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Bilge Pump Wiring?

D

Diane

Member
Hi folks. My Trimate has a bilge pump with a manual switch on the dash. I added an automatic switch and disconnected the manual since it no longer worked. Now I want to keep the automatic but add back the manual switch. Here's what I did:

Pump has negative lead to battery. I left it alone. Pump has positive lead to battery. I cut it and attached the *** and neg leads to the switch to both cut ends.

Still have the wires going up to the dash but not connected.

Any pointers on the best/easiest way to wire the manual switch back into the system?

Thanks.

Diane
 
Hi folks. My Trimate has a bilge pump with a manual switch on the dash. I added an automatic switch and disconnected the manual since it no longer worked. Now I want to keep the automatic but add back the manual switch. Here's what I did:

Pump has negative lead to battery. I left it alone. Pump has positive lead to battery. I cut it and attached the *** and neg leads to the switch to both cut ends.

Still have the wires going up to the dash but not connected.

Any pointers on the best/easiest way to wire the manual switch back into the system?

Thanks.

Diane
 
Well, here is what I would do. You have the auto float switch. It has wires hooking it up to the bilge pump. If you are going to wire in a manual switch you need to hook it up between the auto float and the pump. You just have to figure out witch wire is positive and neg. Then splice in the and run the wire. you will need both a pos and neg supply to the switch.
I think this will work but its hard to know with out seeing the setup.
Maybe someone will chime in.
 
All the switch does is inturrupt a circut.. What I would do is run a wire from the battery positive (or constant 12v power) to the switch, Then run another wire from the switch back to the pump/float assembly (the positive wire). What happens is when the switch is on, It completes the circut. When its off, it inturrupts it. If you put the switch between the positive of the float, and the positive of the pump, then the float will have juice and the pump wont when the switch is turned off. I personally would run the switch in before the float as well this way everything is switched off by the manual switch. -------Jim
 
I hate to disagree with the last remark. I would not recommend allowing the switch to shut off the power to the automatic float switch. That should be fused and hooked directly to the battery. You want that float powered at all times. That is your emergency switch. It should be able to turn on the pump regardless of the switch. For instance, you dock up the boat, whether it is overnight or just for a short stop. If you develope a leak when you are not around to turn the switch on, the float will detect water, but not be able to turn the pump on because you left the switch on the dash off. Not good.
It should be wired like this:
1- Ground the pump to a good ground- preferably the battery.
2- Supply a fused positive from the battery to the float.
3-Supply a fused positive to a switch on the dash. Run a wire from the other end of the dash switch directly to the pump. Not the float.
 
I agree with Vinny on that one. I have 2 pumps, one automatic on at all times and one heavy duty pump with a manual switch. Pumps are pretty cheap insurance!
 
Vinny is right on the money on that one you want the float powered ALL THE TIME... This saved my trimate last summer. nuff said
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yeah.. like what vinny said is what i had in mind. I wanted the float to be active always and the manual to be for whenever i feel like pressing the button. I want the manual to have nothing to do with the float. Thanks!
 
Sounds like you have three weeks worth of work on that boat anyway the parts will come before you got everything else back together.
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Ok---Call me dense but.....Why would you want to have power to the float switch but not the pump? When the manual switch is off, It leaves you with a float always on and is unable to run the pump, hence, no bailing anyways. Not to mention youve now got a mercury switch with full time current running through it (provided there is sufficient water level there to close the switch). How can that be good?? If I'm wrong (and this happens alot, lol), please explain why. I just dont understand why youd want to leave the float on and shut the pump off when the float serves no purpose if it cant run the pump.
 
this is one of those times when i wish i could draw a wiring diagram!

Hiya fluid. I think you misunderstand what I'm doing, mostly because my language is not so great.

I've got a bilge pump, a float switch, and a dash mounted spring-loaded manual button. I want the bilge pump to turn on when the float switch is activated and/or when the manual switch button is pushed up on the dash. Otherwise, the pump is silent.

Now, I just have to get it wired. Wiring switchboxes is less confusing to me. No kidding.

Can I go boating soon? Please?

Diane
 
OK this is really simple.you're float system is working correctly now so all you have to install is you're back up ( the dash switch).
Run a fused hot wire to the switch then from the switch to the positive side of the pump after the float and splice it in. then test both systems they should work fine.the float will power it up when it should and the switch will power it up. All you are doing is providing power to the pump through two seperate systems. And yes you can go boating.
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OK I am going to keep this short this time because I hate to be redundant. The float is wired directly to the pump, sometimes it is one unit and comes pre-wired. Positive is supplied to the float. When the float senses water, it turns the pump on. The dash switch is wired directly to the pump ( by-passing the float)to supply 12 volts to the pump when the switch is flipped.
 
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