Manually empty ballast bags, 2007 LSV

[Patrick Sedlak]

On the lake yesterday & center ballast wouldn't empty. Was able to manually empty through bilge. Has anyone had to manually empty the rear ballast bags? If so how did u empty them? Don't want to get stuck on lake w/rears full & pumps quit. Would like to think of an option, makes me a little nervous.

[mmandley]

Basically the pumps get air locked. They get an air bubble and won't prime.

When it happened to me on the rears I stood on the bag. It primed the pump.

If the pump stops completely just unplug the hose from the pump.

An option is get a couple quick release hose connections and put them inline of the drain pump then you can drain to bilge.


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[Patrick Sedlak]

Helpful, thanks. The pump will fill the bag, just not empty it? Could this still be a priming issue?

[trayson]

You have a couple of options. First and foremost, I'd check the fuses and/or do what mike said about the priming.

That said, it would be plenty easy to make up a connector on an over the side pump that you could connect to the fill or the vent line.

I have aerator pumps on my 3 big bags, and I have a reversible pump that does my side under the seat bag. When I plumbed my reversible pump, I put in a TEE valve that goes to a hose I can connect. At the other end of the hose is a fitting I can attach to one of my other bags should I have a problem where one of the pumps went out... It's obviously a lot of extra work and fittings for something that might never get used... But I think I did have to use it once, and I like to be over-prepared.

[mmandley]

Helpful, thanks. The pump will fill the bag, just not empty it? Could this still be a priming issue?

On your boat fill and drain are different pumps.

All the fills are T off 1 pump but each bag gets a separate drain

Another option get a PVC T valve install on drain line when you air lock just open it to bilge




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