Once upon a time bilge pumps were wired to a breaker switch in the 12V side of the panel. When you came aboard you would switch it on to discharge all the water that may have accumulated since the last pump out. When done you would turn it off and then switch it on and off a couple of times during the outing and a final time before leaving the boat. Someone got lazier and came up with a float switch that would automatically turn on the pump whether they were aboard or not. To avoid the discomfort of those that did not feel confident leaving the 12V panel ON the hard wiring of the pumps directly to the batteries was incorporated. Not soon after, since human intervention was no longer necessary, people forgot about the pump and maintenance fell by the wayside; many batteries went dead due to faulty float switches and pumps that had failed were only discovered when water came up the floor boards. It is still thought by many that having an active bilge pump when the boat is unoccupied is safety consideration that will help prevent a boat from sinking (myth). In real life the output of the average bilge pump is about 20% of its rated capacity in GPH (do the math) and even a small water intrusion will overwhelm the pump that was merely designed for convenience. Getting on the knees to scoop incidental water out of the bilge got old real quick so the electric bilge pump was and is a great help. My point is that if you feel more comfortable turning Off your battery switch(s) go ahead and do it irrespective of how your bilge pump is wired.
Battery operation
- Thread starter carriemeaway
- Start date
Benny, your historical narrative on bilge pump switches is funny, and perhaps the product of your imagination. Automatic bilge pump switches are because people are lazy? No. They make a lot of sense, in a lot of applications, like, well, bilges! And shower sumps, and so on. We're not assuming that the electric bilge pump will save the boat from sinking because of a serious leak, but the convenience of not having to manually empty the sump, or to keep water off the nice, teak and holly sole when there's a minor leak that goes unattended, is certainly worth it.
I don't believe in wiring anything directly to the batteries, save the charging sources, batter monitor and volt meter and regulator sense wires, and the leads to the panel. My bilge pumps are fused, via a sub panel which is supplied via a man-panel, 15A breaker, labeled "sub-panel." Each switch has an "ON-OFF-AUTO" toggle. I usually push them all to "ON" when I arrive at the boat, to see if there's any water to pump out. It also tells me the pumps work. Less often, I check the auto switches. They fail often. So, I leave the house bank selected and the main breaker "ON," always.
I don't believe in wiring anything directly to the batteries, save the charging sources, batter monitor and volt meter and regulator sense wires, and the leads to the panel. My bilge pumps are fused, via a sub panel which is supplied via a man-panel, 15A breaker, labeled "sub-panel." Each switch has an "ON-OFF-AUTO" toggle. I usually push them all to "ON" when I arrive at the boat, to see if there's any water to pump out. It also tells me the pumps work. Less often, I check the auto switches. They fail often. So, I leave the house bank selected and the main breaker "ON," always.
If it works for you and you are getting 10 years use out of the batteries....... What was that question again? The only observation I would make is that a battery is more prone to sulfation when left partially discharged. If you go out weekly and only recharge batteries once a month the batteries are left partially discharged for 2-3 weeks at a time. Since you are at the boat almost every day I would set them to charge upon returning from an outing and then disconnect the following day. Of course this will all depend on the amount of usage you give them during an outing and the amount of charge they receive from the engine alternator. It is not the best practice either to keep batteries charging 24/7 even on a maintenance cycle but many do just for convenience; they are willing to sacrifice some useful life for not having to maintain a specific charging regime.
Yes, thank you, I did intend to make light of it. Perhaps I'm old and have sailed in much older boats than me but do remember when production boats were delivered with a manually operated On/Off switch for the bilge pump. The delivery of boats with OEM float switches came latter. Yes, by all means saving good teak and holly could perhaps be the best reason to have an automatic bilge pump. As far as hard wiring of the bilge pump to the batteries it is of course imperative that the installation be made according to ABYC standards, I did not think that someone might consider straight wiring to the battery terminals, my fault. I see nothing wrong in leaving the battery switches and main breakers ON but some sailors sleep better if they leave them Off. To each its own. I thought a little humor would stress the fact that a bilge pump is only a convenience item and that care should be given when using it to make decisions involving more critical systems or practices. Thanks again for your comments.
I agree with the myth part. However, a small bilge pump that works with an auto float switch connected AROUND the ON OFF panel switch (i.e., directly to the house bank with a I/O/M switch and proper fusing) is a great help if there is a leaking stuffing box, for example. It won't help if a hose lets go from an open thru hull, but for this it is very handy.
Most bilge pumps that I've seen have a standard pump control switch that is Auto-Off-On. We leave ours on Automatic almost always. They are wired directly to the batteries (i.e., not through the panel or the battery selector switch. (They are on the House Bank, on our boat.)
We added bilge pump counters so you can see how many times the pump has cycled. We reset ours counters periodically, but we check them frequently to get a sense for what's going on. Otherwise, your automatic protection may conceal from you a early problem that latter causes the pump to fail or worse.
Aqualarm Bilge Pump Cycle Counter
501347
Brand:
Aqualarm
Model #:
20045
Shipping Weight:
0.15 Lbs.
List Price:
$75.00
Our Price:
$58.99
See All Aqualarm Products
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P.S. -- On some boats, a float switch can be fooled by the action of the water in the bilge (i.e., popping up the float, even though there isn't much water in the bilge.). In those cases the normal float switch is better replaced by other options.
We added bilge pump counters so you can see how many times the pump has cycled. We reset ours counters periodically, but we check them frequently to get a sense for what's going on. Otherwise, your automatic protection may conceal from you a early problem that latter causes the pump to fail or worse.
Aqualarm Bilge Pump Cycle Counter
- Multi-Voltage: 12, 24 and 32 Volt DC
- Dimensions: 3" x 2-1/2"
- Bright LED digital readout
501347
Brand:
Aqualarm
Model #:
20045
Shipping Weight:
0.15 Lbs.
List Price:
$75.00
Our Price:
$58.99
See All Aqualarm Products
View Similar Items
Why Buy from Defender?
58.99
Status:
Quantity:
P.S. -- On some boats, a float switch can be fooled by the action of the water in the bilge (i.e., popping up the float, even though there isn't much water in the bilge.). In those cases the normal float switch is better replaced by other options.
A couple of observations, if I may.
IF you wire your bilge pump (or any other load directly to the battery terminal, you must fuse it within X inches of the terminal, and Blue Seas has a marvelous fuse terminal for this purpose. Next, the more loads that you have that bypass your DC distribution panel, the more problem you will have if you ever need to isolate a battery in case of a short or a fire. I figure that the main disconnect switch should do that function -- quickly - in case of emergency.
As for the inability of most electric bilge pumps to keep up with major flooding, all who point this out are correct. However, even if all your electric pumps are only able to (majorly) diminish the flooding, this really raises the opportunity for others to notify you or someone else at the marina if they see that your boat's bilge pump is continuously running. This will buy valuable time until a rescuer can enter the boat and bring in a large marina dewatering pump. (Our little YC marina has a 2" Honda-powered pump in a cart. I used that pump to save a big sailboat early this year when we found it with a foot of freeboard remaining.)
So, rather than view any answer as complete, better to view them as parts of the solution.
Only my opinion, and I am unanimous in that!
IF you wire your bilge pump (or any other load directly to the battery terminal, you must fuse it within X inches of the terminal, and Blue Seas has a marvelous fuse terminal for this purpose. Next, the more loads that you have that bypass your DC distribution panel, the more problem you will have if you ever need to isolate a battery in case of a short or a fire. I figure that the main disconnect switch should do that function -- quickly - in case of emergency.
As for the inability of most electric bilge pumps to keep up with major flooding, all who point this out are correct. However, even if all your electric pumps are only able to (majorly) diminish the flooding, this really raises the opportunity for others to notify you or someone else at the marina if they see that your boat's bilge pump is continuously running. This will buy valuable time until a rescuer can enter the boat and bring in a large marina dewatering pump. (Our little YC marina has a 2" Honda-powered pump in a cart. I used that pump to save a big sailboat early this year when we found it with a foot of freeboard remaining.)
So, rather than view any answer as complete, better to view them as parts of the solution.
Only my opinion, and I am unanimous in that!
Benny, I like you, please take it in a collegial, humorous spirit. I enjoy your posts, your knowledge, and your sense of humor.
