Live-well pump

[demarko210]

First boat with a live-well, my previous boat did not have one. I wanted to ask when you have fish in the well, is pump constantly pumping fresh water in the well? If so would this drain the batteries if on too long or it does not drain that much current?

 

[JimS123]

If you turn the live well pump on it is indeed circulating fresh water. It is no different than a bilge pump, thus that is the amount of juice it takes. If the engine is running, no problem the battery will stay charged. If you are drifting or using a trolling motor, then the battery will discharge. Check the amps on the pump and the amp-hours on the battery and that will tell you how long it will last. If you have a trolling motor, the live well should be connected to that battery, then the engine starting battery will not be affected.

 

[dingbat]

Live and bait well pumps can certainly use up some current but there are a couple of games you can play....

If your running in waters with a current (rivers) or tide you can install a "scoop type" intake on the pump and use the current to push water into the tank.

I rarely if every need to use the pumps to maintain circulation in either the live or bait well.

The other option is to put the pump on a timer. Setting the timer to 2 minutes on and 2 minutes off cuts power consumption by 50%...

 

[gm280]

Some good ideas already provided here. The live well timer is a very good idea. What you are trying to do is keep the fish alive so you end up with as fresh fish as possible. A variable timer allows you to tailor that time on and time off intervals. And a lot of boaters use a spray bar to aerate the water as well. It is installed where the water comes into the live well and sprays from a lot of small holes drilled into, usually a PVC pipe, to push both fresh water and air into the live well water. The keeps the fish happy and alive.

You can see how that is done by clicking on the link at the bottom of my post to see how to make one if you want. Click on the Tom Boy Boat project and scan towards the end to see that live well setup.

 

[demarko210]

Thanks everyone.

 

[mike_i]

Depending on your boat and space restrictions it's nice to have two batteries. This way you can have one dedicated to start the motor and the other for the bait pump and other accessories.

 

[Captain Caveman]

My Alumacraft came from the factory with a livewell pump tied to the starting battery. It is a rocker switch so that when the switch is up, the pump is on constantly. When the switch is down, it turns on and off on a timer. When I've got fish in the box, I flip the switch down and don't think about it again. I've never worried about my battery draining too low. The pump doesn't use much power. If I was really concerned, I would do as others said and change the connection to my trolling motor batteries or just put the fish on a stringer dragging behind the boat.

 

[demarko210]

So if i add a second battery that will not be used for starting, how do i keep it charged when the motor is running? Rectifier or alternator wire would need to go to this battery i assume...

 

[dingbat]

So if i add a second battery that will not be used for starting, how do i keep it charged when the motor is running? Rectifier or alternator wire would need to go to this battery i assume...

You would want to use a “add a battery“ kit.

Charges both batteries from the same source. Keeps starting battery fully charged then routes excess to charge the house. Eliminates playing games with the the switch to keep batteries charged

https://www.bluesea.com/products/7650/Add-A-Battery_Kit_-_120A

 

[gm280]

Unless your running for long periods of time on the water, your second battery really isn't going to charge much. First, how much current does your engine output? Second, how much time will you be running? And if you are charging two batteries from that same source, both battery will be sharing the output current. JMHO

 

[dingbat]

I would do as others said and change the connection to my trolling motor batteries or just put the fish on a stringer dragging behind the boat.

Never understood people keeping fish (caught for consumption) alive by swimming in water contaminated with urine and fleece as is the case with a recirculating live well.

Fish excrete lactic acid and other compounds when stressed (caught) which degrades the quality of the meat. From a quality stand point, your much better off “dispatching” of the fish immediately and icing them down immediately.

Then again I’m all about taste. I only eat fish raw or broiled. Butter, salt and a splash of Old Bay seasoning (crab spice) and that’s it.

Wasabi and fresh caught Bluefin... food of the gods

 

[mike_i]

The live well/ bait tank isn't recirculating water it's pumping in fresh water. At least that's how it works here.

Never understood people keeping fish (caught for consumption) alive by swimming in water contaminated with urine and fleece as is the case with a recirculating live well.

Fish excrete lactic acid and other compounds when stressed (caught) which degrades the quality of the meat. From a quality stand point, your much better off “dispatching” of the fish immediately and icing them down immediately.

Then again I’m all about taste. I only eat fish raw or broiled. Butter, salt and a splash of Old Bay seasoning (crab spice) and that’s it.

Wasabi and fresh caught Bluefin... food of the gods

 

[skuhleman]

Mine don't circulate, they pump fresh water in and the old goes out the overflows. Constant fresh water being pumped in.

 

[gm280]

I never had a live well the merely circulated the live well water. I've always pumped in fresh water from the lake I'm fishing via a spray bar to even help oxygenate the water. And I've had live fish to the door at our house 40 - 60 plus miles away from the lakes. I even had live fish while filleting them. Yeah sound cruel, but they're fresh!