Thread: Livewell DIY - water intake problems

Originally Posted by Cray

I’m going to make another suggestion, and not being there to put hands on it’s hard to tell. How about installing a livewell pump with the thru hull pipe already installed in that same hole. One similar to this. I know they make a smaller one with smaller pump motor housing. You would just slide the bottom/sycton pipe thru hull and nut on from outside with gasket then rotate head how you needed it to discharge. If you had the clearance from seat.
404 Page

This link will take you to a picture of pump.

Don't want to buy another pump. If you look at my drawing the one pump does both jobs. It pumps water in thru one valve then I close that valve, open the tank circulation valve and circulate water in the LW. I don't have room to put the 2 valves on the outside of the LW, that is how allot of people set theirs up. They put a T on the pump intake then run 2 lines off the T, one to the LW the other to the thru haul.

Originally Posted by Charly

Don't want to buy another pump. If you look at my drawing the one pump does both jobs. It pumps water in thru one valve then I close that valve, open the tank circulation valve and circulate water in the LW. I don't have room to put the 2 valves on the outside of the LW, that is how allot of people set theirs up. They put a T on the pump intake then run 2 lines off the T, one to the LW the other to the thru haul.

I understand, that makes sense.

This is what goes in bottom of my livewell. It has that rubber fitting on bottom that just pushes into a thru hull fitting in bottom of livewell. I’m wondering if that would fit in your thru hull fitting on the outside. Cut pipe off ad glue on a 90 with short piece of pipe. Attach a lanyard to it. When you stop to fish just plug it in and when running just remove it. And with lanyard attached to boat if you took off and it pulled out you wouldn’t loose it.
https://www.wholesalemarine.com/t-h-...iABEgIY2_D_BwE

Originally Posted by Cray

This is what goes in bottom of my livewell. It has that rubber fitting on bottom that just pushes into a thru hull fitting in bottom of livewell. I’m wondering if that would fit in your thru hull fitting on the outside. Cut pipe off ad glue on a 90 with short piece of pipe. Attach a lanyard to it. When you stop to fish just plug it in and when running just remove it. And with lanyard attached to boat if you took off and it pulled out you wouldn’t loose it.
https://www.wholesalemarine.com/t-h-...iABEgIY2_D_BwE

Just got back from Rural King with this elbow it may work for you. Couldn't find anything that fit tight into the hole, its a hair small so I wrapped duct tape around it until it fit tight. Its tight enough to stay in place but loose enough I can pull it out. I am hoping I can go forward fast with the elbow pointed forward and it will force water into the pump. Cost 29¢ so if lost its cheaply replaced.

Redid the setup. I didn't have any clearance to screw a barbed elbow onto the thru haul so I took it apart and then screwed the thru haul into the elbow. THen I tightened down the nut that seals/holds the thru haul tight in place. I didn't have a screwdriver big/wide enough to fit into the thru haul slits so I put a big 2" washer in vise grips, and used it like a screwdriver.

Will find out tomorrow if it works, hoping the added elbow will force water into the pump.

Revamping didn't work. I even had the elbow pointing towards the front of the boat and going 10mph. The elbow was about 1-1 1/2" below the surface and still didn't force enough water to pump.

Come to the conclusion a few things.

1. Maybe the pump is not strong enough to pull water in from 4-5ft away, its a Tsunami 500 Cartridge Aerator w/ long inlet
2. The thru haul hole(1/2") may be to small since every thing else is 3/4"
3. Probably have to pop another hole thru the bottom of the boat and repair the first hole, not thrilled with that. Be my luck that wouldn't help either.
4. Surely the problem isn't that the water has to go uphill about an inch before it goes down thru hose to pump.

I’m thinking your problem is that those pumps are designed to be mounted thru hull. That way you have water forced into suction side. The little vane type pump is not going to pull much if any vacuum to prime itself. My opinion is your not going to accomplish what you want by poking a hole in bottom of boat and still try to use that pump to pull water any distance.

My pump is a Aerator pump designed to circulate water in a LW, you might be thinking of a beilge pump. I was also wondering if it was powerful enough. But after thinking about how I now get the water out the pump should do the job

I used my LW drain hole to run the water intake thru. Since I no longer had a drain I attached a garden hose with shutoff valve to the end of my aerator hose and to pump the water out of the tank.

I measured it all and the intake length is 47". To pump water out it has to pump uphill 10", thru the aerator 22", then out a garden hose 45". So if it can pump water out uphill 77" I would think its powerful enough to intake water thru 47".