Beneteau 40CC bilge pump not automatic?

[MrNoSmiles]

Hey all!

I just took the plunge and moved aboard a Beneteau 40CC with my girlfriend, and we are loving it.

The manual for this boat states it was only supplied with 1 automatic bilge pump and 1 manual bilge pump. However, the automatic bilge pump is really not automatic. There isn't a float switch or anything to turn it on, one has to flip the breaker.

Anyone else deal with this issue? How did you install a switch/float switch to make it automatic? I would hate for a throughull or seacock to give out while we are at work and have the boat sink with no one to turn on the bilge pump!

Any ideas would be much appreciated!!

 

[Benny17441]

If that is your fear I'm afraid it might be somewhat misplaced. The guys at Benetau have it right as the bilge pump is a convenience item and not a safety one. The way to insure against a seacock or thru-hull giving out is frequent inspections. Check the seacocks and exercise them and check the hoses and clamps. Make sure each hose is double clamped. Your bilge pump is there to expel incidental water that collects in the bilge so that you do not have to get on your knees to scoop or soak it out manually. Having a float switch is just another convenience accessory so that it can expel this water even when you are not aboard. Any significant water intrusion like a busted thru-hull or hose will quickly overwhelm that pump. It is likely your boat might be saved by someone spotting it as it starts to list at the dock rather than by the bilge pump. On the other hand the other pump on the boat is a manual high volume gusher pump to help you keep the boat afloat in an emergency. There is an old saying that states that there is no more motivated person to work that one manning a pump in a sinking boat. I'm sure someone will chime in and provide a wiring diagram for a float switch installation. I seen one installation once where the owner installed a 120V sump pump to provide protection at the dock when connected to shorepower. I think that was a little of an overkill and remember the best protection you can procure for your boat is a good coverage from a prime insurance company.

 

[jlp0217]

I'm guessing he's referring to two switches on the electrical panel labeled manual bilge pump and automatic bilge pump, like my Jeanneau. My automatic one has a float switch, the manual pump runs whenever the switch is on. His automatic could have (or have had) the water sensing switch in the pump.
Adding a float switch, if missing, is easy. It's just wired in series with the pump. I like the Water Witch switch since it isn't affected by trash in the bilge.

 

[DougM]

If your 40cc is like my 323, it has a really shallow bilge. I managed to install a float switch very close to the sump in the bilge by actually gluing it to the hull for lack of a better way to attach it.
I simply paralleled the existing wiring to get power to the float switch from the junction box near where the pump is located which in my case is behind the starboard settee. Thatmjunction box also serves the shower sump which is switched in the head. I can still switch it on and off manually as well as having an active float switch.

 

[Benny17441]

I'm guessing he's referring to two switches on the electrical panel labeled manual bilge pump and automatic bilge pump, like my Jeanneau.

Is it actually two pumps or two separate switches wired to control the same pump for separate functions? Our Hunter has a bilge pump switch that will toggle between Automatic and Manual but it controls a single pump.

 

[Benny17441]

If your 40cc is like my 323, it has a really shallow bilge. I managed to install a float switch very close to the sump in the bilge by actually gluing it to the hull for lack of a better way to attach it.

If the 40cc has a shallow bilge as your 323 it could explain why the manufacturer may have not installed a float switch even as the panel seems wired for one. A float switch as you may have experienced does not work very well in shallow bilges. Shallow bilges are usually larger in area to compensate for the lack of depth and that usually results in a float switch that disengages the pump early while there is still a lot of water in the bilge. It is good to have the manual switch to be able to override the float switch and run the pump until most of the water is out. If not the water usually ends up spilling into the cabin sole when the boat heels under sail. The best automatic pump that I have found for a shallow bilge is the Rule Electronic Sensing Automatic pump. It comes in 500GPH, 1,100GPH and 2000GPH; this pump is controlled by a computer chip that turns it on every two minutes and it will run for a couple of seconds to test for the presence of water. If the impeller senses water resistance then it will continue to run until most of the water is expelled and then shut off for another two minutes. If no water resistance is found it shuts off to cycle again in two minutes. These pumps spend most of their time testing for water and I have calculated they run for just one minute in every hour thus using very little power. I consider bilge pumps a convenience item so for me the 500GPH would be the size of choice and leave the larger pumps for the smaller boats as they fill up and sink faster.

 

[Ron20324]

I have a B323, same as Doug. I have a float- type pump switch to install. After some condsideration, I am going to run the duplex wire from the switch and put a conductor on each side of the circuit breaker for both automatic and manual operation.

 

[Gunni]

Study your wiring diagram. There should be an auto-switch circuit AND a manual switch circuit to control a single pump. You may also have an unused circuit for a second pump. Beneteau has several variants on bilge pump systems.

 

[MrNoSmiles]

[QUOTE If that is your fear I'm afraid it might be somewhat misplaced. The guys at Benetau have it right as the bilge pump is a convenience item and not a safety one. [/QUOTE]
Lulz. Gotta love armchair captains.

If your 40cc is like my 323, it has a really shallow bilge. I managed to install a float switch very close to the sump in the bilge by actually gluing it to the hull for lack of a better way to attach it.
I simply paralleled the existing wiring to get power to the float switch from the junction box near where the pump is located which in my case is behind the starboard settee. Thatmjunction box also serves the shower sump which is switched in the head. I can still switch it on and off manually as well as having an active float switch.

Doug, you nailed it. It does have a shallow bilge.
As others have asked, it is only one bilge pump that is only turned on manually via a switch on the control panel. No other bilge pumps are installed. Doug, do you have problems with it not pumping out small amounts of water properly?

My concern is that when I install a float switch, the switch will kick on before there is really enough water to pump and the water will simply flow back down the hose into the bilge again, kicking off an endless on/off cycle until there is enough water to pump out.

 

[DougM]

My concern is that when I install a float switch, the switch will kick on before there is really enough water to pump and the water will simply flow back down the hose into the bilge again, kicking off an endless on/off cycle until there is enough water to pump out.[/QUOTE]

As stated, I installed the switch as close to the sump as I could. I extended the pickup to the very bottom of the sump hole. That way if some water drains back after shutoff, it remains in the sump only.
Fortunately, my bilge stays quite dry and when I am cleaning the boat, I simply take the time to lift up a floorboard and dry out any water that happens to be in that little sump hole.

 

[Gunni]

The days of float switches are over. Install a switch with no moving parts and a shut-off delay