SCREENED

Q: Dear Boat Doctor, I insist that having a good filter around my bilge pump to prevent it from clogging with junk in the bilge is essential. Toward that end, I have built a screen cage around my bilge pump using galvanized screen. My brother-in-law, who keeps his boat next to mine at the marina, disagrees. Do you think my cage screen is a good idea?

Calvin Wilmott East Kingston, New Hampshire

A: While there is a device called a strum box that might be fitted to a pump’s intake hose to prevent debris from clogging a pump, these are typically fitted to emergency “crash” pumps, used to keep boats afloat after a collision. They may also be fitted to bilge pumps of larger, older vessels, particularly wood vessels.

For most fiberglass recreational boats, I would ask: Where is all this junk in the bilge coming from? Typically, the only screen you’ll need is the coarse mesh built into the pump’s base. This will keep the stray bits of whatnot out of the pump.

Too much filtering risks diminishing the output capacity of the pump.