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Whale Gulper


Frankieboy

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When I fit the Gulper for our shower, do I need to fit it at a level below the plug hole? It makes sense to me that it needs to be below but wondered if anyone knows different???

Only asking as shower tray will probably be quite low anyway, so will be a squeeze to get the pump much lower.

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When I fit the Gulper for our shower, do I need to fit it at a level below the plug hole? It makes sense to me that it needs to be below but wondered if anyone knows different???

Only asking as shower tray will probably be quite low anyway, so will be a squeeze to get the pump much lower.

 

Doesn't matter where it goes, the pump can lift and self prime upto 10ft... So fit in a convent place where you can easily get too.

 

Here the specs.. http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product_list/13/70/

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Mine isn't, it's fixed inside my bathroom cupboard considerably higher than the plughole of the shower it drains.

 

They're quite powerful things and don't mind pumping air, so you can leave a Gulper running to pump the final bit of water out of the pipe and it won't do the pump itself any harm.

 

Mine replaced another pump which HAD been fitted under the shower, which failed and proved almost impossible to get to, despite the kind provision of an access hatch. Don't do it!!!

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Make it as high as you can within reason so that there is less piping above the pump than below it in case you get a bit of crud in the non return valve (likely) and the higher hose drains into the lower one, prevents some waste water draining back into the shower tray. Having enough pipe below the tray outlet to contain this water helps.

Edited by nb Innisfree
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My gulper is about a foot above the shower tray fitted to the wall to save space. If you fit it on a wall I think the motor should either be at the top or level with the diaghram, but it shouldn't be below it (i.e. the pipework shouldn't be on top). Also on the subject of running the gulper dry, although it can do it I doubt it does the pump much good and I think it will last longer if you don't leave it running dry.

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I was wondering about the output of a Gulper pump. If my fresh water pump delivers 17 lpm (Litres per minute) will it keep up with the water flow?

It keeps up with mine, but I'm not sure what the output is? I've had a Sureflow Aquaking and now I have a Jabsco Parmax 3 and it's kept up with both.

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I was wondering about the output of a Gulper pump. If my fresh water pump delivers 17 lpm (Litres per minute) will it keep up with the water flow?

They're certainly as good as any other shower pump I've seen.

 

Though I think all the boats I've been on have had 'hip bath' style showers which are actually quite deep, so if the pump doesn't quite keep up it doesn't matter. I'm not sure I'd want something reliant on a pump with only 1/2" of space before the floor takes a soaking!

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They're certainly as good as any other shower pump I've seen.

 

Though I think all the boats I've been on have had 'hip bath' style showers which are actually quite deep, so if the pump doesn't quite keep up it doesn't matter. I'm not sure I'd want something reliant on a pump with only 1/2" of space before the floor takes a soaking!

 

I'm just experimenting with a bilge pump, plastic food box with clip down lid and a float switch with auto 12v relay. My theory is that as a bilge pump takes in all sorts of gunk, it will be able to pump out the shower waste with relative ease. The float switch allows automatic switching on and off. It's in and connected up, but haven't properly tested it yet as the shower needs sealing before it's used. It cost me about £20.

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I'm just experimenting with a bilge pump, plastic food box with clip down lid and a float switch with auto 12v relay. My theory is that as a bilge pump takes in all sorts of gunk, it will be able to pump out the shower waste with relative ease. The float switch allows automatic switching on and off. It's in and connected up, but haven't properly tested it yet as the shower needs sealing before it's used. It cost me about £20.

 

Good luck with that, most on CWDF who have used that type of design quickly replace with a directly connected Gulper.

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I'm just experimenting with a bilge pump, plastic food box with clip down lid and a float switch with auto 12v relay. My theory is that as a bilge pump takes in all sorts of gunk, it will be able to pump out the shower waste with relative ease. The float switch allows automatic switching on and off. It's in and connected up, but haven't properly tested it yet as the shower needs sealing before it's used. It cost me about £20.

Although making your own shower drain box may be cheaper than those available in chandleries, since these type of arrangements are already on the market, your "experiment" sounds like it's reinventing the wheel.

 

http://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/Products/Pumps/WastePump/12V/Wb001.aspx

 

Also as Robbo said, although they're automatic those boxes aren't as good as a manually switched gulper. The box and pump will end up full of detritus and need regular cleaning out. I installed my gulper 6 years ago and never touched it since. I live aboard and use it every day.

Edited by blackrose
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I'm just experimenting with a bilge pump, plastic food box with clip down lid and a float switch with auto 12v relay. My theory is that as a bilge pump takes in all sorts of gunk, it will be able to pump out the shower waste with relative ease. The float switch allows automatic switching on and off. It's in and connected up, but haven't properly tested it yet as the shower needs sealing before it's used. It cost me about £20.

 

My experience of bilge pumps is that they have a very small impellor, and fibrous things like grass, and therefore hair, get would round it and although it still whirrs, it doesn't pump.

 

Whale gulper for me in a shower every time.

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The float switch allows automatic switching on and off.

 

If you want go the directly connected Gulper method and want automatic switch on/off, then one method is a flow switch that connects to the cold inlet teamed up with a timer delay.

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If you want go the directly connected Gulper method and want automatic switch on/off, then one method is a flow switch that connects to the cold inlet teamed up with a timer delay.

 

Thats what I've done. The timer runs for about another 30-45seconds after the shower is switched off to keep the pump running. I also wired in a shower light/extractor fan to the circuit so as soon as you switch on the shower, the lights/extractor/pump all start.

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Our gulper is above the height of the shower tray. Our shower does bck fill a bit with water thats been pumped out but when we turn the pump off some water runs back into the tray. Some of the earlier posts say this shouldnt happen, any ideas as to whats going wrong ?#Cheers

Les

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Where did you buy the flow switch and timer delay? I've no idea what these things look like?

 

The flow switch was from Rapid Electronics

 

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/Sensors/Flow-Pressure-Sensors/Flow-switch-copper/75123/kw/

 

and the Timer circuit was a kit based one from Maplin

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/universal-timer-kit-3315

 

I'm sure there are plenty of other ways to do this though!

 

Our shower does bck fill a bit with water thats been pumped out but when we turn the pump off some water runs back into the tray.

 

Yes, it will do this, anything left in the pipe between the plug hole and the pump inlet will fall back by gravity into the shower tray.

 

What you normally do is to leave a loop of pipe under the plug hole to retain this excess and stop it flooding back into the shower tray

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Where did you buy the flow switch and timer delay? I've no idea what these things look like?

 

I got my timer from here.... https://www.quasarelectronics.com/3141-multi-mode-universal-delay-timer.htm, another method is too use a interior light delay switch that you can get from car places...

 

You can also use them for other things like lights, fans, etc.

Edited by Robbo
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The flow switch was from Rapid Electronics

 

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/Sensors/Flow-Pressure-Sensors/Flow-switch-copper/75123/kw/

 

and the Timer circuit was a kit based one from Maplin

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/universal-timer-kit-3315

 

I'm sure there are plenty of other ways to do this though!

 

 

 

Yes, it will do this, anything left in the pipe between the plug hole and the pump inlet will fall back by gravity into the shower tray.

 

What you normally do is to leave a loop of pipe under the plug hole to retain this excess and stop it flooding back into the shower tray

Thanks Stuart, that makes sense. I think thats a job for another day as it would be a major fiddle getting a longer pipe down there now.

Cheers

Les

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I've been thinking about fitting a flow switch and timer to our gulper to tame the noise created when the pump gulps air.

 

Something i've noticed is rate at which the gulper pumps the water out far exceeds the amount of water being pumped through the shower head. If there is enough water in the drain then the pump is relatively quite so my thinking is if the pump could be made pump intermitantly then the noise would be greatly reduced.

 

I know you can buy multi mode timers that could be programmed to achieve the above but what im really interested in is how you could make the pump switch on again for a short period, say 5 minutes after the shower was switched off to remove the 'drain down' water that collects?

 

I know whale produce a programmable timing kit for this purpose but it is very expensive for what it is.

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Something i've noticed is rate at which the gulper pumps the water out far exceeds the amount of water being pumped through the shower head. If there is enough water in the drain then the pump is relatively quite so my thinking is if the pump could be made pump intermitantly then the noise would be greatly reduced.

 

Not tried this but..

 

Two metal pipes, separated by a plastic/flexible pipe/hose on the shower drain side. Wire the metal pipes up to a relay and timer to switch the gulper on. When the pipe fills with water, it should close the circuit, etc..

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Our gulper is above the height of the shower tray. Our shower does bck fill a bit with water thats been pumped out but when we turn the pump off some water runs back into the tray. Some of the earlier posts say this shouldnt happen, any ideas as to whats going wrong ?#Cheers

Les

 

Doesn't the gulper have its own non-return valve? I guess yours must be faulty Les.

 

 

Yes, it will do this, anything left in the pipe between the plug hole and the pump inlet will fall back by gravity into the shower tray.

 

What you normally do is to leave a loop of pipe under the plug hole to retain this excess and stop it flooding back into the shower tray

 

Mine doesn't do this and I have no loop. My gulper is at least a foot above the shower tray.

 

The flow switch was from Rapid Electronics

 

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/Sensors/Flow-Pressure-Sensors/Flow-switch-copper/75123/kw/

 

and the Timer circuit was a kit based one from Maplin

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/universal-timer-kit-3315

 

I'm sure there are plenty of other ways to do this though!

Thanks for that.

Edited by blackrose
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Doesn't the gulper have its own non-return valve? I guess yours must be faulty Les.

 

The gulper does, but it's at the pump, so if there's any water in the lift side of the pump it, gravity will take it's course. Leave the pump on a little longer will help remove the lift water even though it sounds like it's mostly air been shifted.

Edited by Robbo
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