Sunday, September 13, 2009

The pumps

The pumps I chose to use are Johnson Ultra Ballast pumps. They are reversible and have higher flow rates than the Jabsco Ballast Puppys. They also do not seem to have the same problems with the impellers that the Jabsco model has.

These pumps have ½” inside threaded input/output fittings. However you can slide the 1” ID hose over the top of the input/output and hose clamp them. This will give you the best water flow without any further restriction with threaded fittings. I chose to mount the pumps to the sidewall in the V-drive compartments rather than the floor simply because the side walls have a plastic board composition and the floor has a fiberglass composition. There also was not enough clearance to get a drill into the space to drill pilot holes in the floor so I chose the wall since I could just drill screws into the side wall with out pilot holes. I used 1 ½ inch stainless steel screws size 12. I also used several ½’ washers mainly for spacing so the screws did not penetrate the other size of the wall (sharp things puncture ballast sacs!)

I guess this is good time to mention that you should thoroughly check out the inside of the compartments that you will be putting your expensive fat sacs into! There are often times sharp pieces of fiberglass, exposed screw points, sharp wires etc. Especially check around cup holders, the rear of speakers, lights, pop up cleats, and tower mounting areas. These are notorious for sharp things and exposed screws.

Johnson reversible Ultra Ballast pump (13.7 GPM)














Port side pump with hoses attached (not wired yet)














Starboard side pump with hoses attached (wiring not done)


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