Bilge pump hose replacement

[BarryK]

Hi all,

While cleaning out my center bilge pump on my 3467 the hose cracked in several places (30+ year old plastic). The hose seems to be attached to a stringer by straps in an unaccessible location, under plywood beneath the couch. I tried passing a snake but could not get it to go all the way through. I looked with an inspection camera and could only get limited visualization. My friend said I should cut an inspection hole in the plywood, large enough to get a hand inside.

The hose to be replaced is the middle one in the picture.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Barry

Bilge hose 1.jpg

Bilge hose 2.jpg

Bilge hose 3.jpg

[Viper]

May seem like a silly question but can you not remove those plywood panels by unscrewing them?

[BarryK]

Not silly at all. I thought that they were glued, but worth a shot removing the screws to see if I can move them!

[Phrancus]

I dismantled half the bow interior simply by unscrewing a million screws. No glue or resin/epoxy anywhere. Worth a try.

If all else fails you might be able to shove a smaller diameter and smoother hose through the current one. Use a heat blower to soften it for the short curves at the end and to make it fit the thru-hull

[BarryK]

Those screws are coming out tomorrow!

The smaller hose is a great idea!

[Viper]

The smaller hose should be your last resort. It will drastically reduce your pump's discharge rating.

[Phrancus]

good call, forgot to mention that. There's not very much pressure build up by high volume pumps.

Replacing it with a stronger one is a different story as you'll need more electric power and such pumps need cleaner water.

If it's more for mishaps (shower overflow, dripping window seal) than for emergency (cooling hose breach) to prevent sinking. You mention the center bilge so I suppose that is a high priority pump.
You might want to add another one if you need to restrict the flow. Although that would upsize the project to another hose to new outlet which in turn would allow to reconsider and keep the current pump with a new outlet

[BarryK]

So, I was able to remove one of the boards when I finally located all of the screws! Some were well hidden.

IMG_7003.jpg

There were 3 zip ties in there holding the hose:

IMG_7005.jpg

The hose still would not come out. There is another larger board that I could not remove. I drilled a couple of small holes for my inspection scope and found out where to drill a large hole for an inspection plate. I bought a 4.5" hole saw and that matched up perfectly with a 4" inspection plate housing. There was 1 more zip tie in that compartment. When I cut that one, the hose was free.

IMG_7047.jpg

IMG_7050.jpg

It's pretty tight working in there!

IMG_2248.jpeg

Thanks for the recommendation to remove the screws!!

I put in a 3/4" hose temporarily from the hardware store. I will order a new 1 1/8" hose . The one that broke was Shields 120 bilge hose. I think I will replace it with the Shields 141 multiflex. Any recommendations on the type of hose?

Thanks,
Barry

[Viper]

Good job

The 120 is a good choice. It can be a pain to work with though especially in applications where you need to remove the hose often such as winterizing up north but that won't be an issue in this particular application until the pump fails. A little heat helps with install and removal.

[km1125]

Great update and nice work!