Bilge pump switch question

[mwnitz]

I have an Attwood bilge pump switch in the bottom of my hull. The switch turns on the pump when it raises due to water raising the float, however when I max out the switch at the highest level i can raise it, it turns off power to the pump. Should I replace this switch, or do they all do this?

Thanks.

 

[Don S]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

Yes replace it. That shouldn't happen.

 

[sccatfish]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

Get a Johnson Ultima switch - no moving parts.

 

[mwnitz]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

Get a Johnson Ultima switch - no moving parts.

Do these switches hold up pretty good over time? I'm always a bit wary about over complicating things, but if this holds up over time well, I just may get it.

Thanks.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

I love the Rule computerized bilge pumps. They have 3 wires. Negative..Auto run & a forced run wire.
I take old fibreglass screen & make a basket of it around the pump. Keeps string, fish line & all other garbage out of the pump.

Cost more but far more reliable than a seperate switch..........Never have found the pump stuck ...on....or off.

 

[sccatfish]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

I love the Rule computerized bilge pumps. They have 3 wires. Negative..Auto run & a forced run wire.
I take old fibreglass screen & make a basket of it around the pump. Keeps string, fish line & all other garbage out of the pump.

Cost more but far more reliable than a seperate switch..........Never have found the pump stuck ...on....or off.

Mine's been on for almost 3 years now. Never heard of one going bad.

 

[sccatfish]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

I love the Rule computerized bilge pumps. They have 3 wires. Negative..Auto run & a forced run wire.
I take old fibreglass screen & make a basket of it around the pump. Keeps string, fish line & all other garbage out of the pump.

Cost more but far more reliable than a seperate switch..........Never have found the pump stuck ...on....or off.

My boat came with one of those pumps. In my opinion they are junk. If the electrics hold up then yeah, they are nice, but it'd be kind of annoying when it comes on every few minutes, plus they aren't good for leaving the boat in the water over a long period of time unless you can hook up an onboard charger. When we got the boat (only 2 years old and barely used) the pump was already not functioning properly. It would run one time, but would not run again, so it was only useful as a manual pump. Then it got to where it was just a manual pump on either wire. I've heard other complaints about the pump also and my boat's manufacturer has stopped putting those pumps in their boats. I much prefer a separate switch, that way if the switch malfunctions, all you have to do is replace the switch and not the entire pump.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

My boat came with one of those pumps. In my opinion they are junk. If the electrics hold up then yeah, they are nice, but it'd be kind of annoying when it comes on every few minutes, plus they aren't good for leaving the boat in the water over a long period of time unless you can hook up an onboard charger. When we got the boat (only 2 years old and barely used) the pump was already not functioning properly. It would run one time, but would not run again, so it was only useful as a manual pump. Then it got to where it was just a manual pump on either wire. I've heard other complaints about the pump also and my boat's manufacturer has stopped putting those pumps in their boats. I much prefer a separate switch, that way if the switch malfunctions, all you have to do is replace the switch and not the entire pump.

I guess I was a little concerned... Does it keep coming on because you have that much water coming in??

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

My computer pumps do a 1 to 2 second test run about every few minutes.........Will not run down any battery in a month. That is 4hours in 30 days at 2 amps. 8 watt hours means nothing to a size 24 or larger battery. I own 5 of the 500 GPM units in my basement & fishing boat.
I DESLIME the boat one every month with rubbing alcohol. Putting a regular or S S screen mesh around any pump prevents burnouts.

 

[sccatfish]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

I guess I was a little concerned... Does it keep coming on because you have that much water coming in??

That's the way the pump works. It comes on every few minutes and if it's pushing water it keeps pumping until the water is gone.

 

[sccatfish]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

My computer pumps do a 1 to 2 second test run about every few minutes.........Will not run down any battery in a month. That is 4hours in 30 days at 2 amps. 8 watt hours means nothing to a size 24 or larger battery.

It might not be as bad as some think but that is one concern I have seen over the use of them.

 

[Outsider]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

That is 4hours in 30 days at 2 amps.

Yep, four hours of dry running every 30 days, not what I want my pump doing ...

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

Back several years ago when I had a need for as bilge pump I made my own switch out of a mercury switch, it was still working fine 20 years later when I sold the boat.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

Those computerized pumps are vastly superior to seperate float switches or pumps with built in float switches, IMHO. I have had all three. Junk gets stuck under the seperate switches and holds the pump on. The built-in switches just break after a year. The computerized pumps keep the bilge pretty dry, much dryer than some switch. I have never had one run down a battery.

 

[sccatfish]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

Those computerized pumps are vastly superior to seperate float switches or pumps with built in float switches, IMHO. I have had all three. Junk gets stuck under the seperate switches and holds the pump on. The built-in switches just break after a year. The computerized pumps keep the bilge pretty dry, much dryer than some switch. I have never had one run down a battery.

Bet you never tried an Ultima Switch though. Like I said before, no moving parts, nothing to get stuck. No way I'd ever have a pump with a built-in float switch but I would have an external float switch if it was absolutely necessary but I'd check on it often to make sure it moves freely. After my troubles with the computerized pump, plus other issues I've seen others reporting, there's no way I'd ever go back. With my Johnson setup I can change the switch or the pump motor/impeller without a screwdriver, just hook up the wiring and snap it together, and I don't have to buy an entire new pump (I keep a spare motor/impeller cartridge in the boat anyway).

 

[generator12]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

My computer pumps do a 1 to 2 second test run about every few minutes.........Will not run down any battery in a month. That is 4hours in 30 days at 2 amps. 8 watt hours means nothing to a size 24 or larger battery.

I don't dispute your results, but need to point out that you're consuming 4(hours) times 2(amps) times the voltage applied - either 12 or 24. So it's 96 watt hours if the pump is running on 12 volts.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

I don't dispute your results, but need to point out that you're consuming 4(hours) times 2(amps) times the voltage applied - either 12 or 24. So it's 96 watt hours if the pump is running on 12 volts.

I think he meant to say 8 Amp-Hours not 8 Watts.
A group 24 battery is approximately 80 Amp-hours. (960 Watt-Hours)

That would theoretically allow 10 months of idle pumping.
I would not want to go more than 4 months realistically.
If you do not operate the boat to charge the battery at least every 4 months you will be having bigger issues elsewhere.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Bilge pump switch question

That is 4hours in 30 days at 2 amps.
Yep, four hours of dry running every 30 days, not what I want my pump doing ...

Bilge pumps are centrifugal/inertia pumps.
They are not rotary vane pumps with impellers that rub the housings.

They will run cooler and draw much less current when running dry than when actually moving water.
They can be run dry with less wear than if they were actually pumping.

The real issue is not the Dry Running issue as much as the 4 hours of run time and wear.
After a few years you have an inexpensive pump motor, bearings, and seals with over a hundred hour of operation on it.