Ted,
A diaphragm type manual bilge pump as two check valves internally. One is before the diaphragm and one is after. The pump fails if either is not working. It could leak a bit and still pump but if you have doubts install a re-build kit. You should also get your detective kit out. Leaks into the bilge can be literally from anywhere. Some are an annoyance and some are a precursor to taking on lots of water and you should know how to narrow the search quickly. I use a blue water soluble marking pen and start by drawing a line on the hull around the bilge. Next time it leaks there will be a break in the ring. Hopefully you can tell the direction the water came from and lay down more indicator lines in that direction. Specifically the lines should isolate through hulls. You should always have a set of wooden bungs and a mallet on-board but this is particularly important when searching for a leak. You'd really hate it if you shook a solid looking through hull fitting and all you had was a finger to jamb in the hole after it snapped off. The white nylon fittings that are normally above the waterline are prime suspects, especially in colder climates where freezing water can stress an already sun damaged fitting. Phil Agur s/v Wing Tip Secretary/Treasurer Call Sign WCW3485 IC27/270A MMSI 366901790 <http://www.catalina27.org/> www.catalina27.org Vessel Doc# 1039809 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 2:16 PM To: [email protected] Subject: catalina27-talk: Manual Bilge Pump Hello all, hope you had a good weekend as we did. I remember a wile back some one had a problem with their manual bilge pump siphoning water back thru and into the bilge. We did some extensive motoring this weekend and it happend to us. Luckily, we caught it just just in time. We had to keep working the bilge pump every half hour or so to keep the water in check. I am guessing I will need to place a one way check valve somewhere in this system. What would be the best approach to fixing this one? Ted Pinelli 5082 Andiamo _____ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail <http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/mailtour/aol/en-us/index.htm?ncid=A OLAOF00020000000970> !
