Adding a Washdown Pump

[Mick Laver]

Hi Jim,
I'd have a couple of concerns, the first of which is that it will only prime to 6 feet. If you're using it for chain/anchor washdown the freeboard where the pump will be located is about 4 feet. If there's surge you may be at the limit of its capacity. I also didn't see a gpm rating. If Great Lakes mud is anything like the clayey stuff we get you'll need some force to knock it off your anchor. My "temporary" washdown system (pix attached) will run a bit more but will probably be more reliable. It's a Jabsco 5gpm "Hot Shot" (currently on sale at Fisheries Supply in Seattle for $143) that will self-prime to 10 ft. I added 20 ft of 12/2 safety cable from WM (about $20) and 10 ft of 3/4" ID hose ($20) and a couple of clamps ($4), both from Home Despot. It seems to work great and puts out a lot of pressure while pulling 10-11 amps.

[Jim Hardesty]

Mick,
Looks good.
Jim

[bayates]

Been looking at that one off and on. Not sure since mainly looks like fresh water use.

[bayates]

And since Mick's is portable I can borrow it when needed. :)

[Roc]

Hi Mick
Did you consider using the shower/ fridge drain thru-hull under the galley sink?  You can also run the hose forward easily from there.

[Mick Laver]

Good idea, Roc. That makes a lot of sense. I'll check it out.

Considering the under galley sink area, I first thought I could swipe power from the fresh water pump since it's unlikely both pumps would be in operation at the same time. However, if I'm reading the schematic correctly it looks like that's only a 5A circuit. I noticed that the one of the 20A breakers on the panel is for lights that have long been converted to LEDs. A bit of overkill to be sure, so I'm thinking that's probably a good place to add a line for the washdown pump.