Time for the washdown and livewell pumps

[Mwills98]

That "y" diverted valve is painted metal. Be prepared for the paint to flake off in a few years. I got tired of going under the seat and pulling out the bin to switch from washdown to live well. So I just installed a pvc ball valve inside the live well on the end of the fill tube. Works pretty good with the Surflo pump with internal pressure switch.

 

[Lt.Mike]

That "y" diverted valve is painted metal. Be prepared for the paint to flake off in a few years. I got tired of going under the seat and pulling out the bin to switch from washdown to live well. So I just installed a pvc ball valve inside the live well on the end of the fill tube. Works pretty good with the Surflo pump with internal pressure switch.

A couple of years? Theres routine yearly maintenence that takes more effort than repainting that valve will be. No biggie.
I am using the valve to choose between two livewells. The washdown and livewell pumps work independently.
I thought ahead about going under the seat to divert the water flow being a pain so I didn't install it that way. I altered it slightly with longer bolts and to avoid water spray from entering the bilge around the handle I made a rubber gasket that fits snugly around the handle sealing it completely.
I sharpened a 3/4" copper pipe on the outer surface of the pipe so the hole it cut would be slightly smaller than the handle. I hammered against a board and perforated the rubber where the bolts pass through.

Once bolted together I used a razor to trim the excess rubber away.

The hoses are all tucked neatly away in the bilge while the handle is where I can easily get to it.

Turns as smooth as butter and works perfectly.

Hooked up to a rule 800gph pump, nice and neat. The seacock is positioned so I have a clear shot at it with a boat hook to close it in a pinch.

The pump will fill both tanks through sprayer bars without creating a torrent. Both wells are also fitted with a blue LED to illuminate them after dark. You may also notice air stones in both wells to aerate the wells as another option or while on the trailer.

Incidentally I'm not a big fan of testing on the water, finding a leak and trying to fix it while staying afloat so I bought an inboard motor flusher so that I could leak test the system on the trailer. A lot less drama that way. By the way no leaks on the first shot.

I this pic you can see I mounted a 4.0gpm washdown pump onto a block of Azek. It is where I can easily clear the strainer screen when needed.

I'd say the washdown kicks butt! :mrgreen: