Sometimes, having a spare pump on hand is just the ticket! Recently, a fellow boater came running down the dock, saying, “I’m taking on water! My battery is dead, so my bilge pump won’t run!” I reached into my lazzarette and pulled out my backup pump and a jumpstart pack, and we had him pumped out in a few minutes.
I’ve used my backup pump system a couple of times. Getting water out of my engine bilges after changing my oil cooler zinc (water always runs out when I pull the old one out). Pumping rainwater out of my dingy. Helping a fellow boater in distress.
Here is the simple and flexible 1,100 GPH backup pump solution I put together for under $60 in parts from Amazon.
Flexible Power
I wanted a device with flexible power connections that was also compact. You can plug it into a cigarette lighter adapter, available on most boats and portable power stations. The cord is 26 feet long, so it reaches down into the bilge or out to the dinghy. Alternatively, you can attach the Battery Adapter and clip it to any 12-volt battery. I store it in a large zip-lock bag, which fits neatly in the corner of my lazzarette. It’s very versatile!
Here are the parts I used.
 | 1100GPH 12 Volt Bilge Pump Kit 6 ft of hose, 2 Clamps, thru-hull fitting $28.95  I got the kit because it was cheaper than the individual parts. Just toss the thru-hull fitting. If you have some 1″ hose, the pump only is $15. |
 | 12 volt Heavy Duty Cigarette Lighter Extension Cord 26.1-feet long $13.99 |
 | Cigarette Lighter Battery Adapter 2-ft cord. $8.99 Let’s you adapt to battery clamps. |
 | Optional for portable power. Anker 521 – 265W Portable Power Station Let’s you run your pump (and lots of other stuff) when you don’t have a battery available. $200.00 |
Here’s How I Built Mine
All The Parts:
Here are the Parts. The pump, 26-foot power cord, and the battery adapter.
Step 1:
Cut off the FEMALE end of the 26-foot extension cable. You will be splicing on the pump wires to this end.
Step 2:
Strip the wires on the extension cable about 1/4 inch.
Step 3:
Strip the wires coming from the pump, again about 1/4 inch.
Step 4:
Slide some heat shrink over the individual wires from the pump to hold them together. If you don’t have heat shrink, you can use tape or small zip ties to hold the loose wires together so they won’t get caught on anything.
Step 5:
Crip on waterproof butt connectors to the pump wires.
Slip a larger length of heat shrink over the red and blue wires.
Make sure that it fits over the butt connectors and that you do this BEFORE attaching the extension cable!
Step 6:
Attach the 26-foot extension cable to the other side of the butt connectors on the pump wires, noticing the polarity (red to red, black to blue).
Step 7:
Slide the larger heat shrink over the butt connectors so that the connectors are centered in the heat shrink.
(If you don’t have heat shrink, use electrical tape to protect the connections.)
Step 8:
Shrink down all the heat shrink
(or tape up your connections).
Now you have about 28 feet of extension lead!
Step 9:
Attach the drain hose.
Step 10:
Plug in the battery adapter.
Now would be a good time to test and make sure everything works before you need it!
Done!
Here’s the finished kit. It’s ready for any water-pumping need.
Store it in a plastic or cloth bag to keep everything together.
Because It’s Happened To Me:
It seems that fuses tend to blow at the least opportune moment. I will attach a spare fuse to things like this so that I have one handy when needed.
Bonus Tip: I also tape a couple of spares inside the cover of my fuse blocks for the same reason.
Unlike some “emergency” supplies, like life jackets and fire extinguishers, which you spend money on in the hope that you never need them, this pump setup has utility value and potentially will save your bacon in an emergency.
The inspiration for this setup came when our rudder shaft sprung a leak, pouring lots of water into the boat. Our regular bilge pumps couldn’t keep up, so having a spare pump like this would have been great! Fortunately, the marina we went to had a similar pump they loaned us.
I worked to keep the cost of the setup as low as possible, so if I needed to give it to another boater in a pinch, it wouldn’t be a huge loss if I didn’t get it back.
If you have any questions about the setup, please let me know in the comments!
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