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Whale Gulper Shower Set Up????


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Following on from another post regarding shower sump trays. I have now discovered in all the boxes of bits left behind by the previous owner a Whale Gulper Pump 220.

 

Others mentioned that its better to do away with the Sump Tray and just attach the shower Gulper to the bottom of the shower tray and then over the side via a skin fitting. 

 

Now I know that sounds simple enough but can someone explain the set up as by co owner does not understand (coming from sailboats) how you don't need a sump of any kind!!!! 

 

Regards 

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The purpose of the sump, in part, is to allow automatic operation of a pump. The sump fills up, a float switch activates, the pump runs to empty the sump. But then the float switch fails, the pump clogs etc and whilst not visible from above floor level, the sump overflows and dumps the smelly soapy shower water into the cabin bilge where it festers and rots the flooring from below.

 

With the gulper, it just sucks the water from the plug hole / shower drain directly and pumps it up and overboard. But you have to switch it on and off manually. No problem leaving it on for the duration of the shower, it is quite happy running dry (if you have a “navy shower”).
 

Well, unless you are a smartass like me - we have flow sensors in the shower pipes which turn the gulper on, and a time delay off to keep it running for 20secs or so after the shower is turned off.

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Put the pump in a position that you can access, it does not need to be under the tray but not too high above.

Ensure that the pipe from tray waste to pump inlet is much longer [and under the tray,] than the pipe from pump outlet the overside discharge. That ensures that any run back after the pump stops does not come up into the tray.

Simple on off switch, KISS principle.

TD'

  • Greenie 1
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A variation on a theme.

I have a sump which serves both the shower and the hand basin. the sump has a float switch. The sump is emptied by a gulper that's remote from the sump and accessible. The gulper can also be triggered via a switch. Disadvantages? - the shower water flows into the sump by gravity. A lengthy shower means that water builds up in the shower tray. Advantages? -The afore-mentioned means that you don't use too much hot water in a single shower. Great with guests. To tell them to watch the shower tray water level is reasonable. To tell them not to use too much hot water would seem a little grudging.

Works for me. ?

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11 hours ago, Slim said:

A variation on a theme.

I have a sump which serves both the shower and the hand basin. the sump has a float switch. The sump is emptied by a gulper that's remote from the sump and accessible. The gulper can also be triggered via a switch. Disadvantages? - the shower water flows into the sump by gravity. A lengthy shower means that water builds up in the shower tray. Advantages? -The afore-mentioned means that you don't use too much hot water in a single shower. Great with guests. To tell them to watch the shower tray water level is reasonable. To tell them not to use too much hot water would seem a little grudging.

Works for me. ?

This is a daft but at the same time very good idea!! I am impressed. I wouldnt want such a system but one of our daughters who is weird and lives in a house ( why would you? ) stops onboard occasionaly and she is very blonde!!!!! can I say that in todays world? Its a wonder she doesnt burn the bloomin water pump out when she has a shower its running that long!! lol.

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7 minutes ago, TheSaintlyOne said:

Thanks everyone. How offem does the Gulper need to be cleaned as opposed to how often does the shower sump need to be cleaned. 

A gulper never needs to be cleaned. A shower sump ideally needs to be cleaned every 6 months or so but of course it depends on length of user’s hair, how often they shower, how dirty they are etc! Typically sumps are not cleaned often enough which is why they block, fail and flood the bilge.

 

Adding some detail a gulper is a diaphragm pump with nothing for stuff to catch and build up on. A sump is a natural place where sediment collects, and the type of pump is centrifugal and thus intolerant of contamination and hence usually needs some sort of filter which gets blocked.

Edited by nicknorman
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7 minutes ago, TheSaintlyOne said:

Thanks everyone. How offem does the Gulper need to be cleaned as opposed to how often does the shower sump need to be cleaned. 

 

 

I doubt its the sump that needs cleaning but more likely the associated pump impeller and float switch.

 

I would suggest never and frequently.

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5 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

A gulper never needs to be cleaned. A shower sump ideally needs to be cleaned every 6 months or so but of course it depends on length of user’s hair, how often they shower, how dirty they are etc! Typically sumps are not cleaned often enough which is why they block, fail and flood the bilge.

 

Adding some detail a gulper is a diaphragm pump with nothing for stuff to catch and build up on. A sump is a natural place where sediment collects, and the type of pump is centrifugal and thus intolerant of contamination and hence usually needs some sort of filter which gets blocked.

I think we were thinking it has some sort of impeller rather than diaphragm 

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The Gulper has no impeller, just some very big and simple rubber valves. It is claimed to cope with all sorts of debris. We both have long hair and also shower the hairy dog quite often. We have a strainer in front of the pump and this needs cleaning out every couple of weeks but its much easier to get to than the pump so I have no plans to delete it.

 

.................Dave

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17 hours ago, TheSaintlyOne said:

Others mentioned that its better to do away with the Sump Tray and just attach the shower Gulper to the bottom of the shower tray and then over the side via a skin fitting

 

As per the set up on our last boat (Zulu) - the BEST set up we ever had - keep the pump in an easily accessible position for annual cleaning .............

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3 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Annual cleaning? I haven't touched mine in about 15 years! 

We have the gulper pump under the bath. Wife still puts the plug in the bath when washing the dogs. Haven’t got the heart to tell her you don’t need it. ?

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8 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

We have the gulper pump under the bath. Wife still puts the plug in the bath when washing the dogs. Haven’t got the heart to tell her you don’t need it. ?

Thats a good idea, if you stand on the plughole while the pump is running your foot gets sucked in.

 

................Dave

9 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Gulp. The Gulper is really a motorized hand bilge pump and will pass most things including tangly clumps of pubes.

I reckon that if you drew a simplified diagram of a pump to teach a child how a pump works you would pretty much draw a Whale Gulper.

 

.............Dave

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Just now, dmr said:

Thats a good idea, if you stand on the plughole while the pump is running your foot gets sucked in.

 

................Dave

I reckon that if you drew a simplified diagram of a pump to teach a child how a pump works you would pretty much draw a Whale Gulper.

 

.............Dave

Tried that !! Comments not for this friendly forum ???

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A couple of things to remember if you switch over to a gulper pump...

 

1. fix all pipes firmly in place, the water flow can make pipes bounce around all over the place, I know of one boat that ended up with 6 inches of water in the cabin bilge after the gulper shook it's pipe off the skin fitting.

 

2. make sure nobody is standing in line with the skin fitting when you turn the pump on (unless you want a laugh), water jets of several feet can happen.

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1 hour ago, blackrose said:

Annual cleaning? I haven't touched mine in about 15 years! 

I gave mine a good course of looking at when I refitted the bath in a different position.  Hoses got changed either side of it, but that's as close to servicing it has ever needed.

 

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1 hour ago, Jess-- said:

 

 

2. make sure nobody is standing in line with the skin fitting when you turn the pump on (unless you want a laugh), water jets of several feet can happen.

As has been complained about on here in the past

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10 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

I gave mine a good course of looking at when I refitted the bath in a different position.  Hoses got changed either side of it, but that's as close to servicing it has ever needed.

 

My "annual cleaning" - refers to a regimen of Mr Muscle drain cleaner in all drains and checking all fittings for the reasons identified above - clears dog and human hairs particularly well

Edited by Halsey
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