bilge pump wiring

reoco

Recruit
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
2
I am attempting to replace an bilge pump with float switch with a new Rule bildge pump with built-in float switch. The original bildge and float has the following - black wire and brown wire to pump and two brown wires to float. The new bilge pump has one black wire, one brown wire and one brown wire with white stripe. The brown and white stripped wire is marked manual. Easy enough to wire the black to black and brown/white to original brown wire off pump, which allows the manual switch at the helm to manually turn on the bilge - works perfect. Now for my issue. I have attached the remaining two brown wires in every configuration and I am not able to get the automatic to turn on (I am able to get the automatic to work when I have the switch at the helm turned on and the manual brown/white wire disconnected - so I know the built-in float switch works) Any ideas on how to I get the float switch to work and still let me have the manual connected?
 

RickJ6956

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
349
Re: bilge pump wiring

The black wire connects to ground.

The brown/white wire connects to the "Manual" side of the switch.

The brown wire connects either directly to the battery (put a 2.5 amp inline fuse on it), or to the "auto" side of the panel switch through one of the two original float switch wires. One of those wires should read 12 volts on a multimeter when the switch is in the Auto position. Set the multimeter to read DC volts. Put the red meter lead on one of the wires and touch the black meter lead to ground.

The other float switch wire is most likely joined to the wire that feeds the pump from the "Manual" side of the switch. Test this by setting your multimeter to read ohms. With the panel switch off, put the red lead on the float switch wire and the other on the Manual power wire. You should read zero ohms, or very close to it. Cap off that wire, seal it, and don't let it dangle in the bilge.
 

reoco

Recruit
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
2
Re: bilge pump wiring

Thanks, I couldn't find my meter and just wired new wires for the new float directly to the batter. I wired already has you discribe, which was my first though, just couldn't seem to get power to the pump using the old wires, maybe just came loose up the line, just so it would turn a 1/2 job into a 1/2 day job.
 

Big Keepers

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 13, 2007
Messages
293
Re: bilge pump wiring

Make sure that pump doesn't draw more than 2.5 amps. Personally I'd use a 5 amp fuse. Those pumps have a tendency to draw almost 3 amps I believe.
 

gss036

Commander
Joined
Jan 18, 2003
Messages
2,914
Re: bilge pump wiring

That was probably a smart move anyway. I had trouble with mine a while back and found wire corroded inside of a crimp connection.
 
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