How do you wire a bilge pump? We show how to wire in a manual 12V bilge pump with a float switch
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 เม.ย. 2020
- How do you wire a bilge pump? We show how to wire in a manual 12V bilge pump with a float switch, allowing the bilge pump to automatically activate when there is water in the boat bilge. Whether you have a Rule bilge pump, Whale bilge pump or another make, the wiring process is much the same. If you have an automatic bilge pump, then it already has a built-in float switch, but in this guide we focus on wiring a separate float switch with a manual electric bilge pump.
In the wiring installation of the 12V bilge pump the key elements are the 12V supply, a suitable fuse for protection, the float switch (which will be installed in the bilge), and a separate switch (installed inside the boat or cockpit) to turn on and off the electrics to the bilge pump system.
The basis of the electric bilge pump installation and float switch wiring is that there are two switches connected in series, the first bilge pump switch is the one (usually inside the boat) that you use to turn on or off the electrics to the bilge pump, the second switch is the float switch which is installed in the boat bilge near the bilge pump, which will turn on the bilge pump when the water level rises, and then turn off again once the excess water has been pumped out of the bilge.
The bilge pumps and float switch featured in this video can be purchased from the following links:
1100GPH Manual Bilge Pump: www.boatfittings.co.uk/p/12v_...
Bilge Pump Float Switch: www.boatfittings.co.uk/p/bilg...
A simple electric bilge pump comes with two wires, a positive and a negative wire. The impeller of the bilge pump is designed to turn in a specific direction, therefore it is important that the positive and negative bilge pump wires are connected the correct way round to their power supply. Any bilge pump should be protected by a suitable fuse, typically in the range 5Amps to 15Amps, but check with the instructions for your particular pump. In this guide we show you how to wire a 1100 gallons per hour bilge pump with a bilge pump float switch.
Starting from the positive 12V feed, we have the protective fuse (in this case a 5Amp fuse), this is connected to the control switch. The output from the switch is then connected to one of the wires from the bilge float switch (it doesn’t matter which). The other wire from the bilge pump float switch is then connected to the positive wire from the 12V bilge pump itself, this completes the positive side of the circruit. For the negative side of the bilge pump wiring, the negative feed wire is connected to the negative wire of the bilge pump.
When connecting bilge pump wires, the connections should be kept in the dry. Where the wires enter the body of the bilge pump housing, the wires are sealed and the bilge pump itself can be fully submerged. Joints in the wiring, or connections to fuses and switches however should be kept safely above the bilge water level, or utilise waterproof connectors.
When choosing the position of the float switch, it should be approximately at the same height as the bilge pump, or a few cm higher. If the bilge pump float switch is too high then it will not be activated until the water has risen quite a long way. If the float switch is too low compared to the bilge pump then there would be a point where the float switch would have been activated but the water level would be below the bilge pump, hence the bilge pump would be pumping nothing but air.
When purchasing and wiring up bilge pumps ensure that the voltage of the bilge pumps match the boat supply voltage, most bilge pumps are 12V, but there are some 24V bilge pumps available. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
![[TH] Esports World Cup : Grand Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sedbKhFYDMo/mqdefault.jpg)
I was always under the impression to override the switch, and just wire directly to the battery.
I guess we all have our Ways.
Really helpful
Great instructional, clarified the process superbly 😁👍🏽
Glad it was helpful!
All the best,
Richard
Thank you from a begginer, a big help
Happy to help!
Thanks
Very helpful! Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks so much for the walk-through. As long as we take precautions, and after seeing it spelled out completely in a video like this, it's actually pretty easy and straightforward. Funny thing is, you mentioned a video for hooking up a panel, and I'm going to be doing that as soon as it arrives in the mail so I'm looking forward to that next release!
Hi thanks so much for your kind comment. Apologies for the delay - business re-location is causing some delay at the moment to our next planned videos, but we will get to that one as soon as we can.
Kind regards,
Richard
Why don't you point out the wire like one black wire goes to a red and the other goes to what ever.
Great video. This is going to help me alot. Appreciate it.
Hi many thanks for your kind comment.
Kind regards,
Richard
Great video ..thanks ill get my fix now..
Hi thanks for your comment, good luck with your fixing!
Thank you
You're welcome
The float switch should be wired to the battery, not to a toggle switch.
Thank you for your input
yes. Seems as though if your switch is in the off position your auto float switch is inoperable.
Yes in deed. Run float switch with a 5amp fuse in-line to the battery…run 2nd + wire to switch for manual on and off bilge… the purpose of float switch is to pump water out if boat fills with water sitting at the docks over night etc.
@@kanaletumlinson So, are you saying if I already have a switch at the console, I should leave it connected to the pump; and then add a fused positive lead from the battery through the float switch, essentially having two switches?
@@BoatFittings I'm confused about the whole switch thing. I leave my boat on a mooring for weeks at a time. Should the pump be switched on all that time? Or just when I arrive at the boat and find water in the bilge?
Very Good.
Thank you! Cheers!
Well done, thanks for making this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sir perfect connection
Many thanks for your kind comment.
the other contact should be wired to the pump also so you can override the auto switch and turn it on manually
subbed you Brother. thanks Chuck
Much appreciated
Will you need a float switch if your bilge pump already has a float built-in
Just binged watched five episodes Brilliant really helpful. Thank you Ed
Hi - thanks for your comment - glad I didn't send you to sleep!
All the best,
Richard
Mate do you know how to wire up a over ride switch too this set up
Maybe I missed it, but what about the second wire on the float switch? What is it used for? Just to ground?
What about the empty leg of the switch? Is that for the manual momentary switch? How is that connected? Thanks
On a set up like this, can you connect this to a fuse box ran on a battery selector on the output or common post? Or do you need to run it straight to the battery directly with an inline fuse?
Hi Jed, thanks for your question. In may cases a bilge pump will be wired via a switch panel which is lets say the common or normal way. Some people also prefer to have one bilge pump wired as directly to the battery system as possible to keep the circuit minimal (and hence the chances of some failure in the circuit), I would say the limiting factor is always to have a fuse in the system.
How strong 12v power suply in AMP I need for 750gph pump?I tried to run on 12v 5a ,but its not working.Need this for my pool .
What I would like to know is how to best connect that three-way connection of the float, pump and switch. What type of connectors or method do you advise for this junction? Thank you very much!
Hi thanks for your comment - we will be covering this kind of connection and wiring in Part 3 - coming soon.
Zoom in on the wires.
From the inline fuse the hot wire goes to the toggle switch, does the hot wire continue on as a pig tail from the toggle switch or does it the toggle switches other open terminal where the outgoing hot wire connects? My toggle switch only has two terminals. Will it require 3? These are things that would make this tutorial more helpful.
Hi thanks for your question. I must admit that this video guide has been superseded by two further videos, could you please take a look at the vids in the links below and see if that answers your question.
th-cam.com/video/mUNOzn2AsPA/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/mUNOzn2AsPA/w-d-xo.html
Thanks,
Richard
What wires do you hook up if you want to do it automatically/manually?
Hi thanks for your comment. For more information on how to wire automatically or manually I hope you might find the information you want in this other video ..... th-cam.com/video/s1d0rdg-tZY/w-d-xo.html
@@BoatFittings I was sold a bad Bilge pump. I got the new one working now, thanks.
Can you explain the 3-way toggle switch and how it works with your set-up, i.e. manual, automatic, and I believe the last is off?
Hi thanks for your question. Actually in this (very simple) setup I was just using the switch as a simple on-off switch. You might like to take a look at a more elaborate set-up in the video in the following link .... th-cam.com/video/s1d0rdg-tZY/w-d-xo.html
All the best,
Richard
I would like to use these for a DIY musical Fountain, is the pump resistant, like will it burn out after a day of operation? They have ideal conditions to be controlled by DMX I just want to know if they will last very long.
Hi thanks for your question. I have had these pumps running all day on different occasions and all was fine even after a full day or running. Good luck with your project!
The old float switch I'm replacing has two wires coming off of it and one clearly goes to the positive on the bilge pump. The other one was not connected to anything and I don't see anything to connect it to?
Any help from you wiring Gurus?
how long does the battery AGM 12V run for a long time?
What is the maximum current when the pump is running in water?
That depends on the capacity of the battery, the pump would typically take around 3A when running
Hi can you please tell me how to hook up a fish finder with the bilge pump ? No float switch. ? My fuse on new gosh tinder keeps blowing. It’s 3amp my bilge is 15amp? When fish finder fuse blows. My bilge dosent go either. Help ?
put every device on its own wire and its own fuse , wire capacity should be higher than fuse, eg if fuse is 5amp use 10amp wire
Hello i have a float switch max 20amps and a automatic switch board for the pump. The pump is a 1100gph i put a 20amp fuse in the switch. Because the other one blew is this save.
Thanks
Hi thanks for your question. Having a 20 Amp fuse for an 1100 gph pump sounds a little on the high side. Your pump should have a recommended fuse rating, which in my experience would be more likely to be in the region of 5Amps, but please check your instructions with the pump.
All the best,
Richard
Do the toggle need a fuse
Hi thanks for your question. I would say that all electrical items need protecting by a suitable fuse somewhere in the circuit.
Can you wire the float switch in line with the bilge without a toggle switch?
You can, wouldnt recommend it. If the switch breaks and stays always on u wont have a way to shut it off and will kill ur battery
@@markaword1561 wouldn't that happen regardless? If you're not there to hit the isolation switch
@@kylejustin3099if you are careless about it then its possible. But if you check it Nd notice its just always running the only way to stop it would be to cut the wire and you dont wanna do that. A switch is alot easier.
Also this is not an idea set up for the switch. You sould run your float switch and manuall switch in parallel lines.
Consider your float switch breaks in the middle of a ride on the water and you start taking on water. How will you operate your bilge? You would sink before anything. Its a terrable idea to not have a manual override switch you can activate in case the float dosent work.
Also really you should use two switches. One for the parallel line mentioned above and the other to be in line with the float switch like this video describes. That way in all situations you have a way to turn on or off you bulge pump no matter what.
i couldn't find an answer anywhere.what happens if you fit the float switch on the negative side of the circuit ? Any harm?
Hi thanks for your question. Fitting the float switch on the negative side would work. It is convention for switching to be on the positive side, but in practical terms for a float switch there would be no real difference in the operation.
Kind regards,
Richard
i have a seaflo 1100gph 12voltdc bilge pump with the two wires positive and negative/ground. i was wondering if it where possible to wire it up to something like a 12volt car adapter outlet plug, and then plug that into something like an Ecoflow battery and charger unit and use its 12 volt output port. would this work for this bilge pump? would it harm the pump? i have a pump which i got with a certain prospecting item and i want to be a little more creative in how to power the pump itself with something like the Ecoflow portable battery "generator" units. and, since it has a car adapter 12volt outlet, all i would need is to wire the pump to the adapter which ever one i might get, and then i could charge the ecoflow battery unit when it drains, but be able to use the pump with it, rather than a standalone battery i would need a charger for. if this would work, i would love to know. Thanks! =)
Hi thanks for your detailed question. I am not exactly sure what an Ecoflow battery it, but if I understand the situation correctly it sounds like it could work. The key thing is to make sure that the battery and charger combination can cope with the current demand of the pump. The peak current draw is usually when first starting up, and the battery is useful to cope with this current demand, then the charger hopefully would be enough to keep the battery topped up inbetween uses. As long as you are supplying the pump with 12v then I would not fear damaging the pump in this way.
@@BoatFittings thanks for the reply haha. i had decided to actually try it out, and so i got the battery (Ecoflow is a brand, and i am in love LOL) to wire the pump i ended up getting a 12 volt car adapter plug with anderson powerpole ends, and i crimped on the appropriate sized contacts to the pump end wires, inserted them into the right connector housing, and then tested it out. it worked perfectly. with the press of a button on the battery bank, it starts right up no problem. now, as for life of the pump, ive seen it be used for many many hours by Doc at Gold Hog, for use in powering the pump to run their MultiSluice , which is what i needed the pump for. its been a bit chilly to do much prospecting and being busy i have to ration my time, but i think ive hit on a perfect solution in this combination. also, the wires ended up being ultra tidy, and plenty long too. so, anyone else could try it out and it should work for them. long term usage of the pump may wear it down, but it shouldn't be too bad to run it at least 2 or 3 hours at a time eh. and on that note, the Ecoflow River Max, is what i ended up getting, so ive barely drained its capacity charging my phone up about 10 times now. still at 96%+ lol. the bilge pump should be many hours longer run time than a more portable but less capacity standalone battery and alligator clips. in any case, thanks for the reply, and though its late, i ended up just taking the plunge anyways =) and, its worked out perfectly.
Stupid my pump never came with a fuse
Tried to install my pump straight onto the battery and the float switch I tried connecting onto the wiring of the pump and lol nothing the pump worked but no switch or anything so I guess I have to salvage a switch off something and rip a fuse out if something that’ll match the pump
What about one with a manual switch too
The pump is supposed to be powered all the time and manual also as a safety incase your float switch is giving problems as my boat was wired I also had a light that would notify on the switch panel that the bilge was running. I think for safety reasons it suppose to be on all time float switch no off switch ?
Hi thanks very much for your message. I think it is a good topic of whether a bilge pump should be left on all the time (quite some different opinions on this I think.) This question is beyond the scope of this video, but might be a topic for a future video and discussion.
In your video it does not include when u use a heavier pump , I understand you need a Magnetic connector, I need to install a float switch or water level switch inside a sewage pipe to connect to my marcerator pump = DC 12 volt / min 6.5 max 10 Amps / model MP-3500-12
It is very difficult to find the right information
Hi thanks for your comment. I am afraid I am not familiar with the situation you mention regarding the installation for a macerator pump.
why would you put this on a switch?
Hi thanks for your comment. This is a fair question, I like to have a switch as well so that I have some kind of over-ride in the eventuality of a malfunction - eg if the float switch was to fail so that it was permanently on even if no water was in the bilge, but I can appreciate that some people might see that as overkill.
I don’t understand why you’d want a manual switch for a float “switch” bilge. Wouldn’t you want to connect the wires directly to the battery bus bars, so that there is no mistake that a manual switch is ever turned off? Is there a Situation where you wouldn’t want the bilge to turn on when it’s submerged?
Yeah a float switch should have to be activated by another switch, it should have power all the time, and the switch should be there to manually turn it on in case the float gets something caught in it preventing it to turn on.
Hi Dan, thanks for your comment - it's a good point for discussion. There is absolutely no rule saying you need a separate switch as well, so if you judge that you prefer not to have a separate switch then all good. For me, if I was on my boat and realised that something had mal-functioned (maybe the float switch got stuck on) or jammed somehow I like the idea of a separate switch that I can get to easily. Having said that, I can appreciate the idea of simplicity and less components by not having a separate switch. I appreciate your thinking on this and valid point of view.
All the best,
Richard
you have it wired wrong, the toggle switch is for manual and the float is hot wired for automatic, you wanna hook one side of the toggle to the battery and float switch and the other side of the toggle to the pump and splice the other side of the float and that way the switch is wired hot so it works all the time and the switch is for manual use, that float switch should always have battery power not switched power.
Many thanks for your opinion on this.
This is absolutely terrible clean your bench up so we can see clearly the wires what a joke
I think you should delete this video and redo it with a proper bilge switch. A proper bilge switch is on, off, auto. Like a Rule 41.
Thank you for your comment