Battery strong enough???

[San Antonio Cop]

While underway, it seems that the battery (I only use 1) won't power the bilge pump. But when I turn the motor off then the bilge pump will work. Do I need another battery or should the single battery be able to power both?

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: Battery strong enough???

You don't say what engine you are running, but the engine should be charging, or adding to the battery, not taking anything from it. I reallt don't know where that draw may be coming from. Are all connections clean, and tight, and is the battery charging?

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Battery strong enough???

My bet is on a bad battery negative connection. Make sure all your battery connections are clean and tight. Use a pliers on those useless wingnuts.

 

[San Antonio Cop]

Re: Battery strong enough???

I'm running a 83 johnson 70 hp O/B on an 18/60 aluminum jon boat used for duck hunting. The only things that the battery powers is the motor, the bilge pump, the lights and the T&T. Bare essentials.How would I be able to tell if the motor os actually charging the battery instead of draining it?

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Battery strong enough???

With the motor running (fast idle is good enough), measure the voltage across the battery terminals. You should get 13.5 vdc or more if the charging system is working.

 

[San Antonio Cop]

Re: Battery strong enough???

Is a battery used in a riding mower ok to power the bilge pump?

 

[San Antonio Cop]

Re: Battery strong enough???

Hey WildeOne - I was born and raised in Elkton, MD. How far from there are you?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: Battery strong enough???

If that battery is strong enough to crank the engine before and after a regular fishing trip, it's plently strong enough to power a bilge pump.<br /><br />The only thing you're changing in the circuit between having the engine running and not running is the position of the ignition switch terminals.<br /><br />It's quite likely that somehow you have the ground from the bilge pump wired into the kill circuit "M" terminal portion of the ignition switch which will damage the powerpack in time.<br /><br />In the ON position, the raised "M" terminal (Black/Yellow Kill wire) is not connected internally to the other "M" (Ground wire). But in the OFF posiiton the two "M" terminals would be connected which would complete the KIll/Ground circuit.<br /><br />If the above is the case, the bilge circuit would have a necessary ground when the key is Off, but not when the key is ON.<br /><br />Bottom line..... You want a clean fused 12v line going from the battery (+) to the bilge pump switch, from the switch to the bilge pump, from the bilge pump to the battery (-).

 

[San Antonio Cop]

Re: Battery strong enough???

Joe - that's exactly what kind of wiring I have for the bilge pump. The pump is wired directly to the battery, no switches or anything in between. It's an after market pump with an automatic float switch. I haven't gotten the leak under control so my boat leaks and I'm not comfortable with the level of the water needed to make the float kick in so I manually start the pump. When running it seems the battery doesn't have enough juice to power the pump, but when sitting still or moving along slowly the pump works fine. Do I need a second battery?

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Battery strong enough???

I'm going back to bed..... get up, and start all over again

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Battery strong enough???

Elkton is on the other side of the Chesapeake ... Ocean Pines is very close to Ocean City. BTW, you should need a second battery unless your pump is running 24/7. A bilge pump doesn't pull that much current. You've got something wrong with the charging system (bad connection(s), no alternator output, etc. Even the weakest of OMC charging systems put out 6 amps, way more than your pump could need.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Battery strong enough???

If your battery is strong enough to start the engine; and something is sapping so much current when running, that the bilge pump won't run; then something, somewhere's got to be melting.

 

[Walker]

Re: Battery strong enough???

Where at in SA are you?

 

[dafox99]

Re: Battery strong enough???

San Antone .. I think a second battery is the least of your worries if your battery voltage is dropping so much that a bilge won't run. I think WildeOne has it right in that you need to check battery voltage with the motor off, and when running down the lake (or whenever the bilge isn't working). Let's hope the voltage isn't dropping considerably. Is it possible the pump is running, and the water is just further back (due to bow up, or acceleration) from the pump? I'm assuming you think it isn't running because you don't see water coming out the hose .. it's probably too loud to actually hear the pump while that 70 running ...

 

[San Antonio Cop]

Re: Battery strong enough???

Walker - I'm on the Northwest side (by Taft HS). Davef - you could be right, the boat is too wide for me to look over the side when I'm underway. I will have to get a friend to ride along with me to check if it actually is working while underway.