On my Catalina 30 the bilge pump is wired through a 3 way switch on the electrical panel. Problem is that it doesn't work on automatic when the power is off so I have to leave the power on when I leave the boat. I think there must be a good way around this and still use the switch on the panel. Has anyone else had this problem and remedied it?
Bilge pump wiring
- Thread starter Franzcat
- Start date
If your 1-2-B switch is also on the panel, tap off the wire going to the house battery, rather than the main panel's feed which comes from the C post of the switch.
In my experience you cannot have it both ways. The automatic switch needs power to open and close the circuit. You can rewire and hardwire the automatic switch and pump directly to the battery bank (recommended) or leave power on to the panel to leave the Bilge Pump breaker switch On. Don't forget to add an appropriately sized fuse if hard wiring.
OK. Has anyone wired the switch so that it can be manually operated from the panel (that's really convenient) but rigged the automatic switch to be hot all the time? Am I asking too much?
I'm not sure I understand the question. The 3-way switch (ON-AUTO-OFF) on my panel is mounted next to the bilge pump circuit breaker. The circuit breaker is always hot. The switch is always hot unless the CB is turned off. There is no point in having an OFF switch if the automatic (float) switch is always hot.
Here is a drawing I found a number of years ago. My own panel has just a standard break switch to turn the bilge on or off, but the auto float is hot wired. So I can turn the DC power off at the main breaker switch or the 1-All-2-OFF switch and the bilge pump will still be activated by the auto switch if needed. Seems a pretty standard way.
Edited after realizing I do not have a 3-way switch in my electyrical panel LOL.
Edited after realizing I do not have a 3-way switch in my electyrical panel LOL.
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No, I thought it was a standard wiring configuration. My pump has 2 positive leads. One lead comes from the panel and I can turn on the pump with the panel switch any time the panel is energized. The other lead comes from the float switch. The float switch is energized directly from the battery. Any time the float switch is activated, the pump runs. The panel doesn't need to be on. My Rule pump includes the 2 positive leads just for this purpose. I'm not sure why it would be done any other way.
There is just one common negative. I don't know why there is any need for a 3-position switch. My panel has just a standard breaker-switch for the bilge. The warning light is a nice touch. I've turned my bilge on more than a few times and forgot that it was on - but never any harm done.
My primary bilge pump is wired the same way. Manual on from the DC panel on when the panel is powered and float switch live all the time. I added a cycle counter to the circuit to alert me to issues the float switch could mask.No, I thought it was a standard wiring configuration. My pump has 2 positive leads. One lead comes from the panel and I can turn on the pump with the panel switch any time the panel is energized. The other lead comes from the float switch. The float switch is energized directly from the battery. Any time the float switch is activated, the pump runs. The panel doesn't need to be on. My Rule pump includes the 2 positive leads just for this purpose. I'm not sure why it would be done any other way.
There is just one common negative. I don't know why there is any need for a 3-position switch. My panel has just a standard breaker-switch for the bilge. The warning light is a nice touch. I've turned my bilge on more than a few times and forgot that it was on - but never any harm done.
The secondary bilge pump, which is a little higher in the bilge, is on a separate “off-on-auto” switch with an alarm and a float switch. I added the second bilge pump & switch as back up and it’s wired to a separate battery. Just have to remember to leave it set to “auto”, which is indicated by a green pilot light.
Thanks guys. This is all great information. Will wire (and fuse) my float switch directly to the battery and consider adding a separate backup bilge pump. Again, many thanks.
To each their own, but I've always had a phobia that wiring to the battery may have a problem. Say, the switch or cicuit breaker is energized when the auto float is activated, in effect you connect two batteries to each other. Maybe, maybe not causing a problem. There is always power to my breaker panel, so I wired the float switch + to the "supply" side of the breaker. Then the out side of the same breaker is wired to the bilge pump. Both feeds are from the same battery.
