I bought my S2 9.2a without a bilge pump switch. the original is not there. Has anyone repalced theirs and how and where did you locate it. What type did you use?
Bilge pump switch
- Thread starter PatrickS
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Mine is...
...mounted on a wood board that sneaks down in front of the engine (a 2QM15...boat is a 1981 9.2A...A is for aft cockpit...you didn't specify which you have). It is held in place by two bolts that pass through the wood in front of the engine. Currently there is a Rule 2000 mounted at the bottom (the wood board has more boards on it forming a letter "b") and a rule float switch above wired to a three way switch. The board is an okay set up. I don't know how much I will like it if I have to service it while the engine is running though. A have a number of modifications in mind. One is to replace the current nuts with wing nuts to facilitate maintenance and emergency access. Another is that I don't like having a large (i.e. expensive) pump sitting in bilgewater all the time. A third is that the bilge on the 9.2A is a dirty place, being mounted under the motor. That means that everything in the bilge is covered in crud...including your float switch. Mine didn't work at all until I cleaned it. I had actually bought a new one that is non-float based, to replace it. It is a cool idea...called the Water Witch. It has no moving parts. There are two contacts that must be connected by bilge water to initiate pumping. It has the added advantage that it will activate when oil or diesel fuel are present, but won't pump out a large quantity floating on the surface, such as if a catastrophic fuel tank failure (in the 9.2A it would definitely end up in the bilge). However, since it works on the basis of conductivity, it might be problematic if the water were too fresh...like rainwater. Anyway, I plan to take Don Casey's advice. I'll raise the big pump up about a foot and mount my new Rule 500 at the bottom. The 3/4 inch line on the rule will connect to a bilge filter to remove any oil from the water before it exits the boat. Mounting an engine over an open bilge might have been a wonderful idea in the 70's, but it doesn't fly now when a sheen visible on the water could result in a $5000 fine. This smaller automatic pump will do all the routine dirty work. It may require more frequent replacement, but at $30 each that is no big deal. It is a cartridge pump too, so easy to replace. The larger pump will sit high, dry and clean until it is needed. I did get lazy and buy new 1 1/8 inch ribbed bilge pump hose, even though ribbing reduces efficiency. That size is impossible to find in another hose and I was just too busy to mess with changing given all the other joy of comissioning a new (to me) boat. BobM
...mounted on a wood board that sneaks down in front of the engine (a 2QM15...boat is a 1981 9.2A...A is for aft cockpit...you didn't specify which you have). It is held in place by two bolts that pass through the wood in front of the engine. Currently there is a Rule 2000 mounted at the bottom (the wood board has more boards on it forming a letter "b") and a rule float switch above wired to a three way switch. The board is an okay set up. I don't know how much I will like it if I have to service it while the engine is running though. A have a number of modifications in mind. One is to replace the current nuts with wing nuts to facilitate maintenance and emergency access. Another is that I don't like having a large (i.e. expensive) pump sitting in bilgewater all the time. A third is that the bilge on the 9.2A is a dirty place, being mounted under the motor. That means that everything in the bilge is covered in crud...including your float switch. Mine didn't work at all until I cleaned it. I had actually bought a new one that is non-float based, to replace it. It is a cool idea...called the Water Witch. It has no moving parts. There are two contacts that must be connected by bilge water to initiate pumping. It has the added advantage that it will activate when oil or diesel fuel are present, but won't pump out a large quantity floating on the surface, such as if a catastrophic fuel tank failure (in the 9.2A it would definitely end up in the bilge). However, since it works on the basis of conductivity, it might be problematic if the water were too fresh...like rainwater. Anyway, I plan to take Don Casey's advice. I'll raise the big pump up about a foot and mount my new Rule 500 at the bottom. The 3/4 inch line on the rule will connect to a bilge filter to remove any oil from the water before it exits the boat. Mounting an engine over an open bilge might have been a wonderful idea in the 70's, but it doesn't fly now when a sheen visible on the water could result in a $5000 fine. This smaller automatic pump will do all the routine dirty work. It may require more frequent replacement, but at $30 each that is no big deal. It is a cartridge pump too, so easy to replace. The larger pump will sit high, dry and clean until it is needed. I did get lazy and buy new 1 1/8 inch ribbed bilge pump hose, even though ribbing reduces efficiency. That size is impossible to find in another hose and I was just too busy to mess with changing given all the other joy of comissioning a new (to me) boat. BobM
bilge pump
Thank you. I have an above ground pump with a hose that goes down to the bottom of the bilge. it was suggested to me to ty wrap a float switch to the hose and set it for a 4 inch water rise. a switch similar for in home use.
Thank you. I have an above ground pump with a hose that goes down to the bottom of the bilge. it was suggested to me to ty wrap a float switch to the hose and set it for a 4 inch water rise. a switch similar for in home use.
Bilge set up 9.2A
Patrick, I have a 9.2A as well -- My primary pump is mounted behind the engine with a hose into the bilge and a float switch on a metal rod connected to the engine brace. The pump is pretty light (about 300 gallons per hour), so I mounted a second rule pump with internal switch on the rod that holds the primary pump. The mount is about 2 feet above the bottom of the bilge and will only come on if the first pump fails in some manner or (knock on wood) if I have a catastrophic situation -- in which both pumps will run. These two, of course, are augmented by a good manual whale pump that can be operated from the cockpit. Let me know if you have any questions... Rick Jacksonville, FL
Patrick, I have a 9.2A as well -- My primary pump is mounted behind the engine with a hose into the bilge and a float switch on a metal rod connected to the engine brace. The pump is pretty light (about 300 gallons per hour), so I mounted a second rule pump with internal switch on the rod that holds the primary pump. The mount is about 2 feet above the bottom of the bilge and will only come on if the first pump fails in some manner or (knock on wood) if I have a catastrophic situation -- in which both pumps will run. These two, of course, are augmented by a good manual whale pump that can be operated from the cockpit. Let me know if you have any questions... Rick Jacksonville, FL
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