Stupid Wiring Question

[Bad Obsession]

The current set up on my Catalina 30 runs the bilge pump through the switch panel. The batteries have to be on for the float switch or the hot switch to work.

If I was to run a negative and positive lead from my battery and splice into my float switch where the hot comes in and the negative comes in would that allow for my pump to work with the batteries off?

What is the best way to wire this so the bilge pump will work with the switch on the switch panel and the float switch would work directly off the batteries?

 

[Winkfish]

What about a 2nd bilge pump wired directly to the batteries?

 

[Bad Obsession]

Not enough room in the bilge with the sump pump being in there.

 

[Bill1565]

Should have been a hot (+) wire feeding the pump float switch direct from the battery. You don't need a second ground.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Hunter wired the early boats directly from the back of the battery switch common to the bilge pump float switch. So the pump works regardless of the battery switch position. There is also a panel switch which, obviously, requires power from the battery switch. What was missing on my boat was an inline fuse on that wire. And Bill is right, you just need one hot wire as the pump is already grounded.

 

[Allan12210]

Bilge pump wiring

Here is a wiring diagram of how my boat is set up. It has multiple batteries, but the basic setup for the bilge pump is probably what you are looking for. I have two hot leads (+) on my bilge pump (a brown and a brown with a white stripe). One of them goes to the integral float switch and the other runs the pump directly. The direct connection goes to the electrical panel so I can turn it on and off as needed. The other wire goes to the hot terminal post of my battery selector switch so if the float switch activates even with the batteries set to "off" the pump comes on. If you only have the one wire you can hook it there. You can get more sophisticated and hook a second wire on the other side of the float switch and run that to the electrical panel for manual on/off capability too. Just make sure all the connections are sealed from any water intrusion.

Hope this helps.

Allan

 

[Bad Obsession]

So I can just run a hot lead from the battery and splice in to the float switch and I should be fine. Should I put an in-line fuse?

 

[All U Get]

So I can just run a hot lead from the battery and splice in to the float switch and I should be fine. Should I put an in-line fuse?

My 1981 Catalina has a fuse in/near the manual/automatic switch for the bilge pump. The yard almost put in a new pump until the "Old" mechanic showed up to fix it.
All U Get

 

[Maine Sail]

Should I put an in-line fuse?

Yes and as close to the battery as you can get. ABYC requirement is 7" for wires leading directly off the battery.

Some later C-30's have the batt switch in the panel which makes feeding the bilge pump easier. The big problem with these later C-30's is that the manual side of the Auto/Man bilge pump switch, in the factory panel, is not a momentary switch. I have seen what happens when someone accidentally leaves it in manual mode, it eventually melts the pump...

 

[Ed Schenck]

Not momentary on the H37C either Maine. That's an excellent point that I never heard before. Another one for the to-do list.