filling ballast with bilge pump

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

Would this be possible? I only have one 400lb bag in my boat with no intentions of getting another. I think it would be cheaper to buy a bilge pump and toss it in the water and wire it to a switch than to buy a 100 dollar ballast pump.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Get an aerator style pump. You can wire it up, get some hose and plumbing fittings and make it work pretty good. You'll probably spend $50-75 to get it all done.

pet575 · Posted: Apr 27, 2010 1:21 pm Post subject:

brichter14, that is how I do mine.

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

It's a similar style pump that has threaded fittings on the end rather than just the end cap / screen type cover. Most of the pumps are going to cost you $30-50. Then you have to buy any plumbing fittings and hose. Hose is what will get you. If you run to Depot or Lowes, plan on $2+ a foot and you'll want 10-15 feet. Online you can get it down close to $1 a foot.

Bilge pump...

Aerator pump...

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

Where do you get one?

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Pretty much anywhere that sells boating gear. Bass Pro, West Marine, etc. Or, you could shop online.

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

and the aerator pumps have a reverse? or do i just have to switch the hoses to pump it out of the bag?

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

I bought an attwood tsunami 1200gph from amazon for 33 bucks, what a deal!

smokinheels10 · Outlaw Joined: 10 Apr 2010 Posts: 100

Can you drain one with that bilge pump? Might end up getting a bag for the ski locker and that would definitely be the cheapest route as far as the pump is concerned.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Nope, aerator and bilge pumps only pump one direction. What you need to do is have a plumbing fitting / hose set up on your bag. When you fill the bag, just drop the pump in the lake and hook the other end of the hose to your bag. To drain, you hook the pump to your bag and throw the hose over the side of the boat.

You're going to want to get 10-15' of hose and whatever fittings you need so you can connect the pump up like I described. You'll probably want to wire the pump up with a 12V cigarette lighter type plug in and enough wire to reach where you need to plug in and where the pump body needs to be. You may have to make a couple trips to your local hardware store, plumbing supply or big box store.

If you got the pump for $33 you will probably end up somewhere around $60 if you order hose online in the ~$1/ft range.

Here's a link for hose that should work pretty good.

https://www.flow-rite.com/flowrite-store/product/ql-sockets/34-hose

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

I was thinking of wiring it up to a switch instead of a cigarette lighter, should be easy beause its all 12v right?

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

You could do the switch. Seems like that would be a pain. You're probably going to want to be able to coil up the pump and hose and stow it away somewhere. If you do the switch, I'd do some kind of quick disconnect on the wiring.

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

doesnt the pump have two ends for two separate hoses? wouldnt i just throw one hose in the water, hook the other to the bag and flip a switch to fill it up? then just put the other hose on the bag and throw the other end in the water and flip the switch to pump it out? thats how i thought the aerator pump worked. didnt know you had to put the actual pump in the water

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

You might run into some priming issues trying to do it that way. Those kind of pumps like to be really close to the water source coming from the lake or coming from the bag. You might experiment with it with some hose and buckets of water before you make up your final assembly.

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

ah i get what your saying, so like 3 foot of intake hose to the pump would be too long? cause i was thinking like 3 foot to go from the water to the pump, then like 5 feet to go from the pump to the bag and just switch it to drain it.

Im only filling up a bow walkway ballas bag and i plan on keeping the pump in the front right bow cushon storage area, right infront of the drivers window.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Yeah, that could be a bit much for it to prime right. Most of the pumps you buy connect the pump directly to the bag for draining and you just toss them in the water to fill. The pumps they use are the same style as what you got. Like I said, it would be best to get some hose and experiment with what works.

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

ok cool, sounds like a plan. thanks for the help okie

pet575 · Posted: Apr 28, 2010 1:57 pm Post subject:

If you're on a budget, use a garden hose and keep the male end of the hose intact. Then, buy a waterbed fill kit adaptor (<$5). Yes, the garden hose is smaller diameter and will restrict flow, slowing things down, but it IS cheap.