Interesting. That's basically what I was wondering. I was looking for a calculator, but I found this: http://www.whsyc.org/Flooding/Flooding.html
A 1.5" hole 2 feet below waterline results in 62.5 gpm (per minute!) = 3750 gph. Even 4000 gph capacity wouldn't keep up with that, after accounting for efficiency losses. So why do some people go for high bilge pump capacities? (like 2000-4000 gph total) Sure it gives you a bit more time, but if I'm not at the boat it's probably not going to make a difference (there's often no one on our dock for 12+ hours between say 8pm and 8am), and if I am, it will only make a small difference. (ex, the difference between 800+800gph vs 800+2000gph... assuming 75% efficiency that's 1200gph vs 2100gph). So with that 1.5" hole I'd take on net water of ~42.5 gpm vs 25.8 gpm. So whether 42 gallons per minute are coming in, or 25 gallons per minute, I still need to plug it really friggin quickly. I do have the StaPlug btw, and Stay Afloat putty. Just having a hard time imagining scenarios where an 800+2000 would make a critical difference vs an 800+800, and wondering if this is just one of those things where boaters are a bit paranoid and choosing the "bigger is better" approach when that's not necessarily true. From what I can tell, *broken* bilge pumps are the biggest issue (clogged, burnt out, bad wiring, etc). On Thu, Apr 14, 2016 at 1:22 PM, <cnc-list-requ...@cnc-list.com> wrote: > From: Josh Muckley <muckl...@gmail.com> > To: "C&C List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Cc: > Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:21:23 -0400 > Subject: Re: Stus-List Bilge pump capacity? > > You'll have a shockingly hard time keeping up with a 1.5 inch hole no > matter what size bilge pump you have. Plugging the hole is always better. > Its gonna sink if the seacock disintegrates while you're not there. > > Josh Muckley > S/V Sea Hawk > 1989 C&C 37+ > Solomons, MD >
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