Indicator light for bilge pump with built in float switch

[GA_Boater]

Too high tech to turn on a light. Will it survive in a boat with moisture? How much? JMHO

 

[sam am I]

Too high tech? Not much more if any at all, as compared to say an ACR? Sense a voltage threshold, throw a SPST switch.......turn on/off a light, charge a battery, it's not rocket science either way.

Survive in a boat? This particular one? Sure, probably survive as long if not longer then the dash switches/gauges it s/would be installed next too.

How much? As compared to what? An ACR? same'ish and/or could also shop around, I'm not selling these, just offered an opinion/option........Or as compared to the labor/time and parts cost not to mention wallowing in and out of perhaps a greasy s**t hole of a bilge (nothing personal OP) cutting out his perfectly good original stuff then installing and wiring new pump/s? and/or just adding float switch/s in the above? I'd give that an Unequivocal.....LESS!!

JMHO

 

[gm280]

Of course one could be easily made to light a light. I mean you could even coil the voltage line going to the pump and when current flows for any reason, it produces a magnetic field with that coiled wire that could easily switch on a reed switch to light a light. There are so many ways. But unless a person understands circuitry, I don't see the average boater going to too much effort to make such a setup. JMHO!

 

[sam am I]

Agreed gm, buy off the shelf.

If however you did consider a build with a coil, just have to make sure limit the inline series resistance of the coil to less than 0.1 ohms for example else the series resistance would cause a drop in voltage dependent of current load/s.

Flux field detection of/on the original straight piece of wire, ya wouldn't have addition of series resistance worries.

 

[flyingpumpkin]

I would like to put a dash light in to show when my bilge pump is running. I've found many places that show how to wire one with a separate float switch and that is very simple, the issue I'm having is that my pumps float switch is built in. Does anyone know how to wire a light up for that, or should I just get a different pump and a separate float switch?

Indicator light wired to black negative wire instead of positive. This wire will always be hot in every use of the pump - auto or manual.