Are you tired of having to spend the first half-hour of your day on the lake lingering near the dock fumbling with pumps, wires and hoses to get your ballast filled up, only to spend the day's last half-hour, when you're tired and hungry, struggling to get them emptied? How would you like to be able to fill and drain all of your ballast, with your boat stopped or underway, just by flipping a switch and a couple of valves from the driver's seat?

Many wakeboard boat manufacturers offer some sort of automatic or semi-automatic ballast system in their new boats, and there are a few aftermarket companies doing the same thing. Although those are excellent options, if you have a few tools and the mechanical inclination, you can set up your own ballast system and maybe save a few bucks in the process.

This article will show you how to install a semi-automatic ballast reservoir filling and draining system in your boat. A ballast reservoir could be any container in which ballast (usually water) can be stored. Examples are fat sacks, waterbed mattresses or plastic gas tanks. When this system is installed and working properly, it eliminates the need to move pumps and hoses around, saving a lot of time and irritation, while keeping you and the floor of your boat much drier. The ballast can be filled and drained while the boat is stopped or underway, engine running or not.

This information is intended as guidelines and examples of how different systems can be installed. There are many ways to accomplish the same results. When you understand the concepts and begin designing your installation, you will find ways to tweak and improve your system to meet your demands. This article will outline the basic concepts and explain in detail three different installation scenarios.

The Basics

If you have some type of ballast that utilizes water in your boat now, think about how you currently fill and drain it. You have one or more pumps with hoses that you use to force the water into and out of the reservoir. The semi-automatic system will do exactly the same thing, but the pumps and hoses are mostly hidden and remain connected to the reservoirs.

Schematics A, B and C show three ways to arrive at basically the same result. Schematic A shows a two-pump setup and Schematic B shows a single-pump setup. These two systems work for pumps that run in only one direction. The single-pump variation in Schematic C utilizes a reversing pump that is equally efficient in either direction. All of these options will be demonstrated with a three-reservoir system, but can be expanded to include as few or as many reservoirs as you want.

Start your installation by deciding which system you want to use. The two-pump system can be a little less expensive, depending on which pumps you purchase (pump selection is covered in the next section). However, the two-pump system requires almost twice as much time and room to run pipes and hoses, because it requires two lines per reservoir. The single-pump system looks cleaner and requires only one pump, but the 3-way diverting valves used in this system can be expensive and the plumbing can be a bit more difficult to adapt. The reversing-pump system is the simplest and easiest to install and operate, but the pump can be quite expensive.

The sizes and quantities of fittings, valves, pumps and all other components is totally determined by your particular installation, so it would be almost impossible to provide a list of necessary parts. The best thing to do is build up a parts list as you figure out what you can and want to do. Pay attention to what specific terms are used for fittings, valves, etc. because these are the keywords you should use to find the specified parts. There is a list of vendors that carry everything you will need at the end of this article. Read this entire article first, then go online or to a plumbing supply store and look at what is available. You will be surprised how many different ideas this will generate.

Pump and Line Sizing

Now you must decide how much ballast you want. If you want to allow for future expansion, now is the time to consider it. The amount of ballast you want establishes several things. Most importantly, it will allow you to determine which pump(s) and line sizes you will need. Larger capacity pumps are more expensive, but allow you to fill and drain your ballast faster. Determine what a reasonable fill/drain time is for you, and use the following formula to size the pump:

C = W / (T * 8.35)

Where:
C = Capacity of pump in gallons per hour
W = Total weight of full ballast in pounds
T = Target filling or draining time in hours
8.35 = Weight of a gallon of water in pounds

Most pumps indicate the capacity in gallons per hour (gph). If it is specified in gallons per minute (gpm), just multiply it by 60 to get gph. You'll want to purchase a slightly larger capacity pump than what your calculation tells you. For example, if you want to fill 2000 pounds of ballast in 15 minutes (0.25 hours), your pump has to move at 958 gph (2000/(0.25*8.35). So buy an 1100 gph pump. This will usually make up for losses due to back pressure from the plumbing and elevation changes.

Submersible aerator pumps are non-self-priming water pumps and are normally used for live wells on fishing boats. If you got a pump with your fat sack, it is most likely an aerator pump. These will generally allow flow to pass through in either direction whether the pump is running or not. They are usually the least expensive pumps available.

The best pumps to buy are self-priming, which are usually similar to the impeller pump on your boat's engine. These will draw air or water, and do not require external means to hold prime, such as check valves or siphon effects. These are usually rubber impeller positive-displacement pumps and will generally not allow water to flow through them unless the pump is running. These pumps will also suffer the most damage if they are run dry for very long. They will also draw more power than the aerator pumps and are usually more expensive.

If you want to install the reversing-pump system, you must buy a pump that runs with equal efficiency in both directions. Be sure that your pump(s) do not overload the available power from your boat's electrical system. Ordinarily, this should only be a concern if you are installing the system on a boat with an outboard motor, as they do not usually have a robust charging system.

The ballast reservoirs and pumps you purchase will have certain size inlet and outlet ports. As a general rule, no fitting, pipe or hose should be smaller than the size of the smaller of these two. This will unnecessarily restrict the water flow. Always err on the safe side by making sure plumbing is as wide or wider than the smallest "bottleneck" in your system.

If you do have to use smaller fittings, at least try to find all the proper size fittings for the main fill, drain, and switching lines, and use the smaller fittings on the individual reservoir lines. Stick with common sizes because some of the fittings you will need will be difficult to find in oddball sizes. For example, if you buy a pump that has 1-1/8" fittings, you should use either 1" or 1-1/2" for your plumbing.

Make sure all pumps used in your system are approved for use in marine applications where fuel vapors may be present. This will ensure that there are no exposed sparks that could cause an exposion.

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