Auto bilge pump

[Big Sky]

I have 2 bilge pumps on my boat, one 500gph with a switch on the control panel and another 500gph on float switch.
I have a switch in the battery compartment that turns the power on/off to the float switch. I only flip this switch to 'on' when the boat is in the water.

So, I'm going to be helping my cousin with replacing his livewell pump. We are also going to be installing an auto bilge pump. There are two basic kinds.

Auto bilge pumps like mine are on a float switch. If there is water in the bilge, the float rises up and triggers the pump. I test it a few times a year and it works well.

There are also pumps on the market that are pressure activated. The pump will spin for a second or two every few minutes. If pressure is detected the pump will continue to spin, getting rid of the water. If no pressure is detected, the pump shuts off.

Anyone have any experience with the pressure activated pumps and care to share their opinion? Any and all thoughts are appreciated.

[thorne]

I find the float systems work just fine and are pretty fool proof. Not sure why I would want one that "Sniffs the Bilge" every now and then...lol

[big zeke]

Go with the float switch, pretty much foolproof.

One suggestion would be to feed it thru a 5 amp auto resetting relay and no manual on/off switch. That way the pump is always available and will have no draw when not running. The relay is handy if the pump gets plugged with any crap in the bilge...the relay will trip off if the pump is plugged, the pump will backflow a bit clearing the blockage and when the relay resets (usually in less than 1 min) you will have a running pump. You want it to self reset so the pump is always available.

Fuses or switches are a bad idea on an auto-on pump

[fish99]

Originally Posted by big zeke

Go with the float switch, pretty much foolproof.

One suggestion would be to feed it thru a 5 amp auto resetting relay and no manual on/off switch. That way the pump is always available and will have no draw when not running. The relay is handy if the pump gets plugged with any crap in the bilge...the relay will trip off if the pump is plugged, the pump will backflow a bit clearing the blockage and when the relay resets (usually in less than 1 min) you will have a running pump. You want it to self reset so the pump is always available.

Fuses or switches are a bad idea on an auto-on pump

all electrical should be fused as close to the battery as possible.

[big zeke]

Originally Posted by fish99

all electrical should be fused as close to the battery as possible.

I completely agree. In this case since the pump is auto on/off controlled by the float you will have no idea if the fuse has popped until the bilge is full and you start sinking. The relay offers the same protection from high amps but is auto reset so the circuit is never dead.

Even in the case of a dead short, the relay keeps tripping so the circuit is protected.

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.
Zeke

[fish99]

Originally Posted by big zeke

I completely agree. In this case since the pump is auto on/off controlled by the float you will have no idea if the fuse has popped until the bilge is full and you start sinking. The relay offers the same protection from high amps but is auto reset so the circuit is never dead.

Even in the case of a dead short, the relay keeps tripping so the circuit is protected.

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.
Zeke

Yes use a auto reset breaker close to the power supply as possible

[Big Sky]

Anybody put an buzzer or light up by the driver to alert them to when the auto bilge pump is running? I think it might be nice to know what's going on back there.

I don't have one in my boat but I'm considering installing one.
Probably going to put one in the cousin's boat when we do the livewell pump and auto bilge pump install.

[Sea Hawk]

The auto bilge pump in my boat is not switched. It is wired direct to the battery with a fuse. No chance of forgetting to switch it on. My pump is controlled by an Attwood electric float switch. Is seems to work fine.

[Commander B]

Can you provide a link to this pressure switched pump please.


B.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Sea Hawk

The auto bilge pump in my boat is not switched. It is wired direct to the battery with a fuse. No chance of forgetting to switch it on. My pump is controlled by an Attwood electric float switch. Is seems to work fine.

I'm certain the one on my Lund is the same ..... keeps it simple and fool proof

If my boat is shored on a rainy day out there, it will kick on, run then switch off so your boat doesn't fill up with water.

The only down side to ANY of these options is, it uses battery juice.

That's why (as a derail) when I choose my gas kicker I went with a pull start/electric start combo - so at least I can get the small kicker started via pull start (assuming there's no battery juice left), run a few minutes then fire up the main engine to recharge everything.

[Big Sky]

When typing the original post, I forgot about the Ultima type sensors that 'sniff' the bilge.

I have the old school rocker type float switch on my boat.

My cousin is considering this Rule pump for his boat. It's the one that spins to detect pressure. He currently has one bilge pump and would benefit from an auto pump.

Rule pressure sensing pump.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rule-25SA-Elec...32&sr=8-5&th=1

[Coiloil37]

There’s at least a third activation option that you haven’t mentioned.



The water witch.



I like Johnson pumps. The first is wired to the water witch and controlled via a switch on the dash and the second is on/off and just controlled with a switch on the dash. From experience you need two wired in and ready to go. The day you lose your pump at sea and need to rewire a new one in is the day before you’ll have your spare wired and ready to go at the push of a button.

I’ve had good luck with these pumps. I lost one with rubber bands wrapped around the impeller but otherwise they’ve been solid. I’m sure I would have popped the fuse had I installed the correct fuse to begin with but instead I put a 20 amp inline and blew the pump apart instead. FYI, there’s a lesson in there…