Bilge Pump Wiring
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39606
Printed Date: November-16-2024 at 1:36pm
Topic: Bilge Pump Wiring
Posted By: 63 Skier
Subject: Bilge Pump Wiring
Date Posted: August-07-2016 at 2:16pm
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My boat, like all similar to it, has the 2 bilge pumps wired so that the ignition and bilge pump breakers have to be on for them to operate. I have never liked this method, every time someone other than me drives the boat their tendency is to shut off all breakers before they leave the boat. To me, it would make more sense to have bilge pumps on all the time, no matter what breakers are on or off, and only shut them off with a battery switch. Has anyone made that change? Are the newer boats still wired this way, needing a few switches to be on for pumps to operate? ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Replies:
Posted By: 93xs2003@gmail.com
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 9:58am
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I have only three connections to my battery; i) ground, ii) main power, iii) auto-pump. I run a big perko switch on the main power line. If the boat is not in the water, the main gets disconnected. This switch is under the rear gunnel, accessible without lifting seats, etc. This switch turns off everything, but the auto-pump. I installed a circuit breaker near the battery. I ran a separate line from this breaker to the pump float switch (ultra safety switch -mini). This circuit remains on during the season, but can be turned off. E.g. if the boat comes into the shop, all power (breaker & main) gets disconnected. The breaker is inconspicuous, and it takes a bit of work to get to (lift seat), so is less likely to be touched by good intentioned helpers. . Manual pump still runs through the dash on main circuit. There is one potential fault mode with this set-up: If the main disconnect switch was off, and there was enough water in the bilge to close the auto pump-switch (pump running), and you had the manual pump switch on, you could back-feed the dash through the pump. If somebody tried to start the engine in this set of conditions, it might be interesting to see how hot the pump feed wire got before the circuit breaker blew. The probability of this 'and-function' is low enough that I did not install a diode on the manual pump feed. |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 11:56am
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I don't see how that's a problem at all in any scenario I can imagine. Maybe I'm missing something... I feel like the 2000+ boat have a toggle switch on the driver kick panel. This switch is basically kills power to the helm but keeps the auto bilge in circuit. I think it's just a 2 way switch Dash/Bilge but maybe 3 way Off/Dash/Bilge. Fairly certain the bilge would/should also be fed in normal operation. |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 1:09pm
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Steve, the big difference from what you describe and my boat is I have the load-operated bilge pumps standard in most Nautiques. There is no float, each pump goes on every few minutes for a second, if it feels load it keep running until the load is gone (water is gone). If I had float operated pumps I'd just wire them to the battery and forget about them, but on this type I want to turn them off if the boat is on the trailer for a week, no need to drain the battery and run them for no reason. I think I'll go the battery switch method. It really surprises me that the boats were set up this way as recently as the late '90's, kind of violates normal marine wiring procedures. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 1:16pm
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what's in violation? i'm way too lazy to do the calcuations but i don't feel a load operated bilge pump will kill a battery in a week. obviously they won't be continuously running at all on the trailer... |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 1:23pm
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I know, mine have run for well over a week and the engine has started up fine. Just kind of offends my mechanical inner self to have pumps running every 2 minutes for a week for absolutely no reason. I'm pretty sure any marine rigging outfit will wire bilge pumps to operate regardless of any switch in the boat being shut off, except the battery switch. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 1:26pm
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When at wood boat shows, it's always interesting to walk through the harbor late at night and or early in the morning listening for bilge pumps! I've seen pumps run every 20 minutes or so and for several days without charging the battery. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 1:34pm
now you're confusing me. turn off the ignition breaker? |
63 Skier wrote:Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 1:53pm
| I'm with Kevin... I don't understand the issue here. |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 2:03pm
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I guess I complicated things, really talking about 2 different issues. Hope this clarifies: 1) I don't like the bilge pumps being disabled by turning off either the bilge pump or ignition breakers when at the dock. This has happened a few times with other family members driving the boat. So, want to wire them live at all times unless a battery switch is shut off. 2) I was just explaining why I'd want the battery switch, rather than just wire the pumps direct to battery so they ran all the time that the battery was connected. Hope that's clearer! I agree Pete, wasn't suggesting I was worried about draining the battery when at the dock for even a week at a time or more. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 2:10pm
| So take the bilge pump feeds off the ignition breaker, on the battery and a switch somewhere under the helm? |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 2:32pm
Directly to the battery and an inline fuse.  ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 2:36pm
| Yes, fused of course. |
Posted By: DayTony
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 2:57pm
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Since yoy said you have two pumps, personally i prefer them to be on their own circuits. In other words if one happens to blow a fuse or breaker you dont want it to kill power to the second pump as well. ------------- 1988 Barefoot nautique-454 |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 3:10pm
| This sounds like user error rather than a wiring problem/improvement. Some training may be in order. My ign breaker stays on from April through October... My drivers somehow remember not to turn it off? |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: August-09-2016 at 4:27pm
Tim advocating to leave as intended and Pete wanting to change it from original  "In popular culture "Bizarro World" has come to mean a situation or setting which is weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations". Wikipedia ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: 93xs2003@gmail.com
Date Posted: August-10-2016 at 9:29am
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Dave, I was suggesting running the auto leg of your pump to the battery with a breaker in series between the pump and battery. Mount this breaker in a discrete location. I think I used this one or one of his sisters: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AirPax-New-Marine-Boat-5amp-12V-Toggle-Circuit-Breaker-0424-UPG6-21616-21-/191473575137 It is intended for power switching and circuit protection. UL listed. Marine application. Keep the manual leg routed to the helm. ------------------- I have a pair of those rule 'auto' pumps in one of my boats. (in fact they are <10' from where I'm sitting now). I wouldn't buy them again, but I don't dislike them enough that I would replace them while still working. These are wired with a fuse and SPDT switch for manual/auto. I would not go this route again. ------------------- In a second boat, I have a water pump direct wired to the battery and controlled by a water-witch / protected by a fuse. Fuse gets removed to disable circuit. I would not go this route again. ________________ I like the UPG breaker with ultra-safety float switch. There is no reason you couldn't use the UPG breaker with your auto pumps. |