bilge pumps

[cddetelich]

Bought a different boat last winter. Has two bilge pumps. From what original owner told me, pumps do not have floats, but have sensor that when two electrodes get wet the pump goes on, and when water level goes below probes connection is broken, so pump off. Anyway, water over pumps, and no pump on, so I disconnect an on-off switch and wire direct, and now pumps will not go off, even when water level is very low. Probably wired wrong?

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: bilge pumps

Not sure why bypassing the on/off switch would make the pump stay on unless the internal switch in the pump is always on now. You could wire in a float switch to make/break the circuit. Do both pumps act the same way?

 

[cddetelich]

Re: bilge pumps

Yes, both pumps act the same. I was under the understanding the probes acted as a float switch-wet was on, dry turned pumps off.

 

[jlinder]

Re: bilge pumps

As I read it you bypassed the on=off switch. Automatic bilge pumps typically have a float (or electrode setup) that when activated bypasses the switch and kicks the pumps on. The switch is for when you want to manually force the pump on, regardless of the float.<br /><br />You bypassed the switch, so the pumps are manually forced on. What you wanted to do was find out why the sensor based switch doesn't work anymore.

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: bilge pumps

Yes some pumps have 3 wires, a ground, a hot for the internal switch and a switched hot for manual use. As Jack says I believe you have just bypassed the manual switch but it seems that the auto switch in the pump isn't working. You need to verify that the pump is getting 12v on the internal switch line, seems funny that both aren't working in auto mode so maybe there is a common problem like a tripped breaker or blown fuse?