Winter 2008-2009 Refit | Saturday, November 1, 2008
I completed the sump pump
installation today. To begin, I secured the pump
chamber to the newly-painted fiberglass platform, cut off
the blank end of the proper size inlet nipple for the 3/4"
hose I planned to use, then screwed the platform into
position on its cleats in the bilge.
Next, I ran the discharge
hose to the pump, beginning at the lazarette, where the
through hull fitting for the sump pump was located, and
running the hose from there through the space beneath the
cockpit and past the engine into the bilge, where I
connected it to the sump pump. I left the hose long at
the other end for now, pending slight adjustments that might
be required while tying the hose into position throughout
its route.
Then, I ran a second length
of hose between the sump and the galley sink location.
This time, I began in the bilge by the pump, and pushed the
hose through the engine room, where I then redirected it
through an opening in the galley cabinetry and up to the
sink location.
Killing two birds with one
stone, I also taped a pair of wires to the hose as I pushed
it through, to supply power to the pump from the existing
switch that I had located near the sink when I installed the
first sump pump some years back. Normally I avoid running
wires through the bilge at all cost, but of course in this
case there was no option: the sump was located in the
bilge, and the design of the bilge prohibits running wires
through other lockers and then into the bilge, without
having them exposed on the cabin sole. Therefore, it
made the most sense to just let the wires run right
alongside--and secured to--the sink drain hose.
I made the final hose and
wiring connections as required, and secured the wiring and
hoses in the bilge and elsewhere, holding everything off to
the sides and secured just beneath the cabin sole.
Finally, I cut the discharge hose to the proper length and
secured it to its through hull fitting in the lazarette,
after securing it as required along the way. |
To complete the galley plumbing job, I resecured the two
sink faucets in their original holes through the countertop,
and then installed the new 9" deep sink in a bed of
polysulfide caulk, as I'd done previously. There was
no reasonable access to the underside of the sink for any
sort of mechanical fastening, so I weighted the sink down
heavily to hold it in position while the sealant cured,
which would take a week or so. I secured the drain
hose to the drain fitting, and the job was complete, other
than cleanup of the cured sealant later on. |
