Bilge Pump Question??

[RCabrera]

I'm a newcomer to boating. Does the engine need to be on to check if the bilge pump works? I have an I/O 165 hp Mercrusier.

 

[hondon]

Re: Bilge Pump Question??

In general, no it does'nt,but if that pump is for some obscure reason wired to the ignition switch then the switch will need to be on.This is a boat function and has nothing to do with what kind of power package you have.

 

[fredcrn]

Re: Bilge Pump Question??

It's probably best to have the bilge pump on a seperate switch as well as wired with a float activating switch. The boat does not need to be running for your bilge pump to operate. As Hondon said, if it does happen to be wired through your ignition (which I would doubt) you would have to have the key on, but not actually run the engine.<br />my .02 hope it helps.<br />Fred