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Stock Ballast Pumps


Tao of Wake

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I am planning to add bow & rear ballast to my 2007 Wakesetter VLX, and I needed some info and input before starting. My boat is at our place about 4 hours away, so I don't have ready access to it. Does anyone know the stock ballast pumps Malibu installed in this boat? I read on another forum that they are Pirahna 800's. I do remember they are red and blue, if that helps. I just never looked at the make & model. I looked at the Shurflo site, and I didn't see any that triggered my memory, though.

Also, there is a brass tee on the starboard thru hull with two pumps attached to it. One pump fills the starboard rear tank and the other fills the center tank. Does anyone know the size of the fittings on that tee? 3/4" for all 3? The reason I ask is that I plan on doing something similar on the port side to fill both new 750lb ballast tanks. I will put a 4-way "tee" and add the 2 pumps for the 2 new sacs. Due to the weight, I will always fill the hard tanks first, so only one pump will be running at a time. Also, because I will only fill the 750 sac on one side for surfing (port or starboard depending on who will surf first), only one pump will be run at a time. Even if I run two pumps at the same time, though, I don't think it would be a big deal. I run both the starboard rear and center tank pumps at the same time quite often.

Lastly, does anyone know a good 800-1100 GPH pump that does NOT act as a check valve? I want to install the bow fat sac with just 2 lines: Fill and drain/overflow. So, when it overflows, I want it to flow through the pump. I am planning on tying this one line to the existing thru hull for the center tank overflow/drain (starboard side just in front of the driver). I am a wuss and don't want to drill any new holes in my beautiful boat! I will put the new fill pump in the drain thru hull in the ski locker. If I need to open that drain hole, I will just remove the pump.

Feel free to poke holes in my ideas, recommend pumps, etc. I would like to stay away from pumps with 1 1/8" fittings, though, as adapters are difficult to come by. I would rather just use one with standard fittings like 3/4", 1", 1 1/4", etc. unless there is a compelling reason to get one and someone can point me to a source of 1 1/8" adapters (to 3/4", 1", 1 1/4"). I did find adapters to go from the 1 1/8" pump to a 3/4" barb and to go from 1 1/8" to 3/4" male (the adapter for the Fly High sacs). I also found some adapters on the Rule site, but I wasn't sure if they were specially designed just for the Rule pumps or would work on others with a 1 1/8" port.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it shouldn't make any difference if the port size on the pump is any larger than 3/4" as the ports on the sacs are all 3/4". That would be the limiting factor in the flow of water into and out of the sacs, right? Other than the flow capacity on the pump, of course.

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wow. I am doing the exact same thing. sorta. for the rear I am using a 2-way valve so from pump to valve and then depending on how the valve is set it fills the hard tank or the sack. so no need for extra pumps or drilling. (fyi time is not an issue for me. we expect it to take around 10 min to fill tank and bag) for the front your going to need three lines sorry but the drain pump needs to be at the bottom of the bag and the vent needs to be at the top. the pumps malibu uses are pirahna`s and yes they are 800gph. best of luck with the install I do feel your pain on drilling holes but I must say its only the first one that hurts from there its just another hole.what bag are you using up front?

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LILJOHN, what type of 2 way valve are you using? Do you have a picture? That sounds like a great way to stop the sack from draining back out the fill side of the pump.

Edited by trentj6930
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wow. I am doing the exact same thing. sorta. for the rear I am using a 2-way valve so from pump to valve and then depending on how the valve is set it fills the hard tank or the sack. so no need for extra pumps or drilling. (fyi time is not an issue for me. we expect it to take around 10 min to fill tank and bag) for the front your going to need three lines sorry but the drain pump needs to be at the bottom of the bag and the vent needs to be at the top. the pumps malibu uses are pirahna`s and yes they are 800gph. best of luck with the install I do feel your pain on drilling holes but I must say its only the first one that hurts from there its just another hole.what bag are you using up front?

liljohn - I am going to put the 800# bow sac under the bow seats. Others have indicated that it will fit, but you can't fill it all the way.

I would also be interested in the valves you are proposing to use. That does make a lot of sense. Are they powered (DC) or manual? If manual, where are you going to mount them for easy access?

The more I think about that idea, the more I like it. I wouldn't have to run wires to new switches. I don't know if I have any available switches on my panel!

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wow. I am doing the exact same thing. sorta. for the rear I am using a 2-way valve so from pump to valve and then depending on how the valve is set it fills the hard tank or the sack. so no need for extra pumps or drilling. (fyi time is not an issue for me. we expect it to take around 10 min to fill tank and bag) for the front your going to need three lines sorry but the drain pump needs to be at the bottom of the bag and the vent needs to be at the top. the pumps malibu uses are pirahna`s and yes they are 800gph. best of luck with the install I do feel your pain on drilling holes but I must say its only the first one that hurts from there its just another hole.what bag are you using up front?

liljohn - How will you handle the drain side? New pumps or valves on the drain pumps?

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wow. I am doing the exact same thing. sorta. for the rear I am using a 2-way valve so from pump to valve and then depending on how the valve is set it fills the hard tank or the sack. so no need for extra pumps or drilling. (fyi time is not an issue for me. we expect it to take around 10 min to fill tank and bag) for the front your going to need three lines sorry but the drain pump needs to be at the bottom of the bag and the vent needs to be at the top. the pumps malibu uses are pirahna`s and yes they are 800gph. best of luck with the install I do feel your pain on drilling holes but I must say its only the first one that hurts from there its just another hole.what bag are you using up front?

liljohn - How will you handle the drain side? New pumps or valves on the drain pumps?

Hey guys I will get you pics of the install it comes out realy clean. it is a manuel valve so yes you will need to get out of your seat. i figure no big deal. drains are another story in the rear they get ther own pumps and tied into the existing hard tank drain lines so you will need at least one two way switch for those. I will get you the details and a price for the valves.

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I've devised a different plan (see diagram below) that:

1. Seems pretty easy to implement

2. Has no permanent modifications to boat - No new thru hulls; only 1 new power switch; new tubing, splitters, etc.

3. Should be very fast fill & drain

4. Can be completely automatic if you don't mind it taking a little long to drain. The only exceptions are that the manual valves will need to be opened to move the water from one 750# fat sac to the other side or to speed up the drain process. In the future, I could replace the manual valves with 12v DC powered ones to make the system completely operable from the driver's seat.

Some notes about the design:

1. Vent line of each of the hard tanks will be re-routed from the thru hull to the drain port of the new sac (stbd hard tank to stbd fat sac; port hard tank to port fat sac; center hard tank to bow fat sac) to fill and drain the fat sacs. The only issues I have heard about setting it up this way are: (1) It takes a long time to fill the fat sac because it is filling from the drain port and is harder and harder to push the water as the fat sac gets filled; (2) Siphoning out the drain port from the fat sac to the thru hull. Therefore, I propose to replace the pumps with larger flow rate ones to help alleviate (1), and to use 1" tubing as the vent line rather than the 3/4" to alleviate (2). The siphon should not hold due to a larger tube with 3/4" connections at either end. For (1), I have also thought about splitting the vent line from the hard tank and taking one to the drain port of the fat sac and the other to the fill port on top. This way, it will just find the path of least resistance to fill. It will still drain using the line in the drain valve. As recommended on the post discussing the speed of draining this way, I would use 1" tubing here as well.

2. Replace stock Pirahna 800 fill pumps with a higher capacity pump such as the Rule 1600 GPH or the Shurflo 2000 GPH. I would then use the removed Pirahna 800's to create a manifold for moving the water from one fat sac to the other. I wakesurf the dark side, I have some friends that surf regular and others that also surf the dark side, so I want to be able to switch sides very quickly and easily. Using the 3 800 GPH pumps to do this should be VERY quick. This manifold is also setup so that I can drain all of the tanks in the boat. So, with a total of 6 Pirahna 800's working to drain all of the tanks, it should take just a few minutes. If I'm not in a rush, I just wont open the manual valves and turn on the manifold pumps, and the 3 Pirahnas will drain all of the tanks.

3. Plan to install just one switch near to the manifold system that will activate all 3 pumps.

4. Plan to install manifold system under the rear center seat under the plastic tray.

5. Need check valves at the thru hull ports so that pumped water doesn't feed up the other line rather than out the port. I believe I need this. How is it done on the boat now? Is there a check valve or is it just a Y or T splitter?

6. Don't need check valves for any of the lines going into or out of the manifold as the shut-off valves will act as check valves. As soon as the tanks/sacs are filled or drained (depending on what I am doing), I will immediately close off any open valves after shutting off the pumps.

7. 750# fat sacs will be installed in storage areas on each side of engine on top of hard tanks. The method I am using for plumbing these in will always ensure that the hard tanks are full before the fat sacs are (weight concern). I plan on always filling both hard tanks and just moving the water from side to side in the fat sacs.

8. Will use the Fly High quick disconnect fittings on the fat sacs so that I can easily remove them, if needed. I may even create a quick manifold for each side so that the vent line from each hard tank could be reconnected without the fat sac.

Concerns:

1. Is there enough room under the rear center seat for the manifold system?

2. Is there enough room for the Y or T splitters at the thru hull ports and at the hard tanks?

3. Being that there are 2 pumps on the same thru hull port to fill the starboard and center tanks (this is how it is now, and I would just replace the pumps), is there enough flow of water into the pumps? Will this slow it down if I am running both higher flow pumps at the same time? With the current 800 GPH pumps, I really don't see a slow down. When I run all 3 pumps at the same time, the 2 rear hard tanks fill at the same time.

4. Should I split the vent line from the hard tank and take one to the drain port of the fat sac and the other to the fill port of the fat sac to help speed up the fill process?

5. Difficulty of getting to all of the tanks, especially the center one. Where are the ports located for each tank? Do I need to pull up the entire floor of the boat to get to the center tank and run the tubing from the manifold to this tank? How do I route the tubing from the center tank to the new bow tank that will be above the floor?

6. Any issues with tying into the thru hull for the bilge for the drain port of the manifold? My guess is that it would only restrict the flow if I was trying to empty the system at the same time that the bilge is running. In those rare cases, I could always not use the manifold to drain; just use the stock pumps.

7. If I run both the manifold pumps and the stock drain pumps to drain a set of tanks or all tanks, will the stock pumps run dry because all of the water will be flowing through the higher capacity manifold (with 3 pumps)?

As usual, feel free to poke holes in the design or propose your own changes.

ballast.jpg

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I've devised a different plan (see diagram below) that:

1. Seems pretty easy to implement

2. Has no permanent modifications to boat - No new thru hulls; only 1 new power switch; new tubing, splitters, etc.

3. Should be very fast fill & drain

4. Can be completely automatic if you don't mind it taking a little long to drain. The only exceptions are that the manual valves will need to be opened to move the water from one 750# fat sac to the other side or to speed up the drain process. In the future, I could replace the manual valves with 12v DC powered ones to make the system completely operable from the driver's seat.

Some notes about the design:

1. Vent line of each of the hard tanks will be re-routed from the thru hull to the drain port of the new sac (stbd hard tank to stbd fat sac; port hard tank to port fat sac; center hard tank to bow fat sac) to fill and drain the fat sacs. The only issues I have heard about setting it up this way are: (1) It takes a long time to fill the fat sac because it is filling from the drain port and is harder and harder to push the water as the fat sac gets filled; (2) Siphoning out the drain port from the fat sac to the thru hull. Therefore, I propose to replace the pumps with larger flow rate ones to help alleviate (1), and to use 1" tubing as the vent line rather than the 3/4" to alleviate (2). The siphon should not hold due to a larger tube with 3/4" connections at either end. For (1), I have also thought about splitting the vent line from the hard tank and taking one to the drain port of the fat sac and the other to the fill port on top. This way, it will just find the path of least resistance to fill. It will still drain using the line in the drain valve. As recommended on the post discussing the speed of draining this way, I would use 1" tubing here as well.

2. Replace stock Pirahna 800 fill pumps with a higher capacity pump such as the Rule 1600 GPH or the Shurflo 2000 GPH. I would then use the removed Pirahna 800's to create a manifold for moving the water from one fat sac to the other. I wakesurf the dark side, I have some friends that surf regular and others that also surf the dark side, so I want to be able to switch sides very quickly and easily. Using the 3 800 GPH pumps to do this should be VERY quick. This manifold is also setup so that I can drain all of the tanks in the boat. So, with a total of 6 Pirahna 800's working to drain all of the tanks, it should take just a few minutes. If I'm not in a rush, I just wont open the manual valves and turn on the manifold pumps, and the 3 Pirahnas will drain all of the tanks.

3. Plan to install just one switch near to the manifold system that will activate all 3 pumps.

4. Plan to install manifold system under the rear center seat under the plastic tray.

5. Need check valves at the thru hull ports so that pumped water doesn't feed up the other line rather than out the port. I believe I need this. How is it done on the boat now? Is there a check valve or is it just a Y or T splitter?

6. Don't need check valves for any of the lines going into or out of the manifold as the shut-off valves will act as check valves. As soon as the tanks/sacs are filled or drained (depending on what I am doing), I will immediately close off any open valves after shutting off the pumps.

7. 750# fat sacs will be installed in storage areas on each side of engine on top of hard tanks. The method I am using for plumbing these in will always ensure that the hard tanks are full before the fat sacs are (weight concern). I plan on always filling both hard tanks and just moving the water from side to side in the fat sacs.

8. Will use the Fly High quick disconnect fittings on the fat sacs so that I can easily remove them, if needed. I may even create a quick manifold for each side so that the vent line from each hard tank could be reconnected without the fat sac.

Concerns:

1. Is there enough room under the rear center seat for the manifold system?

2. Is there enough room for the Y or T splitters at the thru hull ports and at the hard tanks?

3. Being that there are 2 pumps on the same thru hull port to fill the starboard and center tanks (this is how it is now, and I would just replace the pumps), is there enough flow of water into the pumps? Will this slow it down if I am running both higher flow pumps at the same time? With the current 800 GPH pumps, I really don't see a slow down. When I run all 3 pumps at the same time, the 2 rear hard tanks fill at the same time.

4. Should I split the vent line from the hard tank and take one to the drain port of the fat sac and the other to the fill port of the fat sac to help speed up the fill process?

5. Difficulty of getting to all of the tanks, especially the center one. Where are the ports located for each tank? Do I need to pull up the entire floor of the boat to get to the center tank and run the tubing from the manifold to this tank? How do I route the tubing from the center tank to the new bow tank that will be above the floor?

6. Any issues with tying into the thru hull for the bilge for the drain port of the manifold? My guess is that it would only restrict the flow if I was trying to empty the system at the same time that the bilge is running. In those rare cases, I could always not use the manifold to drain; just use the stock pumps.

7. If I run both the manifold pumps and the stock drain pumps to drain a set of tanks or all tanks, will the stock pumps run dry because all of the water will be flowing through the higher capacity manifold (with 3 pumps)?

As usual, feel free to poke holes in the design or propose your own changes.

ballast.jpg

I have tried something along the same line as you are and it didnt work. I ran the overflow to the sack and after the sack got half way full there was to much pressure on the hard tank and the pump was not strong enough to over come it. It sounds good in theory but in reality it dosent do well. hopefuly your extra pumps will help but i have to say the way im doing it has been proven i a few other boats and is alot easier than what your proposing.

Edited by liljohn
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I have tried something along the same line as you are and it didnt work. I ran the overflow to the sack and after the sack got half way full there was to much pressure on the hard tank and the pump was not strong enough to over come it. It sounds good in theory but in reality it dosent do well. hopefuly your extra pumps will help but i have to say the way im doing it has been proven i a few other boats and is alot easier than what your proposing.

liljohn -

I have also seen in other posts that due to the pressure, they get water coming out the drain line through the pump. That's why I thought I would run 2 lines from the vent of the hard tank: one to the drain of the sac and one to the fill. That way, it will just find the path of least resistance. Check out the updated design below.

I am really anxious to see your design!

ballast2.jpg

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It looks like it would work but it looks like alot of work to install and alot of joints. with the valve system I am looking at you simply take your existing fill line off the tank and run it to the valve from the valve you run 2 lines on back to the tank and one to the bag. bam the fill lines are done. from the top of the bag you run a new line to your hard tank vent which at the thru hull you install a t and 2 check valves bam vents are done. then from the bottom of the sack you install the drain pump and run a new drain line to the drain thru hull and agin add a t and 2 check valves. then run the wire to a switch. personaly i am going to use a on off on switch so i only need one this will make it so only one bag will drain at a time but i only need one switch. supper easy and tested my dealer has done a dozen plus this way and has had no issues.

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Liljohn, if you can round up some pics that would be great, or even a list of the parts your dealer has been using. I want to add more weight to the back of my VTX for surfing.

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Liljohn, if you can round up some pics that would be great, or even a list of the parts your dealer has been using. I want to add more weight to the back of my VTX for surfing.

how about I get my dealer to put a package together with a little discount for the crew. With a nice install diagram and directions..

heres a quick digagram of how it works.

post-3478-1226084783_thumb.jpg

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That would be great. My local guy is just starting to get into the extra accesories and services. As soon as they as they are finished building the new shop they will be selling all the accessories that we will ever need.....I hope.

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Liljohn, if you can round up some pics that would be great, or even a list of the parts your dealer has been using. I want to add more weight to the back of my VTX for surfing.

how about I get my dealer to put a package together with a little discount for the crew. With a nice install diagram and directions..

heres a quick digagram of how it works.

liljohn -

Are you doing anything about bow ballast?

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Liljohn, if you can round up some pics that would be great, or even a list of the parts your dealer has been using. I want to add more weight to the back of my VTX for surfing.

how about I get my dealer to put a package together with a little discount for the crew. With a nice install diagram and directions..

heres a quick digagram of how it works.

liljohn -

Are you doing anything about bow ballast?

yes I am adding bow ballast but im setting that up just like the factory tank only with a fly high bag. here are pictures of the valve im using for the rear.

post-3478-1226106633_thumb.jpg

post-3478-1226106697_thumb.jpg

post-3478-1226106711_thumb.jpg

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We've done 20+ of these ballast systems this summer since extra weight is desired for a surf wake.

Trust me when I say keep it simple, we've installed all sorts of stuff for people and it starts to get really mickey mouse.

Every customers boat we've installed this system for loves it, no more pumps over board, dependable factory pumps, no crazy modifications, simple system that works just like your factory ballast system works. The valves are key to make the system work smooth.

-Paul

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Where did you find those valves? That looks like it would be the cats meow to use for the fill preocess.

They are from the big yacht boys there called diverter valves the use them to eliminate the amount of pumps. my dealer will have them on there online store early next week. I stopped by on my way home and he will get me the parts list it is basicly 2 pumps, 2 valves, 10 feet of hose, 4 check valves , 4 Y`s 15 feet of wire and a switch all the materials should be less than 300 bucks and will take the better part of a day for a nice clean install.

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Paul, are you making a trip to Alberta anytime soon!! Clap.gif I am sure the guys at Wizard Lake will be watching this thread to see how they can start installing them this coming winter.

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We've done 20+ of these ballast systems this summer since extra weight is desired for a surf wake.

Trust me when I say keep it simple, we've installed all sorts of stuff for people and it starts to get really mickey mouse.

Every customers boat we've installed this system for loves it, no more pumps over board, dependable factory pumps, no crazy modifications, simple system that works just like your factory ballast system works. The valves are key to make the system work smooth.

-Paul

There`s my boy whats up paul.. You need to help these boys out.. thanks for all your help.

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We've done 20+ of these ballast systems this summer since extra weight is desired for a surf wake.

Trust me when I say keep it simple, we've installed all sorts of stuff for people and it starts to get really mickey mouse.

Every customers boat we've installed this system for loves it, no more pumps over board, dependable factory pumps, no crazy modifications, simple system that works just like your factory ballast system works. The valves are key to make the system work smooth.

-Paul

I'm taking your advice to "keep it simple", but your design may not be the simplest and easiest. Take a look at my updated design below.

Summary: (1) Re-route fill from fill pump from hard tank to fill port on fat sac; (2) re-route vent from hard tank to vent port on fat sac; (3) add new line from vent on hard tank to drain port on fat sac; (4) cap off fill port on hard tank. That's it! No new tees, valves, check valves, switches, wiring. Everything is completely automatic. Also, this ensures that the hard tank is filled before the fat sac to avoid damaging the hard tank: As the fat sac starts to fill, it will drain into the hard tank until it is full. The fat sac will then fill and vent when it is full. To drain, just start the stock drain pump and it will drain both the hard tank and the fat sac.

This can be done with the stock pumps, but I have modified it to replace the fill pumps with higher capacity ones (I'm looking at the Rule 1600 GPH), and then add the removed Pirahna 800's to the drain of each tank. This will make the entire system work at 1600 GPH! If I think I can sell the six Pirahna 800's for a decent price, I will just replace all six with the Rule pumps.

I abandoned the idea of the drain manifold to keep it simple. This new design should work just as well. Any holes in this design? Have you tried this (just moving the hoses in this configuration using the stock pumps)?

I really like this design because it is simple, easy to implement, fully automatic (except one item; see below), protects the rear hard tanks, involves no permanent modifications, and does not require any new switches or wiring. I am still a bit worried that the two pumps connected to the same thru hull for filling the starboard and center tanks will not operate at peak performance if they are both run at the same time since they are both drawing through the same 3/4" port. If it's an issue, I just will not run both at the same time, or I will cut a new thru hull so that each has their own.

The only non-automatic item in this design is the vent for the bow tank. I have heard others complain that this configuration will result in constant drainage of the tank through the vent line as the boat goes up and down. Therefore, I will install a shut-off valve in this line. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, though, since I will just fill this tank once at the beginning of the day and leave it filled. Because the sac can't be completely filled due to the lack of space under the seats, I will need to monitor this as it fills, anyway. Once it is filled, I will just close the shut-off.

ballast3.jpg

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We've done 20+ of these ballast systems this summer since extra weight is desired for a surf wake.

Trust me when I say keep it simple, we've installed all sorts of stuff for people and it starts to get really mickey mouse.

Every customers boat we've installed this system for loves it, no more pumps over board, dependable factory pumps, no crazy modifications, simple system that works just like your factory ballast system works. The valves are key to make the system work smooth.

-Paul

I'm taking your advice to "keep it simple", but your design may not be the simplest and easiest. Take a look at my updated design below.

Summary: (1) Re-route fill from fill pump from hard tank to fill port on fat sac; (2) re-route vent from hard tank to vent port on fat sac; (3) add new line from vent on hard tank to drain port on fat sac; (4) cap off fill port on hard tank. That's it! No new tees, valves, check valves, switches, wiring. Everything is completely automatic. Also, this ensures that the hard tank is filled before the fat sac to avoid damaging the hard tank: As the fat sac starts to fill, it will drain into the hard tank until it is full. The fat sac will then fill and vent when it is full. To drain, just start the stock drain pump and it will drain both the hard tank and the fat sac.

This can be done with the stock pumps, but I have modified it to replace the fill pumps with higher capacity ones (I'm looking at the Rule 1600 GPH), and then add the removed Pirahna 800's to the drain of each tank. This will make the entire system work at 1600 GPH! If I think I can sell the six Pirahna 800's for a decent price, I will just replace all six with the Rule pumps.

I abandoned the idea of the drain manifold to keep it simple. This new design should work just as well. Any holes in this design? Have you tried this (just moving the hoses in this configuration using the stock pumps)?

I really like this design because it is simple, easy to implement, fully automatic (except one item; see below), protects the rear hard tanks, involves no permanent modifications, and does not require any new switches or wiring. I am still a bit worried that the two pumps connected to the same thru hull for filling the starboard and center tanks will not operate at peak performance if they are both run at the same time since they are both drawing through the same 3/4" port. If it's an issue, I just will not run both at the same time, or I will cut a new thru hull so that each has their own.

The only non-automatic item in this design is the vent for the bow tank. I have heard others complain that this configuration will result in constant drainage of the tank through the vent line as the boat goes up and down. Therefore, I will install a shut-off valve in this line. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, though, since I will just fill this tank once at the beginning of the day and leave it filled. Because the sac can't be completely filled due to the lack of space under the seats, I will need to monitor this as it fills, anyway. Once it is filled, I will just close the shut-off.

ballast3.jpg

Well at a quick glance i see one problem air (or vent from the sack will not flow down to the tank so any air you get in your system will be trapped. also you will have a herd time knowing when the system is even in weight. other than that it looks good. check the new pumps to i think they need a larger thru hull. side note what program are you using to draw your system?

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Well at a quick glance i see one problem air (or vent from the sack will not flow down to the tank so any air you get in your system will be trapped. also you will have a herd time knowing when the system is even in weight. other than that it looks good. check the new pumps to i think they need a larger thru hull. side note what program are you using to draw your system?

Let me make sure I understand the issue. When the water travels from the fat sac into the hard tank, there will be trapped air in the hard tank not allowing it to be filled completely. Is that correct? That could easily be solved by leaving the stock vent line from the hard tank and just adding another vent line for the fat sac (see updated diagram below). I could just move the stock check valve and tie into the line for the fat sac vent after the check valve, and then install another check valve for the fat sac vent. This wouldn't be that difficult at all.

Since the new fat sacs will primarily be used for surfing, I will only fill one side at a time. If I do wakeboard, I will just fill the hard tanks until BMS indicates they are full. I could also determine this by seeing when the fat sacs start filling with water (hard tanks are full).

I use Microsoft Visio to create the diagrams.

What pumps will you purchase for the drains?

ballast3.jpg

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I think the water will take longer to drain into your hard tank than what you are pumping into your bag. That will let the bag start filling with water before tank is full. It will eventually even out but you will have a hard time judging a full hard tank and not wanting any in your bag.

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I think the water will take longer to drain into your hard tank than what you are pumping into your bag. That will let the bag start filling with water before tank is full. It will eventually even out but you will have a hard time judging a full hard tank and not wanting any in your bag.

dalt1 - That's a great point. I think liljohn was saying the same thing, and I just wasn't getting it.

liljohn or Paul - In your design, where do you mount the 3-way valves so that you can easily get to them?

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