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Which whale gulper and accessories for shower drainage?


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My shower sump pump unit (pictured below) has become faulty and I wish to replace it with a whale gulper. The sump is resting on the base of the bilge, close to the shower. The inlet hose is 29 mm and the outlet hose is 23 mm (external diameters). I have a couple of quick queries:

1. Which whale gulper is best for my purpose?

2. Besides what comes with the pump itself, what other accessories will I need?

As ever, many thanks indeed for your kind help

:D

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I had the same problem so I bought gulper pump with a double manifold it pumps out the sink and the shower, it has an inbuilt sensor which detects water so no float or switches bit pricey at £200, You can also buy one just for the shower with all the fittings.

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Thanks for the reply. I've plumped for the Whale Gulper 220 (£86.99). I'm guessing the only accessory I need is a switch, to be mounted in the bathroom in order to turn the pump on-and-off before and after showering?

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45 minutes ago, Daltonia said:

I'm guessing the only accessory I need is a switch, to be mounted in the bathroom in order to turn the pump on-and-off before and after showering?

Correct :)

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22 hours ago, Daltonia said:

Thanks for the reply. I've plumped for the Whale Gulper 220 (£86.99). I'm guessing the only accessory I need is a switch, to be mounted in the bathroom in order to turn the pump on-and-off before and after showering?

The Whale Gulper 220 is the most popular shower pump IMO.  Very reliable.  Mine is still fine after 9 years.

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The Gulper takes quite a bit of current when running ( probably 2 or 3 times the old submersible value) so make sure your supply cable is large enough, with the correct fuse to protect it.

I suggest you fit a relay  - a car type 20 amp rated - to turn the pump on with the coil of the relay operated by the on/off switch - if not you will need a fairly high DC current rated switch for it to last.

Don't use the same supply cable that feeds your water pump if the Gulper and this will be running together, as you will lose water flow, that is unless you have a very large cable supplying both.

I did this exercise last year but found that I needed to add a Whale inline non return valve in the pipe just downstream of the shower tray to get a smooth operation. I have all 3/4" bore pipe approx 4ft to the pump ( which is 12" above the tray fixed to a wall inside a cupboard and also is not very quite) and then 2ft to the discharge hole.

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33 minutes ago, adrianh said:

The Gulper takes quite a bit of current when running ( probably 2 or 3 times the old submersible value) so make sure your supply cable is large enough, with the correct fuse to protect it.

I suggest you fit a relay  - a car type 20 amp rated - to turn the pump on with the coil of the relay operated by the on/off switch - if not you will need a fairly high DC current rated switch for it to last.

Don't use the same supply cable that feeds your water pump if the Gulper and this will be running together, as you will lose water flow, that is unless you have a very large cable supplying both.

I did this exercise last year but found that I needed to add a Whale inline non return valve in the pipe just downstream of the shower tray to get a smooth operation. I have all 3/4" bore pipe approx 4ft to the pump ( which is 12" above the tray fixed to a wall inside a cupboard and also is not very quite) and then 2ft to the discharge hole.

I run mine from a  bathroom pull light switch and it's been no problem for 9 years. It's only a 10 amp AC rated switch but seems to do the job ok and cheap to replace.  I use 2.5 mm cable, fused via a 15 amp breaker. According to the spec. sheet the Gulper 220 takes 3.5amps with a 3ft. head, so I guess the starting current would something like 10 amps. I think the consumption is pretty good and not excessive.

https://www.whalepumps.com/marine/siteFiles/resources/docs/resource-library/datasheets/Gulper220GWDatasheet.pdf

Edited by Flyboy
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Buy 'cheap to replace' do you mean you have to replace this occasionally because it stops working.

The problem with AC switches is that the contacts are not suitable for switching high current DC inductive loads, the contacts burn away until you eventually get high resistance, overheating and then open circuit arcing. This is a dangerous scenario when screwed to flammable wood . Hence the recommendation to use an automotive DC rated relay.

2.5mm cable/15 amp fuse or DC circuit breaker is fine provided the length of the cable is correct, ie to long and you will see a voltage drop at the pump which could affect the starting/running

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On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 22:55, adrianh said:

The Gulper takes quite a bit of current when running ( probably 2 or 3 times the old submersible value) so make sure your supply cable is large enough, with the correct fuse to protect it.

I suggest you fit a relay  - a car type 20 amp rated - to turn the pump on with the coil of the relay operated by the on/off switch - if not you will need a fairly high DC current rated switch for it to last.

Don't use the same supply cable that feeds your water pump if the Gulper and this will be running together, as you will lose water flow, that is unless you have a very large cable supplying both.

I did this exercise last year but found that I needed to add a Whale inline non return valve in the pipe just downstream of the shower tray to get a smooth operation. I have all 3/4" bore pipe approx 4ft to the pump ( which is 12" above the tray fixed to a wall inside a cupboard and also is not very quite) and then 2ft to the discharge hole.

I do love doom merchants'

A quick google will reveal that a Gulper 220 requires a 5 amp fuse , hardly a massive cover.

 My Gulper 220 is switched using a standard Johnson ? float switch with a manual override toggle switch.

Both the pressure pump and the Gulper are switched and fused together. I chose to do it that way. Not a hint of pump slow running, fuses popping or switches burning out

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I ended up using this switch:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/round-12v-rocker-switch-illuminated-red-n32fb

The wires from the batteries where 2.5 mm cable. For the various wiring I put in, I used a mixture of 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm. I put the fuse on the live that came with the pump. Everything appears to be working fine. Thanks for all of your help and advice.

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On Innisfree I used a  relay with a 5 amp pull cord switch positioned above the shower enclosure so that the cord hung inside the enclosure corner with a cork ball on the end, easy to reach and grip with eyes closed, no fumbling around for it if you are soaped up and have forgotten to switch the pump on. 

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40 minutes ago, nb Innisfree said:

On Innisfree I used a  relay with a 5 amp pull cord switch positioned above the shower enclosure so that the cord hung inside the enclosure corner with a cork ball on the end, easy to reach and grip with eyes closed, no fumbling around for it if you are soaped up and have forgotten to switch the pump on. 

Sounds like a sensible setup. I love those posts from folk who say "I've been using an AC switch for my pump for x years and it's never gone wrong" as if that means anything. 

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