Emptying the bath

[Moley]

This should be dead straight-forward, but I've come to realise that boaty things seldom are.

 

From plug'ole, through pump, 20" lift, out through side.

Is there any cheaper alternative to the Whale Gulper?

 

(The bath's being dropped through the floor onto the baseplate, or my head touches the ceiling when using the shower, so I can't use one of those sump gizmos without cutting a hole through the base).

 

And if the basin is draining under gravity through the same skin fixing, do I need any sort of one-way valve to stop the bathwater coming up to the basin?

[dor]

Go for the whale gulper. In my experience, anything else will give you problems with hairs in the rotors and blocked filters.

 

If using the same waste exit, you have to put a raised loop in to stop the water from the basin going into the shower tray. This is the recommended method in all the books I've seen. I'm not sure how well the gulper valves will act as non-return valves, but I would have thought that as long as your basin goes in after the pump you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Can't you put in a second skin fitting?

[Moley]

Go for the whale gulper. In my experience, anything else will give you problems with hairs in the rotors and blocked filters.

Thanks, I did wonder about this.

 

Can't you put in a second skin fitting?

Stupid things that don't occur to you.

Yes, I can drain to the same skin fitting as the kitchen sink.

 

That's it, question answered, now who's going to contradict and complicate

[Yamanx]

I intend to use the original fresh water pump. I dont know what make it is or spec. I'll put a filter inline and as long as it pumps it out quicker than it goes in no problem

 

But its electrically switched so I dont want to use it for fresh water as I want a pressure operated one. Also I used it to pump the engine oil out of the engine once so fresh water is not a good idea eh?

[stuart]

I'm happy with the Whale Gulper - expensive as you said but does the job. Can be a bit noisy but certainly pumps water fast!

[Gary Peacock]

We now use the Johnson Viking Power 16 I dont know how the price compares to the Whale but they seem a very good pump.

 

 

That price is a RRP

[Moley]

The Whale gulper's ten quid cheaper at Limekiln. Mid nineties.

[TeeELL]

I use the Whale Gulper and it seems to do the trick in a satisfactory if noisy manner. My 'rise' to the skin fitting is much the same as yours and the only bit of advice is: ensure you have a run of pipe from drain to pump at least as long as you have from pump to skin fitting, that way when the pump is off the water remaining in the 'rise' will not reappear in the bottom of the bath/shower tray.

 

While I think about it, if you need to bend sharply into the skin fitting. to reduce the bend (or kink) in the hose use a 22mm copper fitting (the one for crossing neighbouring pipes - a sort of misshapen S). Warm a short length of hose in hot water and fit it over the 'S' and the skin fitting (stops any dielectric interaction between the brass and copper) secure with jubilee clips. Do the same with the riser hose. One final thing, you need to hacksaw the 'tail' of the copper fitting to make a right angle and file a chamfer around the cut end to help with fitting the hose.

[John Orentas]

Hi Moley.

 

Are you sure you can't have a sump gizmo even if you move it rear-wards a yard or so, more a vertical tube with a good bilge pump in the bottom !

 

OK well make sure you have an easy clean filter in-line filter before the pump, a good idea too as someone said arrange for a non return valve to stop the pipe-full of water splurging back when the pump stops. Try to give it it's own skin fitting, that extra top bend only makes pumping harder work. I wouldn't try to get an automatic switch off, it never works reliably if the pump is noisy enough you won't forget to switch off and it will change note when empty.

[GUMPY]

OK well make sure you have an easy clean filter in-line filter before the pump, a good idea too as someone said arrange for a non return valve to stop the pipe-full of water splurging back when the pump stops.

A filter is not needed with a whale gulper it will almost pump solids.

In fact there is a Whale Gulper that is made for pumping toilets and you cant filter that stuff.

The new ones are also fitted with a non return valve on the output of the pump so the water cant run back.

 

J

[DHutch]

My main tip would be to keep it acceable!

- We have a small pump coupled right upto the base of the bath.

 

Its non-self priming inline impeller (hence where it was fitted), and was sold at a pump that wouldnt block with human hair.

- Unfortuanly, it does block. Not often, but enough that its a right pain in the ass where it is. So keep it accessable!

 

 

Daniel

[Sir Nibble]

In fact there is a Whale Gulper that is made for pumping toilets and you cant filter that stuff.

You're talking shit.

[DHutch]

You're talking shit.

No, pumping it!

[GUMPY]

You're talking shit.

I dont think so........

 

http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product_list/11/64/

 

J

[Sir Nibble]

You're talking shit.

I dont think so........

 

http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product_list/11/64/

My dear fellow, I am not casting any doubt as to what you say, just taking the oppwrtunity to deliver an old and well worn punchline to the feed you gave me.

You're talking

about

 

shit.

[GUMPY]

My dear fellow, I am not casting any doubt as to what you say, just taking the oppwrtunity to deliver an old and well worn punchline to the feed you gave me.

about

 

A classic case of how this medium can be misinterpreted...............

 

 

J

[Sir Nibble]

My doctor says to me the other day, "Most men have two testicles, each the size of a pigeons egg, they weigh around 30 grammes apiece and can produce about 300,000,000 sperm in a day".

I said, "You're talking bollocks".

[Moley]

Snibble:

 

Sorry, that last posting was un-called for

 

 

As a PS to the original thread, I've just picked up a new super-duper Whale Gulper (the new 25 litre a minute job, as opposed to the 14L/min Gulper 220) off eBay for eighty quid including postage. Not bad, eh?

 

The seller had 2, only one sold, so he'll probably re-list, if anyone else is interested.