bilge pump

[nan1rik1]

My 2001 Albin 32+2 CB seems to have at least 3 bilges & pumps, forward, mid and aft according to the labels on the overide switches at the helm. The forward pump is OK and the aft pump seems to be a "high water" pump.The mid bilge pump seems to be located under the engine (Cummins 6TB) making it almost impossible to check, service or maintain and of course that is the one that is having problems, does not seem to be wired correctly if at all (?)
Does anyone know if placing the pump under the engine was a factory installation or something the previous owner jury rigged? If it was factory anyone know how to service it without pulling the engine?

[joe.baar]

Hi, I know my 28TE (Yanmar) may be quite a different animal but I do have 3 bilge pump switches and 2 pumps. Everything works as it should except when corrosion has its way with the wiring. You say "...seems to have at least 3..." and "The mid bilge pump seems to be located under the engine...". This leads me to believe you might not actually have a pump down there, only the end of a pick-up hose which makes sucking noises when it finishes its work.

Anyway, the three switches on my dash are "FWD BILGE PUMP", "AUTO (bilge pump)" and "AFT BILGE PUMP". The first two switches operate the pump under my saloon table in the forward bilge. The "FWD BILGE PUMP" switch operates that pump manually, and its own internal float activates it periodically when the "AUTO" switch is on, which it should always be. I was surprised at first that the manual function pumps out a lot more water than the auto one does, until I considered how the pump's internal float actually works.

Finally, the pump manually operated by the "AFT BILGE PUMP" switch is located in that interesting space beneath the helm seat, on the platform between the hot water tank and the holding tank. Even so you do need to listen for the pump noise to discover where it's really located. It drains the area above my skeg and beneath the Yanmar using a long ribbed hose. No adult human can fit into that space anyway.

I realize this long-winded description of my boat's oddities probably doesn't address your questions very well but I present it as a "heads-up" only, just to indicate the kind of thinking Albin Marine used to solve problems.

Hope this helps some.

[Pitou]

Though we do not have the same hull .... I offer this as once again "we're all the same, but different.

I am not familiar with the bilge of the 32+2 CB, but I'm sure "someone" can get to that pump. You'ld be surprised what these boat mechanics can and will do, what we wouldn't dream of. When replacing my shaft seal I thought the worst and the mechanic slithered through a hatch and the next thing I knew he was under my engine in the bilge getting the job done. Wow! (he did want me there to help get him out)

I have 3 pumps : FWD and AFT are Rule 2000 gph submersible pumps connected to automatic switches that I can manually override at the helm, which always squeezes out a little more bilge water. The AFT pump (set behind the rudder) does a good job of getting out what the FWD pump can't when I power up throwing the forward water to the stern as the FWD pump is not quite set in the lowest point due to accessibility. I suppose the AFT pump could be considered a high water pump as well. The MID pump is a self priming jabsco diaphram pump set-up as Joe's and is strictly a manually switched pump. What purpose it serves ... can't think of any except for if the FWD pump failed and I was onboard I could manually pump some water.

I hope my posting at least offers some food for thought and gives confidence that "someone" can servce that MID-Ship pump.