should I leave the bilge pump on?

[aggiedave98]

Is every bilge pump automatic meaning it is only on when there is water in the bilge or do I need to check? If it's not automatic, will I hurt the pump by having it on if there is not water in there?

This is on a 2004 Stardeck Aurora 2000 btw.

thanks.

 

[Daddy5295]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

Not all pumps are automatic but most are, there will be a float on the front of the pump that when u raise it up it will kick the pump on. The pump could run a long time dry without hurting it.

 

[Don S]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

Moving to Boat Topics and Questions (not engine topics)

 

[ziggy]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

Not all pumps are automatic but most are,

i'm from the small (older)runabout crowd. and most, no all small craft i've expericed have not had a float to turn on the bilge pump. maybe yer '00 20'er is new enough to have that feature. but i'd look and see.....don't know if the pump will burn up prematurely if ya leave it on all the time or not, but yer batt. will surely go dead if ya just keep a manual bilge pump on........

 

[QC]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

It will burn up, and even some high buck, 25' boats, don't have float switches . . . I have some melted plastic pieces to prove it

 

[brazosboater]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

I say don't leave it on until you know, a buddy of mine has a 200? sea ray 210 (less than 70 hours) that is not auto, and he left the switch on and burnt up his pump. He now boats without a working bilge pump, just because he never accumulates any water while on the lake. There might come a day when he will desperately need a bilge pump, thats why they are there, and he won't have one. I, on the other hand, rely totally on my bilge pump. My boat is not a 200?, it is a 1987 with a previous owner that did not know to winterize. Block froze, cracked head and block. Still runs great with new head, but block patch (marinetex, needed just a little more) did not prevent all water from leaking out of side of block(good compression all cylinders though, 4cyl 3.0 omc, cobra out). I have to bilge, or after about 2 hours of running the boat my 16 foot beachcraft by reinell has so much water in it the skis are floating in the center ski storage. Sometimes I leave the pump on, its not auto, and I know that one day it will fail on me. This winter I will be putting an auto bilge in there, and having my manual as a backup. You can never be too careful, and they are not really that expensive. Sorry my post is so long, but I hope it helped.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

Turn it on..hear it?...it aint auto. If nothing, run water in the bilge...if it starts to pump, your auto. If not, your in need of a new one (check the electrical stuff first before anything).
I leave my auto on ALL the time in the slip...they are made to stay on..has a float switch

 

[salty87]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

some of the floats are incorporated into the pump itself. mine is, so looking for the float may not work. dash might indicate manual and auto settings, mine does.

i'd try scaaty's method, battery charged?

 

[tommays]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

Well

Mine is auto with a float AND the switch on the dash over-rides the float and runs it also

I think most are or should be wired this way what good is a pump you can not turn on to test without crawing into the bilge to move the float


Tommays

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

Mine has an auto.
The switch tells me if it's off, on, or on auto.

 

[Nandy]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

I installed mine, so I put a 3 way switch. With the switch toggled to the center the pump is off no matter what is going on. With the toggle to the left the pump is on, no matter if there is water present or not. With the toggle to the right it works only when the float switch it on. This is where it stays all the time, in auto. Depending on your pump it you could leve it on for an extended time without burning. Refer to the manufacturer, however, I dont think there is a pump outhere meant to be on indefinetly.

 

[rndn]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

You should be able to hear it run when you turn on the switch. If the pump runs as soon as you turn the switch on yet there is no water in the bilge then you do not have a float switch or it's stuck.

 

[orion25]

Re: should I leave the bilge pump on?

Mine has a 2 way switch. It is either on or on auto. There is no way to cut it off other than turning the battery disconnect switch.