Recommendations on bilge alarms

[Mike Ebert]

I had the aft bilge pump go out and fortunately, I noticed water in the bilge before any problems developed. I was thinking of installing a bilge alarm so I know if there is a problem. Anybody install one themselves? It seems pretty simple. Any recommendations on manufacturers?

[Denis]

I have a 28 TE with a bilge alarm. The dealer mounted it inside the bilge in the cabin.
There is a small bulkhead next to the bilge pump there, they mounted a small wood block about four inches above the bottom and mounted the alarm on the block. They ran the wire up to the dash where the buzzer is located. I dont have the make of the unit on hand but note it and write back. Denis

[Tuxedo]

I had a cooling hose split, followed by the bilge pump pickup clogging, and water poured in almost over the stringers before I noticed. My very next project was high water alarm.

First, I tapped into the float switch electrical connections and ran a wire to the helm, where I installed a red light (from Radio Shack), that let me know it the float switch was up. This light comes on whenever the bilge pump should be running.

Next, I installed a high water alarm. I set it aft, between the stringers, in front of the rudder post (single engine 31). Can't remember if you have single or twins, but anywhere on the side of a stringer would probably be good.

Finally, and if you have twins you don't have this problem, but 28s do, I junked the brass strainer on the end of the bilge pump hose and fashioned a new strainer by drilling a bunch of 3/16" holes in a capped piece of PVC pipe. Maybe SkipperB can tell you whether this held up on his recent trip.

[Tuxedo]

One other thing. Make sure you have anti-siphon valve on the forward bilge pump hose and the shower sump hose. I did not, and couldn't figure out where water in the forward bilge was coming from when I was trolling. Eventually I figured out that was the problem and installed one.

Shortly thereafter, I heard of a 31 sinking because of this problem.

[Mike Ebert]

Thanks guys, I like the idea of a lamp to show when the bilges pumps are working. Sounds like I move the installation of an alarm to the "must do" list.

[Mariner]

I personally think that a lamp, especially on larger boats where it may not be immediately apparent that water has entered the bilge, is an absolute necessity. On our Albin, the label next to the manual pump switch lights up when it comes on automatically. This is not ideal, but it's good enough for me. Ideally, it would be a bright red light at the helm station that you couldn't miss. And it would beep once whenever the pump cycled on.

Our old Camano Troll had such a light, except that instead of a single beep, it was a loud alarm that wouldn't turn off until the pump stopped running. Fortuately, that boat was built so tight that never so much as a drop of water appeared in the bilge without me putting it there. Otherwise, it probably would have been a bit of an annoyance. On the Albin, it is not uncommon for the pump to come on for a couple seconds when you step on board to evacuate a small amount of rain water that has found its way into the bilge, and shifts with the boat and trips one of the floats. I wouldn't want an alarm going off every time it rained.

[DrNickS]

One other thing. Make sure you have anti-siphon valve on the forward bilge pump hose and the shower sump hose. I did not, and couldn't figure out where water in the forward bilge was coming from when I was trolling. Eventually I figured out that was the problem and installed one.

Shortly thereafter, I heard of a 31 sinking because of this problem.

I am curious, why not install an anti-siphon valve on the other 2 bilge pumps also?