Bilge Question

[JFaberMD]

Hi Everyone! I'm a new owner and have a question on the bilge's on the 28TE. I have a 1998, it has three bilge switches at the helm (forward, mid, and rear), the Mid does nothing so I'm assuming that one was never installed. My questions are, where is the forward bilge pump located? And is it normal for me to get water in the forward bilge more often than the mid/aft bilge's? For example, went down to the boat today after heavy rain yesterday. The mid/aft bilge was bone dry, turned on the forward bilge pump and it steady pumped water for a good minute or two. I just thought it was odd that there would be water up there but not in the mid and aft bilge areas. Any comments/feedback would be much appreciated.

[Russell]

The way the Albin hull is constructed all the bilge water runs forward when the boat is at rest. The forward bilge pump is located under the inside deck. You might check to see if the float switch is working because it should have activated and pumped most of that water out.

[JFaberMD]

The way the Albin hull is constructed all the bilge water runs forward when the boat is at rest. The forward bilge pump is located under the inside deck. You might check to see if the float switch is working because it should have activated and pumped most of that water out.

Russ, thanks for the quick response. This is great information, I feel a little stupid but at least now I know how the Albin hull is constructed. I'll go down there tonight or tomorrow morning, pull up the carpet, find the pump and check that the float is working.

[Yearwood]

Josh, the forward bilge pump does not get bilge dry. Years ago, I posted a "solution" whereby you install a small pump in the low portion of the bilge taking switched power from the shower drain pump and discharging into the shower drain tank. The switch I located on the vanity cabinet. Same pump has been working for almost 15 years. Suction is through a perforated pvc pipe laying in the bilge. While it get much more bilge water, it still does not get it all.

[Alan_Douville]

Your Mid Bilge is center of the boat, mine is accessed by main floor hatch behind Pilot House. If you have the switch, you should have a Bilge there and would check to see if it is working. Agree with Russ, that Bow one should trigger auto with the float switch.

I like many others have added a pencil manual pump under my Shower Pump box and I feed mine right into that shower box, which then pumps it out of the boat. I run that manually when I am at the boat to get those last few gallons off the forward bilge does not pick up.

[catalina_mike]

I used my 3rd switch at add one at the rudder post area. A factory drawing showed a third there but my vessel did not have one. I thought it was a great idea to have one there as well. The front bilge does ok and is the forward switch 1, the center is located under the captain helm and is a diaphragm pump (suction is in the keel area) switch 2. The third was added as the biggest bad boy I could get. Diaphragm pumps are slow and if it ever got overwhelmed I wanted to get on plane, if possible, and get rid of as much water as possible.

[Tom Cunningham]

If you have a additional manual bilge pump don't mistake it for one that is switched.........