Plumbing the Depths...

I really need to get a scrub brush into the bilge sometime. Or a pressure washer to get into all the crevices.  I have cleaned a time or two down in the bilge but it never really gets completely 'clean'.  I was thinking about that today as I was getting the plumbing hooked up.

Two foot pumps in position.




And just to see how close they are to the steps here is a picture looking straight down on the pump levers.

Yeah. Not perfectly aligned.  Oh well.  Maybe I set them slightly off  center to compensate for the different standing angles that are created by the user using opposite feet for each pump. Or maybe I just goofed a bit.




My last order of plumbing supplies was delayed so I couldn't move forward on the freshwater system.  I was able to bring the saltwater galley supply closer to be finished.  Funnily enough, I ordered the hoses I thought I needed only to find out later that I already had the hoses in stock for the past two years or so.  Now I have plenty of hose.

So, I repositioned the strainer last week and this week I installed new hoses to replace all the hose that I disturbed.  I also added in the 'T' fitting  to provide salt water to the foot pump on the port side.  I fought with the half inch hose for about 20 minutes, first trying to stretch it to fit the barbed fitting, then heating it (with the utility light used to light up the cabin) and finally by making a quick run to the hardware store for some silicone spray.  After all this I realized that in the catalog the hose fitting was described as fitting 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch hose. I figured they meant that it is a little tight for 1/2 inch and a little loose for 5/8.  As it happens, the fitting is actually stepped so that the 1/2 inch hose connects on the outer end and a 5/8 inch hose slides up further on the fitting to the bigger section. That was a 'duh' kind of moment. 

I am not terribly happy with this fitting because I have been attempting to follow the practice of putting two hose clamps on every hose connection below the waterline.  In this particular case, there isn't enough room on the fitting for two clamps.  I am not terribly worried. Those AWAB clamps are great and none of them have shown any signs of getting old or failing.  As a matter of fact, the hose seems to weld itself to the fitting long before I notice any corrosion on the clamps so even without clamps I don't think the hose would leak.  It still isn't how I wanted to do it however.

Turns out I was tricked and a lot of the hose clamps I have on the shelf are not the superior AWAB brand but common and questionable hose clamps from ... somewhere else so I didn't finalize all the connections.  I did run the lines to the saltwater foot pump though.

It would have been nice of the Whale brand pumps to label the inlet and outlets of their pumps.  I will have to bring some water next week so I can do a test pump and figure out which is which.

I will probably curse myself later for positioning the starboard freshwater pump so close to the aft edge of the storage locker.

The hose fittings reach into the bulkhead and I will have to attach the hoses and then slide the pump into position afterwards.  That is why I had to make the holes in an oval shape.

I spent some time researching filtration systems for the freshwater supply.  I was looking at a few boat/rv systems but I wasn't happy about how they hooked into the system.  They all had special faucets and used a clamp fitting that clamped around the supply and  cut into the supply hose to get to the supply.  It got complicated figuring out the hardware I would need to set it up simply, plus they were rather pricey at around $100-$150 so in the end I went to Home Despot and picked up a GE brand filter with fittings for about $35. Buying from Home Despot also means getting replacement filters should be as easy as visiting my local hardware store rather than having to order from marine specialty houses. 

Oh. I almost forgot.  I found this bronze cowl on sale by a former Triton owner. I am going to install the cowl on the aft deck port side to ventilate under the cockpit.  It won't match my low profile cowl on the starboard side but any cowl is better than no cowl and I will keep looking. The cowl is well used but in decent condition.

I think I am going to position the filter under the sink right about...

...there but I am not 100% sure yet.

It is about time I cut an access door in the front panel to gain access under the sink. 

I just need my latest plumbing supply order to come in plus another box or two of AWAB clamps to get salt and freshwater to the sink. 

As long as I don't eat too much at Thanksgiving this week I just might have a working water supply next weekend.  No more leaning over the side of the boat to wash my dishes. 

That will be nice...