Emergency Use of Engine as Bilge

[svana]

So I'm a part of some sailing forums as well and was reading a post about an emergency sinking kit. One of the posts mentioned converting your engine to a bilge. Obviously this is last case scenario if your bilge(s) has failed and you're taking on water, but if your engine bay is flooding, could you theoretically disconnect the intake hose (probably at the Y fitting) and pull the water through our engines and out our cooling ports?

 

[lazergeek]

So I'm a part of some sailing forums as well and was reading a post about an emergency sinking kit. One of the posts mentioned converting your engine to a bilge. Obviously this is last case scenario if your bilge(s) has failed and you're taking on water, but if your engine bay is flooding, could you theoretically disconnect the intake hose (probably at the Y fitting) and pull the water through our engines and out our cooling ports?

In theory it could work but there is no water pump in the engines so you would have to have a pump force water into the engine which at that point is just sinking with extra work because you have to use a pump anyway just send it overboard.and not through the engine.

 

[svana]

In theory it could work but there is no water pump in the engines so you would have to have a pump force water into the engine which at that point is just sinking with extra work because you have to use a pump anyway just send it overboard.and not through the engine.

You're right - didn't consider that the impeller is forcing water into the system, not suction.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Get a second bilge pump and put it low under the clean out hatch in the lowest part

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

This is why a lot of us have a back up bilge pump. If you are a person that has ballast bags that uses a portable pump to fill them you could use that, or if you have a raw water wash down you could install a diverter valve to use that pump to remove water.

Best thing you can do is add another stand alone bilge pump, preferably a larger gph than the stock one.