Washdown Pump

Hi folks. We bought our IP 370 4 weeks ago. We are in the new boat discovery mode. One thing we want to add soon is a washdown pump. Galveston Bay has lots of mud. if you have a washdown pump, please tell us about the installation, where is it mounted, water intake, electrical connection and type of pump.
Thank you.

Fair Winds,

Rick & Valerie Stewart
s/v Moon Eye
Kemah, Texas

Rick - congratulations on the boat.

We're located on the Chesapeake Bay which also has plenty of mud. We installed a Whale pump system with the pump located beneath the sole in the forward stateroom, starboard side. It's on a through hull that will eventually be shared with a watermaker. It feeds up to an accumulator tank located in the chain locker. Directly above is the deck penetration and hose connection. The pump is wired to a breaker on the DC panel. The kit came with a 50' small diameter coiled plastic hose. We've found this to be poor quality and have replaced several times. The hose develops pin holes within a year and the diameter restricts the flow considerably. The poor flow is inadequate for cleaning anchor and chain.

I've bought a new pump with higher volume, 6 gallons per minute at 70 psi and will be using a regular garden hose. The pump is made by Jabsco (search.defender.com/?expression=50262506g12v&x=0&y=0). When we get the water maker installed we'll tie the washdown system in to freshwater also so we'll have the option, fresh or raw water wash down. The thinking here is that we'll be ocean sailing eventually and will need a way to rinse off the salt occasionally.

Tom

Rick,
Like Tom I sail on the Chesapeake with lots of mud. I agree with Tom about going big with regard to the pump. Any pump will work fine on a calm morning but when the wind is blowing 20kts and you are trying to raise the hook the stream from the small pump will dissipate too quickly only allowing you to wash a foot or two at a time. I mounted my pump on a bulkhead in the bilge abeam the head. For the water supply I use the head intake. For power I hooked it up to the bow thruster batteries which are located in a locker under the V-berth. I used a Johnson pump. My boat had a fresh water wash down which I left in place. After everything is washed down with the saltwater I use the fresh water to rinse everything especially the windlass.

Rick. Another pump mounting option. On my 38 I installed my washdown pump right next to my fresh water pump under the stbd settee, getting power from the fresh water pump circuit with a separate on/off switch near the washdown pump. I didn't want the washdown pump coming on every time I energized the fresh water circuit. I chose this mounting location figuring if I ever lost my fresh water pump, I could move a couple of hoses and have an immediate backup pump already in place. For the washdown functionality, I drew water from the forward head supply line that ran through the same compartment. Then I ran the washdown pressure line forward to the chain locker and put the external hose connector on the vertical part of the combing just behind the windlass. I do not use an accumulator on the washdown. I had previously plummed the heads for either salt or fresh water, so the washdown can also use either source. Agree a more powerful pump and adequate hose sizing is better than a smaller model.