Bilge water accumulation while docked

[mjohnh]

I searched this under "bilge pump switch" and could not find anything right on point.

I have a slight accumulation of somewhat smelly bilge water around the bow bilge pump. The fresh water pump is also in the same area.
A week ago, I used a glorified turkey baster and emptied the stuff into a 1 gallon bucket and got about 2.5 gallons. There was still a trace there when I was done. (There has to be a better way!!!)

Took it out for about 1.5 hours, yesterday and checked the bilge today.....some water has accumulated but not alarming....still smelly.
I tried the bow bilge pump switch at the helm. The pump seemed to run, but did not deplete the water. I ran it for only about 20 seconds because the water did not go down. The bilge water seems to extend back to the mid ship area (engine compartment) where there is a hose of about 2.5 inches (guessing) in diameter that runs from somewhere in the stern area under the engine and faces toward the bow so that if water came from it the water would go forward. I do not think that this is the source of the water in the bilge as the area in front of the discharge end of the hose was dry for about 8 inches, or so.

The bilge pump switches have to be held "on", or they will flip back to the "off" position.

Questions: Is this trace amount of water a worry, or will operating the pump while underway likely take care of it? What do others do about the smell? When should one operate or not operate the help bilge pump switches.? What routine maintenance do others do for the bilge pumps?

I don't want to guess....but I am assuming that he helm switches are just there to "check" if the pumps are operational. (There are 3 of them, but I do not think that there is a midship bilge pump, only a fore and aft)

Thanks for any responses.

[Russell]

Not sure if your's are the same but on the two Albins I have owned (97 and 05) the 3 bilge pump switches were wired so that the top one supplied power to the float switches to both pumps. You want to leave that always on. The next one was labeled forward and is a momentary switch that you can use to turn the pump on manually. The bottom one is for the rear pump. Once you have water in your bilge it can flow forward and the bilge pump cannot pump it all out. When I am returning from a trip I activate the rear pump before and while coming down off the plane and this reduces the water level so not so much goes forward. I also bought a battery operated hand held pump that quickly pumps out all but a few ounces that you can get with a sponge from the forward bilge. I do that at the end of the season.

[mjohnh]

Russell: Thanks for the response. After reading it, I went to the boat and double checked. There are 3 momentary switches, labeled fwd, mid and aft in descending order. There is no switch that activates the float switches; therefore, I assume that they are always powered and only turn on if the water level is sufficient to activate the switch. The portable pump is a good suggestion and I will look for one.

[Carl]

This has been discussed many times. Check out the link below, some, Rob, installed an additional small pump, and plumbed it into the shower box which then gets pumped overboard. This fix has been on my to do list for several years, maybe I will get to it soon.


viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3888&p=22998&hilit= ... ter#p22998

[Nancy]

The first line of defense for a smelly bilge is to thoroughly clean it. I've had good luck with degreaser followed by Oxyclean and dishwashing detergent. Pressure washer is nice, but hose works, too. You have to use a scrub brush in all the accessible areas. This means removing the dinette table and lifting the sole (floor) in that area.

You can't really scrub under the engine. All you can do is spray degreaser and hope for the best.

You may want to do this after you haul for the winter so that oily bilge water doesn't go in the lake.

[joe.baar]

Just remember the Quickie (duster) has a telescopic handle and its soft bristles and spherical shape will allow you to clean almost everything under the engine. Use hot water if possible and any bilge cleaner, or the mixture Nancy mentions. The degreaser I've used comes in a purple plastic bottle at auto-supply stores.

[Nancy]

the mixture Nancy mentions. The degreaser I've used comes in a purple plastic bottle at auto-supply stores.

Just to clarify, I did not mix all those things. I washed with those one at a time. I used the purple stuff, too. I think it's called Purple Power. Imagine that.

[mjohnh]

Joe and Nancy....thank you.

[irishwake]

The best way to clean your bilge and get rid of odors is to pour a cup of liquid Tide in the bilge. When you run the boat it will slosh around and clean the bilge like you have never seen. It's cheap, does a great job, and I have been using it for years. When the pump goes on it pumps all overboard and it is biodegradable. Don't worry about a little water in the bilge!

[mjohnh]

Thanks, Irish.......great suggestion..........(I won't tell my wife....she said the same thing and I told her that was too easy and it had to be harder than that)......

[Tree]

I googled tides liquid earlier thinking it was something I could buy from the yacht chandlers over here only to realise it's washing detergent.

Guess I'll be doing the same with Daz as we get a small amount from washing down right in the bow, again this water tends to smell after time.

[Tree]

This means removing the dinette table and lifting the sole (floor) in that area.

I've just removed mine this lunch time - where,s the smiley emotion for smell that makes you want to vomit?Eurrgh!

Suffice to say I will be back down to the boat later this afternoon with a wet and dry vacuum to remove the last of the muck.

I put a litre of washing detergent in this past weekend with some fresh water and it seems to have given the bilge a good clean - the process will need doing again to freshen it up now its moved all the muck from the forward area back towards the stern.

I will be installing a small bilge pump forward of the stringer under the dinette table in the bilge to pump residue water back to the shower sump so water does not accumulate there again - its not a pleasant smell!

[Yearwood]

I have used a small stripping pump laying in the bilge taking suction through a piece of perforated PVC and discharging into the shower drain tank which has an extra intake fitting. The pump is activated by a manual push button switch I put in the vanity in parallel with the shower drain pump. It strips most of the water (largely rain water) from the bilge well.

Cleaning the bilge can also be done with a pump type garden sprayer, The force of the water detergent mixture in the sprayer will cut minor scum in the bilge and yet not ruin wiring. The water/detergent mixture is discharged via the afore mentioned pump.

[mjohnh]

Thanks....like the sprayer idea...

[JackK]

Someone from here led me to use a product called "Orbilge" It's great stuff. Just mix a little in a bucket with water and dump it in the bilge. Come back in a couple of days and it looks nice and smells a whole lot better