electric fuel pumps

[murdomack]

I re-engined my motor sailer with a Westerbeke 44B four a couple of years ago. At the time my only concern was that the engine had an eletric fuel pump and would shut down if the oil pressure dropped. I had visions of a shutdown as I came up to a concrete quay or some simillar situation.
I have had two cases of oil loss in the past, both on the first sail of the season. One was a filter gasket and the other was a pressure sender gasket. In both cases, because the fuel pump was mechanical, I was able to make the boat safe before I shut the engine down. The engine is only worth a tenth of the boats value, so would be expendible in an emergency situation.
I have a spare fuel pump and I am considering installing it in parallel with the existing one as an emergency back up unit wired through a switch fed direct from the battery.
Does anyone have any views about electric fuel pumps. The engine has been great so far and I believe that having the pump wired through the oil pressure switch is a USCG requirment. I have read of people by-passing the pressure switch with an emergency switch, would this be a better option for me, or should I double up on the pump as well?

[Ike]

No it is not a USCG requirement. You can wire it with an emergency switch if you want to. The requirement is that electric pumps can only operate when the engine is operating AND it only applies to gasoline engines. Yours is a diesel. You can also put a second pump in parallel if you wish. I would recommend what you call an emergency switch, what I would call a bypass switch.

[murdomack]

Thanks Ike,
I think I will take your advice and keep my spare pump in the spares box. I have been assured that electric pumps are very reliable. Sometimes we can make things too complicated and introduce other hazards.

Murdomack