RE: [Paddlewise] Electric bilge pumps

G'day Dee & Paddlewise,

Dee asked about electric pumps and Robert mentioned Peter from Oz.

The Attwood pump is convenient but a bit slow, and you have to remove the
spray deck to use it. This makes it impractical for most seakayaks in
significant sea, though I found it OK for use in the Klepper foldable which
stays upright in just about anything I'm game to handle (except surf)!

The Rule Pumps work fine and are used by just about everyone I know who uses
electric pumps. I've never known one to break down.

Switches and batteries on the other hand fail regularly. The hermetic Otter
boxes are ideal sizes for holding lead acid gel batteries and keeping them
dry. If you don't mind taking the spray deck off you can make a very compact
and reliable unit by incorporating the switch into the Otter box along with
the battery.

I recently helped install a removable Rule pump. Two pieces of wrap around
Velcro were fastened to a bulkhead, then a block of foam had a recess carved
in the shape of the pump at one end, so the pump inlet was just proud of the
bottom of the foam. The Velcro was used to hold the foam/pump combination
against the base of the kayak and the bulkhead. I'm waiting for feedback
from the owner.

Regarding switches - In Australia it is highly unlikely that any pump switch
you buy from a ships chandler or retail electronics store will be water
proof. Even if they come with a fancy rubber boot and the salesman tells you
they are. If the switch is submerged regularly (say twice a week) then it
has a good chance of failing after a few months to a year. Water can track
along the wires into the back of the switch or find its way down through the
boot. Such switches may be splash proof but they are not surf or roll proof.

I looked for a switch that met the IP67 standard and so far its been OK.
Radiospares used to sell this sort of switch and it was cheaper than the
splash proof versions sold in our yachting shops or electronic hobby stores.

All the best, PeterO


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