any idea why an auto bilge pump would not turn off when the engine if off? my bilge pump seems to be stuck 'on'.
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first of all, most likely, the bilge pump has nothing to do with the engine and runs off the battery(s). Secondly, most pumps are wired to be able to run even when the battery switches are in the off position, allowing them to run when you're not on the boat. If there is water in the bilge, it should run if water level is above the cut off level in the auto-on sensor. If it is running but water level is too low, then your sensor is bad. Hope this helped.
Check the Float Switch
The float switch may be gunked up with slime coat. Sometimes this slime will prevent the bilge pump from coming on or being shut off. Look at all wiring connections also for anything that looks abnormal.
If you don't make a habit of keeping the bilge empty of water and dry, then you should at the least make a practice of flushing the bilge and cleaning it out with an approved bilge soap/cleaner and doing a good rinse with fresh water. Most of us keep ours dry.
You should be able to reach down to the switch and notice a couple round knobs sticking out on each side of the float switch if it isn't an automatic switch. Just grab ahold of one of those and rock/roatate it back and forth to see if it shuts the pump off. If if does, you found the cause of your problem.
My suspect would be the float switch or bad wiring.
Good luck, at least it runs, the undesired alternative of course would be it not working and your worry of the boat sinking. See how much better off you are
?
The float switch may be gunked up with slime coat. Sometimes this slime will prevent the bilge pump from coming on or being shut off. Look at all wiring connections also for anything that looks abnormal.
If you don't make a habit of keeping the bilge empty of water and dry, then you should at the least make a practice of flushing the bilge and cleaning it out with an approved bilge soap/cleaner and doing a good rinse with fresh water. Most of us keep ours dry.
You should be able to reach down to the switch and notice a couple round knobs sticking out on each side of the float switch if it isn't an automatic switch. Just grab ahold of one of those and rock/roatate it back and forth to see if it shuts the pump off. If if does, you found the cause of your problem.
My suspect would be the float switch or bad wiring.
Good luck, at least it runs, the undesired alternative of course would be it not working and your worry of the boat sinking. See how much better off you are
?
Once you've fixed the bilge pump float switch or wiring problem, I would recommend you think about adding a bilge pump counter to the pump. If you do have a problem with the bilge being wet constantly, having a counter on the bilge pump will at least give you an idea of whether the pump is cycling more frequently or not.
An increase in the number of cycles per day would indicate that a new leak has occurred or an old one has gotten worse—and that you should probably look for the problem and remedy it ASAP.
Personally, I prefer keeping a boat with a dry bilge if at all possible. The boat will have fewer problems with mold, mildew and condensation.
An increase in the number of cycles per day would indicate that a new leak has occurred or an old one has gotten worse—and that you should probably look for the problem and remedy it ASAP.
Personally, I prefer keeping a boat with a dry bilge if at all possible. The boat will have fewer problems with mold, mildew and condensation.
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