Wet-N-Frugal’s Projects: X22 Ballast Pump Upgrade
My motivation was to continue using the stock ballast sack (in the trunk), yet increase the flow rate, and ease of shut-off.
The stock manual seacock has always been a pain to open and close. To do so, lift the battery hatch in the floor, reach well in, find it by brail, then try to remember which way to turn it. Though a pain, the seacock is very much needed: First to protect the boat from flooding due to a ballast system failure or leak. Second, it will limit water from being driven into the ballast system from the forward motion of the boat. Which is very important to us slalom skiers who want the boat ballast free.
Also consider, the layout of the stock system feeds the sack from underneath; a 1” hose runs down the bilge, then up into the trunk. The input into the sack is a bottom center nipple. Additionally, on one sack end, there’s an upper vent hose plumbed to a hull discharge. And on the other end, a bottom nipple tied to the drain pump and a hull discharge. It would be a better system to feed the sack from above, but this was modifying the ballast system to a greater extent (in time and expense than desired).
The existing seacock and Rule 1100 GPH pump were pulled out. In their place I inserted a 1” diameter automated ball valve, and a Rule 1600 GPH Tournament Pump.
I tested both of them prior to inserting them into my X22. Using a five gallon bucket full of water, I placed the pump at the surface. Water is sucked up thru the ball valve and 1” dia hose. The hose reaches the bottom of the bucket. The exhaust of the pump is projected straight up thru another 15” of hose; this to emulate the rise (head) necessary to fill the ballast sack. I did the test twice. And both times it emptied the five gallons in sixteen seconds. That equates to a true 1125 gallons per hour.
The new pump and ball valve are wired independently. Thus the valve is opened with one switch, and another turns the pump on and off. This is by design. For at the end of the day, on the trailer, I can open the valve with the fill pump off. This allows water missed by the drain pump, to flow back out the hull bottom.
Holy Mackerel does the ballast fill fast! In what used to take forever, now truly only takes minutes. Before you know it, there is water flowing out the vent discharge, and drain pump discharge ‘cause the sack is over full.
The Banjo automated ball valve is bulky, but it fits nicely in the area forward of the battery. And when the battery hatch is opened, the OPEN/CLOSED marker is clearly visible. It might be relatively expensive, yet its unrestricted flow is far superior over ‘sprinkler’ valves in these low pressure systems.
I wrapped the new pump case with a rubber hose secured with a hose clamp. This allows the pump to rest on the bilge, without beating a hole in either.
1600 GPH Pump ~ $105 Automated valve ~ $175
-WNF-
