The new diaphragm and flapper valves arrived from Edson, allowing me to finish the rebuild of this old bronze Edson pump. Now that I know how far the pump lever needs to move, I can finalize its placement in the boat.
This pump is capable of pumping 1 gallon per stroke, which means that we can easily pump a lot of water without depending on our batteries holding up in the event of an emergency. By mounting it inside the cabin, we are also able to pump from the safety of a closed cabin if the situation were to call for it.
On a less "gloom and doom" viewpoint, this pump will make cleaning the bilge that much easier since I can keep an eye on the water in the bilge while pumping it overboard at the same time. My current manual pump is located in the cockpit, which doesn't let me keep an eye on the water clarity as I clean the bilge. As soon as the bilge water is clear, I can shut the hose off and dry out the bilge! This can make the quick and easy process of cleaning the dust out of the bilge all the easier.
The downside to this bilge pump is its size. This thing is huge and finding a place that is both out of the way and accessible that can fit this behemoth has proven difficult. The locker where I used to keep my dive gear seems like a good spot for the pump
The bilge pump fits in the bottom of the locker and can be plumbed with with relatively short hoses. This will keep down the amount of head and resistance on the pump and increase its efficiency.
I do need to build a base for the pump so that it can mount on a level surface with the hoses attaching to it.
The plan for routing the hoses is to lead the intake hose from the bilge under the quarter berth and through the bulkhead into the locker. From there it will enter the bottom of the pump and exit into the back of the locker where it can run up the side of the hull and exit through a (yet to be installed) 2" through hull fitting just under the rubrail. A seacock will be mounted on the through hull fitting to avoid water flowing back into the boat when heeled over or if the hose were to leak.
This bilge pump will hopefully only be used to clean the bilge, but if we did need to use it in an emergency, we can do it from the comfort and safety of the cabin.
