Bilge Pump Question

[barthel]

Hi All,

Forgive me if this has been covered a thousand times before, but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for in search.

My boat currently has an Attwood V500 bilge pump, activated by a switch on the dash. I have been considering converting it to an automatic (like the Sahara 750) but am not sure about the wiring.

I have 2 wires to the current pump, black and red (power and ground). The automatic pumps all have 3 wires and I'm not sure what to do with the 3rd wire. Do I fuse it and connect it directly to the battery?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Bilge Pump Question

the third wire on the pump should be connected to a fused power source if your wiring does not support an automatic pump. in my boat, the switch has three positions. off, automatic, and on.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Bilge Pump Question

A three wire bilge pump will probably be colored with Black, brown, and brown/white wires.

Black = 12v-
Brown = 12v+ thru a float switch or directly to the battery if a float is incorporated with the pump
Brown/white = 12v+ from a switch on the dash (the ON in the OFF/AUTO/ON helm switch)