[C320-list] Hose Connection Between Main Bilge and Packing Gland Sump

[Rick Sulewski]

Dave, I have a white PVC pipe connecting draining the packing gland area to the bilge and the PVC pipe entering the fiberglass grid cross member that is just aft of the bilge pump area. If my memory is correct, some (but not all) of those cross members are hollow as evidence by the wiring you can see running in some of those cross members by looking for the wire that enters/exits the storage areas under the cushion seating areas on both sides of the main cabin. 

It may be possible to connect the PVC pipe under your engine pan with a flexible hose if you can position a flexible hose that is lubed up to slide up on the engine pan pipe and connect that flexible hose to  another to a PVC pipe inlet that you could install  to run into and then thru  the grid member that dumps into your pump bilge section. If you could install a pipe on the bilge side,  a strong adhesive sealant could do the trick to seal off the installed inlet that could extend into the main bilge. A call into Gerry may yield other options and knowledge about whether the fiberglass hull grid cross member encases a wood beam.  It seems  the hull design intention was to route the water from the packing gland area directly to the bilge from all of the hull grid diagrams I observed for shallow bilge hulls. The best strategy is to keep the hull surface below the fiberglass bilge liner free from moisture, especially from lake or sea water.
Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Dave Hupe
Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2017 1:00 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] Hose Connection Between Main Bilge and Packing Gland Sump

Rick-

I am now very certain I don't have a tube/hose directly connecting the packing gland sump and the main sump.  I originally thought a black hose entering the bilge from that direction was the desired hose, but I'm pretty certain now that hose is from the refrigerator drain instead. 

I actually was able to get my head down into the bilge far enough and shine a light toward the engine area through a hole in the floor grid. I was able to see a conduit (a Pvc pipe?) coming under the engine sump and ending there.  That conduit is the one coming from the packing gland sump (I confirmed it by shining a light into the hole draining the packing gland sump and again looking back toward the engine through the hole in the bilge).  So, any water from the packing gland sump winds up draining into the floor grid.  It backs up in the floor grid until it is high enough to empty into the bilge through one of the open holes for various hoses. 

I would rather the packing gland sump was connected directly to the main bilge.  In order to install a hose, I would at least need a port located near the base of the ladder under (or through) the rubber flooring in the galley.  However, that flooring seems glued down.  I don't know if adding a port in the fiberglass beneath the aft wood cabin sole flooring (just aft of the bilge) would help me enough to install a hose.

Dave Hupe
'94 Hull #32
Holland, MI