Bilge Pump Wiring Question

[platinumedge]

Good Afternoon Fellow Boaters,

I'm winding down the repairs to my 1994 Four Winns Sundowner 215. It was left outside (in Maryland) for several years, so a lot of things that were submerged needed to be replaced. One of them is the bilge pump. I replaced the old pump (Attwood Guardian 500) with an Attwood Sahara S500.

The wiring is actually pretty straightforward. The real question is this: Whenever I apply power to either (or both) input wires (not the ground!), the pump runs?! If I apply power to just the 'automatic' input, the pump runs. And it runs whether the float is up or down.

This is the first time I have tried wiring the pump. So my question becomes, is the float valve stuck/defective?

It's certainly usable as it is, because I normally keep the boat inside my garage. And I can just pull/insert the fuse when I'm out at sea.

Any input or recommendations from you guys is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

-- Jeff

 

[matt167]

A 1994 could have a mercury switch and it might be bad especially if the bilge was flooded. You can replace it with a float switch and it's wired the same. There are diagrams on Google images should you need one... You don't want to mess with fuses if your boat is taking on water, I would call it not usable as is

 

[platinumedge]

Thanks for your response, matt167.

To clarify, the bilge pump is brand new (never been used) and comes with its own, integrated float - same as the pump that was replaced. My assumption is that when I apply power to the 'automatic' input wire, but not to the 'manual' one, the pump should only activate when the float rises to a certain level. However, in my case, the pump runs all the time, no matter the position of the float.

 

[mike_i]

Are you going to connect it thru a switch or full time on auto? There should be one black wire that's ground. Do you have one solid brown wire and another brown/tan/white ?

 

[platinumedge]

Exactly, mike_i. I'm connecting it through a switch that can turn it on so it runs no matter what the float position. Then, when that switch is off, I believe the pump will run if water accumulates in the bilge and raises the float.

And, yes, there is a solid brown wire and a brown w/white. As well as the black (ground) wire.

 

[platinumedge]

My sincerest apologies, folks. I guess I had somehow crossed the 'automatic' vs. the 'always-on' wires. The pump is working as expected now.

Tomorrow I will begin re-attaching the electrical components surrounding the engine. As some of you may know, that engine - the 5.8 L OMC Cobra -has a large "brain" that is the central connection for everything electronic going through the engine. I am hoping that it survived the summers & winters & storms, and will be able to "come to life."

 

[mike_i]

congrats, problem solved.