Set up a Wash Down Pump?
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Boat Shed
Forum Description: Discuss all things boating.
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=129327
Printed Date: 23 Jun 2026 at 10:17am
Topic: Set up a Wash Down Pump?
Posted By: Steps
Subject: Set up a Wash Down Pump?
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2018 at 7:15pm
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We have crap high mineral water here, so washing down the boat/ clears, windows end up with not "water circles" but almost calcium clumps. Been talking to a few guys and several pull their boat out of the sea water, head down to the waikato, back the trailer in, fire up the engine and wash down the boat. The round trip is about 10 or 12 mins. So I have brought a pressure self priming washdown pump... Fiberglass commander.. Where does one generally mount the pump and what is the norm for the inlet plumbing? How, where should have the pick up? What I do know is 1/ the pump should be mounted under cover, in the boat protected from sea water...maybe a battery box sort of thing 2/ good idea to coat externally with a CRC type product.. thinking lanocoate, non aerosol 3/ It has a inlet filter.. 4/ Exit plumbing not a problem.
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Replies:
Posted By: Garry 23041
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 7:21am
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mine picks up towards the stern so it is always under water when moving. I use it all the time! I will cut a kingfish to bleed and let the hose run so the blood is kept moving out the scuppers etc. Has a water shut off on top of the skin fitting. It did have a filter but I did away with it in the end and it's been fine. The big thing I did with mine that I like is I use a std garden hose type snap fitting and have a shorter hose clipped in that is always laying down the side of the cockpit. There is no end on the garden hose so it doesn't snag on stuff when into a hot fishing session and the boat is busy. Just grab the hose at the cockpit fitting and pull and the end comes to you every time...It is just long enough to reach the whole cockpit. If I want to clean further I have a longer hose stored below that reaches the bow and it's just a simple case of un clicking one and clicking on the other...……..for pressure it's old school, put your finger over the end bro! Let me know if you want a pic. |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 8:32am
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Cool.. much of the outlet side is what I have at the moment with a buldgwe pump mounted on the stern...but no pressure. Feeds the live bait tank and hose as you describe for wash down... A pic of the pick up and inlet hose routing to the pump, would be good. What i dont understand is why they have the inlet ports and out let ports the same size. General practice is to have the inlet bigger diameter.
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Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 9:49am
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Skin fitting with a sea cock through transom on a trailer boat. My washdown pump mounts on the underside of the deck (alloy plate) close to the transom. Gets it out of the way and reduces the suction height. |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 10:27am
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Dont realy want to put more holes in the fiberglas hull Still wondeing on the pick up. Have one.. small for the current set up.. can use most of the current plumbing from Gary's description.. Would just mean the inlet to the live bait tank on the other side.. which is minor. My current bilge pump and pick up set up... maybe a slightly larger pick up (bottom of the plate)  |
Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 11:01am
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If you only want the pump for freshwater wash-downs in the river - does it need to be installed in the boat at all? You
could set it up in a box as a portable unit, with a suction hose, and
electrical lead, and a snap fitting on the discharge side. Keep the box in the tow vehicle until you need it. Keep your bilge pump set-up for salt-water use. |
Posted By: Garry 23041
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 4:42pm
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You are out of my comfort zone now, I have no idea about mounting externally like that. However as long as it can prime lifting over the transom it should work, surely? I used to worry about drilling holes in my boat. I was sailing back from Australia on my mates 60' yacht and asked if he turned all his through hulls off when he wasn't on the boat like I do on my boat with my 3. He replied that his boat has 16 and it is not feasable to shut the valves (duh) and I realised how infrequently those things fail if done correctly.... |
Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 9:41am
With your skills and experience with glass you will easily be able to do this.
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Steps wrote:Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 3:31pm
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Steps, you could try one of these. https://rinsekit.com/" rel="nofollow - https://rinsekit.com/ |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 02 Nov 2018 at 9:13am
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With your skills and experience with glass you will easily be able to do this. Its not a matter of "skills, but if done have to put a new hole, be it a wash down pump or even a screw in a cabin panel, and can be avoided... avoid it. In the case of the pick up, and the current pick up , plumbing is suitable, why not? Kandrew.. a good high volume bulge will do that nps...which is what I currently have. And holding tank.. still have to source the low mineral water supply for the tank.. then there is the added weight to the boat, which adds fuel costs etc. Also for what I want to do.. wash down carpets etc.. requires a pressure pump, not volume...and have already sourced a 65lb low volume one. |
Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 10:41am
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Well then I guess you are back to lifting water over the transom. The washdown pump I have (jabsco) is rated to self prime with 3m vertical lift. I assume that's for a stationary vessel. I don't know how realistic that as I have mine installed right on the water line (intake below at rest). If your inflow hose is routed over the transom and back down to the pump, it's possible you will get accumulation of air at the highest point. It's a fairly short distance so hopefully not.
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Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 7:03pm
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Ptreesure pump is diapham. Diapham pumps re self prime..Air lock not an issuie, no is lifting over the transom..maybe 30" at most.. The current little impeller buldge non self priming its to the top of the live bait tank and no issues on tank or wash down.. and because an inpeller pump by nature is not self priming (thu if big enough it does have a little lift.. as per an outboard pump..even then it is usually close to or in the water or hose 'pumped' up to it it must be submerged at the bottom of the teransom. Impeller pumps.... deliver high volume at low head... And the new diaphragm pump will be installed under the live bait tank.. As to "vertical lift" thats rated on the outlet side...  Diaphram, worm , gear, impeller, piston all different applications as to head required, lift required, viscosity, pressure, volume.
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Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 10:08am
On my pump (Jabsco 5' series ) the rating is expressed as "self priming - vertical lift 3m" I've always interpreted that as being able to self prime from a source 3m below the pump. But maybe it's being able to self prime with a total head from supply to outlet of 3m. Either way you have very little head so won't have issues priming.
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Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 7:13pm
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Yeah I trhink that could be taken both ways Most pumps have a graph type spec sheet that shows the flow at different heads and how high they can pull up... ie like an old fashioned windmill or hand piston bore pump
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Posted By: Big -Dave
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2018 at 2:39pm
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Steps, I used a half inch stainless pipethat came out of the side of the well, then up and over the transom, before dropping to the bottom of the hull on the outside. I was able to run the pump while motoring, using salt to rinse it's of baits etc off, give the boat a scrub up while heading home, then a quick squirt when I back it in the river , to rinse the salt off.. Can't give you pics, I've modified the boat now. This avoided a hole through the hull below waterline. Mounting the pump up high, means if there is a leak, it won't siphon in to the boat.. ------------- you can't fix an idiot with duct tape, but it does muffle them for a while... |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2018 at 7:46pm
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Yep thats very close to my current setup and what intend to do... The diff in height between your stainless pipe and over the transom in the engine bay is a couple inches.. And the new pump mounted under the current live bait tank.. which sits on the cabin side of the engine well... This keeps th pump up out of any water, easy to rinse...' instructions say any external corrosion voids warranty... A coat of pot lanocote / thinner will seal that.   I gather u are going out port waikato hood landing. I do need more experience (others experience) on that bar  Still setting up new home.. pump and new side scan still in the box...
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Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2018 at 1:27pm
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I see in recent email from Marine Deals, they are selling a stainless bracket for fitting bilge pump to the transom as per your set up Steps. |
Posted By: gongfisher
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2018 at 7:29pm
| I split my live bait pick up line and works perfect. Just put a one way valve after your split on the live bait tank side so it only sucks from the pickup not air from the live bait tank if you not using it ( also stops picking up sludge from the live bait tank. |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 16 Nov 2018 at 8:20am
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I see in recent email from Marine Deals, they are selling a stainless bracket for fitting bilge pump to the transom as per your set up Steps. yeah seen those...or the cost (nil) of a little offcut from the ulrich warehouse, and drill a few holes and a plastic irrigation elbow (about $2() filled to height fit neat under the bilge pump intake. I have used the same bracket and irrigation pickup....same clear pipes etc....a couple 98c elbows to get around cnrs.. all good. I had mounted the old bilge pump with stainless screws.. knowing at the time maybe a mission to get them out...yep .. broke(intentional) the plastic bilge pump mount pionts off, leaving the screws there.I applied pressure would mean stressing the screws and marine sealant of the bracket to transom.. I split my live bait pick up line and works perfect. old bilge pump system goes from pickup/ pump/ T to washdown hose with autoshut off garden attachment/ hose to wash down. Above the T / on off tap/ into live bait tank. The auto shut off was incase the washdown hose was not pluged in.. while under way water is forced up and inside the boat.. presure pump is pickup/ to pump filter and pump/T/ washdown hose permanently fixed, and auto shut off fitting at the gun. Above the T as above. With the tap above the T turns the live bait tank on and off And the pressure while moving still runs the livebait tank with the old bilge pump, but not with the new diapham pressure pump (I think, pretty sure, still to be actually tested.) If I find that the pressure pump to fill/ change water in the tank is too much will change the plumbing to suit. At the moment short on time and put together so everything works and is very usable. Aeration is how the water into the tank is directed.. lot surface splash and circulates inside. |