PDQ OWNERS FORUM

We own hull 32015 which is the LRC version. The one cylinder Yanmar engines tend to vibrate a lot so it is hard to maintain a perfect shaft seal over time. The result is that from time to time I discover quite a bit of sea water in the sump below the engine. The engine sump has a dam that prevents the water from flowing into the main bilges until it gets high enough to go over the level of the dam. When the water does overflow it has to migrate into the main bilges through a small (~1/4”) hole in the bulkhead separating the engine bilge from the main bilge. Most of the time I use a hand pump into a bucket to pump the sump dry, but it is a bit messy and troublesom.

To make water clean-up easier I would like to add electric bilge pumps, but I am not sure where to best place them – in the engine sumps or in the main bilges. Has anyone added electric bilge pumps? If so, where were they placed? Where was the bilge water through hull placed? What pump and sensor combination was used? How well does the system work? Any other advise on this subject would be appreciate.

Thanks, Bob Cliff

I have installed electic bilge pumps in each engine compartment.

I screwed each pump to two thin and flexible pieces of wood (I used paint stirrers) and then glued (5200) them in place.

I placed each pump slightly aft of the shaft seal.

I installed the pump switch ( one for each pump) on the same bulkhead as the electrical panel. This is the standard bilge pump switch with on/off/auto settings

The switches are wired directly to the house bank.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Dale,
I've noticed a similar phenomenon with some water in the startboard engine sump. Can you drop me an email and maybe we can discuss the specifics of your job? Thanks,
Brendan

....must learn to proofread