverted, we have to get this bilge pump out. Once the pump is out we can then figure out what pump will fit in its place. We want to go with the largest pump we can without modifying the bilge hose or anything else too much on the boat.

With the pump out we went on the prowl for a new bilge pump. I wanted a pump that would fit the bilge hose, Danielle wants us not to sink, she has a really valid point. Since we both agreed we didn’t want to sink we went with the SeaFlow 750 GPH pump, 250 GPH more than the old pump that fit the bilge hose. This is really exciting cause more water out of the boat means less sinkage of the boat, always a good thing.

Now that we have the new pump in hand we have to get it installed. Our old bilge pump hose fit fine, but the larger pump did not line up with old bilge pump holes. We filled all the old holes with silicone, did not want water to set in them causing issues in the future. Then we took a small drill to get under the engine to drill only one hole. Once we had the hole we mounted the pump with one screw before drilling the rest of the holes.

Once we had the bilge pump in it was time to get it powered up. The old bilge pump had constant power for the automatic pumping but didn’t have a connection to the switch on the dash. The constant power was run to the hot 12-volt wire on the starter. We then had to trace out the wire coming from the switch on the dash this was a lot of fun. Once complete the bilge pump worked like a champ, well worth the effort.

This video will show the flow of the pump in action and I blabber about it a bit. You can watch it or just go to the next blog.

Please stay tuned for future updates.

Boat Restoration Blogs

1. Getting Our Boat!
2. Stuck Valve Merc 3.0
3. Battery Power
4. Bilge Pump Install
5. Boat Floor Demolition
6. Boat Gelcoat Shine
7. Sanding Bilge
8. Engine Busted Budget
9. Missing Pieces
10. Engine Wiring Harness

We hope you enjoy this as much as we do! Also, you may want to check out Dining in with Danielle for great recipes!

Commonsense provided by my love Danielle Redding.