Ballast system question

(jbenbri) · (jbenbri) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 11-16-2005, 5:44 PM

Putting together a ballast system for my boat. Nothing fancy, just need something functional. I am going to use a jabsco ballast puppy to fill and empty 3 tube sacs. Question is, will the bags fill at same rate and size since they are the same volume? If one fills faster will the pressure equalize to fill them all the same? Do I need to vent them or can I just turn off the pump when they are full? I plna to get a fitting to fill/empty through my current drain plug hole. Any problems there? Thanks.

(kylet) · (kylet) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 11-16-2005, 6:24 PM

i think that you should tee the vents all together and then have a single vent, so that as they overflow they will fill the others as well.

(vent)
l
/l\
123 (sacs)
\l/
P - Pump - through hull

that make sense?

(wesgardner) · (wesgardner) **Join Date: Oct 2003** 11-17-2005, 11:21 AM

They will not all fill at the same time unless all the plumbing runs to the sacs are identical - i.e. length of run, number of bends which all translates into friction/restriction...I think you need to vent

Wes

(eustace) · (eustace) **Join Date: Nov 2002** 11-17-2005, 12:17 PM

Wes is right , Path of least resistance will fill fastest.

(jbenbri) · (jbenbri) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 11-17-2005, 5:47 PM

But will they equal out?

jayp 11-17-2005, 6:32 PM

We have a ballast puppy hooked to three sacs. One on each side of the motor and one in the ski locker. The sacs all have a vent line but feed and drain from the one pump. They don't fill at the same speed so we have valves to control the flow to the sacs and adjust weight on the boat. My next project is to add a fourth outlet with a coil of hose to fill the sac we put in the bow or any additional ones we may want to fill. I hate hanging a pump over the side of the boat.

ballast

(kylet) · (kylet) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 11-17-2005, 6:46 PM

if the vents are tied together, then they will backfill the slower ones.

(jarrod) · (jarrod) **Join Date: May 2003** 11-17-2005, 8:15 PM

Nice system Jayp. Did you take the hard tanks out?

(big_ed_x2) · (big_ed_x2) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 11-17-2005, 9:48 PM

Jayp,why wouldn't you keep them on the regular set up.

Like your profile pic but I think the orange stoppers are enough,no need for the bolders.

(jbenbri) · (jbenbri) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 11-18-2005, 5:38 AM

jayp, does that hose collapse when draining? Wasn't sure if it was stiff enough. Thanks for the help. I had planned on using valve for each sac. Just had not planned on venting.

jayp 11-18-2005, 6:31 AM

Ben:
That reinforced hose does not collapse. We also vent all of our sacs. The vents tie into one line and empties out the side of the boat. The valves are great for draining/filling an individual sac on the fly to even out the weight on the boat.

J-Rod:
I don't have the stock 250 lb hard tanks on the side of the motor. I put two 440 lb sacs in.

Big Ed:
The boat was bought used with very low hours and the original buyers did not have any ballast system put in the boat so I had to do it myself. I also have a locker bow pad plumbed in and a sac we set in the bow.

(rmack) · (rmack) **Join Date: Jul 2005** 11-18-2005, 6:39 AM

Spend the money and install one pump per ballast bag. Look on the internet and find a reverse ballast puppy. I bought mine for 175 per (I have three) and I vented each bag. You wouldn't have to worry about each bag filling the other and if your wake surfing you can empty one side with out have to turn a shut off valve. You'll spend a little more, but it's worth it.

(rmack) · (rmack) **Join Date: Jul 2005** 11-18-2005, 6:41 AM

by the way, if you go this route, you will have to drill 2 more bilge drains in your haul (not a big deal)