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Stuart
07-03-2010, 05:58 PM
I’m about to fit 2 new rule 2000ghp bilge pumps in the boat and I was wondering wether leave them as manual or fit an automatic switch/float in the bilge? I have heard conflicting points on this topic so I thought I would put it out there. The boat is a 7.3 meter plate alloy centre console.

Stu

Duckfish
07-03-2010, 06:27 PM
Go the automatic switches. Make sure that they are correctly current rated for the job. Fit them up and you wont have to worry about water issues especially when it is lapping at your feet.
Duckfish

Tangles
07-03-2010, 06:50 PM
Both if possible, the manual as a backup? i saw a very nice setup on a Stabi, had a manual bilge ( with a pipe handle) if the auto failed.

mike

cormorant
07-03-2010, 07:29 PM
Get the ones with the internal no moving parts switch.

Buy quality and wash em with fresh water when you rinse the boat. Install them where you can get to them easily and clean teh screen. Do propper wiring and have all the wiring visible to if necessary you can bodge it up on the water. Use big pipes on the outlet - don't restrict the flow as so many dealers do.

All my reasonably sized boats have had a manual , as in pump with arm, bilge pump if there is areas I can't get a bucket into.

Amazing how much a scared bloke and a manual bilge pump can do when a battery fails and water is coming in.

Ypu can never have one big enough.

Horse
07-03-2010, 08:32 PM
If your boat lives on a trailer rather than in the water then go manual. If you can't tell if you have a gutfull of water in your hull then you shouldn't be out there. Lots of things go wrong with autos and if you go that wat then make sure its wired up for manual as well or better still follow Mikes advice and fit both

ozscott
07-03-2010, 09:00 PM
I run a switch that has manual and auto settings and a traditional floating arm and ball bearing in a race jobbie. The twin pumps are hooked up to this set up.

Cheers

wrxhoon
07-03-2010, 11:22 PM
My Trophy has an auto with a manual overide switch standard from factoty at the rear and another auto only at the front of the boat ( 2 different compartments).
I fitted an extra auto with a manual overide at the rear as well and i have a portable manual pump on board .

deckie
07-03-2010, 11:46 PM
Assume if u ever take water that every ounce of gunk under the deck is heading straight for the pumps...need good access for cleaning/checking them and try to put the switches away from corners or wherever gunk can settle or clog it.
The auto's are definitely the go but i always reckon one big plus one small pump is the go.
Most underestimate just how useless their pumps are in an emergency coz they're far too small. Even a 1 inch/25mm hole lets in about 3500l/hr but u;d be surprised how few have even that capacity but still think they're ok.
You dont want the big pump being triggered much by ordinary use. You're thinking 4000+l/hr which is good but i'd be inclined to go with a single 3500+ pump and a single 800 or so...with the auto switch for the small one set lower and the big switch set higher where it cuts in only when u really need it. That way the normal pesky bilge water is dumped only by the smaller pump which is enough for that job and cheaply replaced. Biggest hose with a smooth bore as possible without kinks..rough internal hosing and corners can reduce their capacity by half. I'd guess at least half pump troubles are caused by wiring

on-one
08-03-2010, 06:38 AM
I'm just replacing mine and after a lot of research have both auto manual and alarms fitted to 2 2000gph pumps and then as deckie suggested a smaller 750 fitted slightly lower in the bilge. That way the small pump that draws less power does most of the work but if it can't keep up I'll hear about it when the other pumps kick in. One other thing is it's good to have some of those wooden plugs so you've got something to try to block a hole with, the pumps are unlikely to keep up with much of a hole unless you plug it somehow.

dnej
08-03-2010, 08:41 AM
http://www.boatshop.com.au/images/112-001.jpg (http://www.boatshop.com.au/category1_1.htm)

No problem putting on both. Auto is great if you are sleeping, but I wouldnt be without manual as well
David

Noelm
08-03-2010, 09:09 AM
I would never have an auto one again (but lots do) I have had two turn on by themselves and burn out the pump both times, not to mention the remote possibility of the fire it could have caused, now I know the pluses for the thing turning on long before you might notice water getting in and all that, but just from personal experience, manual every time for me now.

bluefin59
08-03-2010, 10:03 AM
The switching setup like dnej has shown above is my prefered option only because you can isolate it if needed on the run . With auto or manual you have to turn off your battery to isolate it incase it burns out for what ever reason or heaven forbid you have an underfloor fuel problem ,if that happens it could get real messy . I saw a ski boat have a problem like that 15 or so years ago and it burnt it out and burnt two people very badly ..matt

FNQCairns
08-03-2010, 10:12 AM
Stupidly I had an underfloor fuel problem a while ago, way way more than enough free fuel to float a switch, so i agree go one that isolates somehow but better again one of the solid state float switches as fuel will not trigger them, nothing but water will i understand, thinking we may have made for a curiosity on the evening news that day if i didn't pay the little bit extra for the solid state float switch.

cheers fnq

cormorant
08-03-2010, 11:57 AM
http://www.boatshop.com.au/images/112-001.jpg (http://www.boatshop.com.au/category1_1.htm)

No problem putting on both. Auto is great if you are sleeping, but I wouldnt be without manual as well
David


Cheap switch = asking for trouble.

Only use quality stuff and keep it simple , test it every time you go out and we used to have then wired directly to the battery with their own isolator switch especially for the larger one. If we needed it we wanted it on until we went under- none of this wire it up to front of boat and back to bilge pump 20 foot of wiring to loose current and have issues.

Don't buy the generic copies of bilge pumps. Most bolge pumps don't take nicely to many chemicals like bilge washes etc so lift em out when doing this , flush through bungs then put em back.

For anyone who has ever had to use one you will know that the ones installed by teh shops don't give you enough time to solve teh sinking problem. Mates spend more on their bait tank pumps and when the bait tank overflows due to a squiddy blockage into the boat the boat bilge can't keep up. Recepie for a disasterous night out and bad design. At night you just can't fix things like you can in the day.

deckie
08-03-2010, 01:49 PM
Yeah i wouldn't use one of those switches either. You can get ones with an alarm hooked up to the larger pump but also dont connect it up to the crank battery circuit either.
I've always used carlingswitch's and still do. Probably better about these days but never once had a prob with their momentary simple fused 15-20A bilge switches Off-Auto-Mom. Helps to have the ability to run the smaller pump without needing to worry about turning it off lol...so when u let go its off.
If you're anything like me and get distracted easily u can forget the damn thing is going. The float switches are good IFFFF kept in good order but as others said u need that manual one too.

White Pointer
08-03-2010, 11:47 PM
http://www.boatshop.com.au/images/112-001.jpg (http://www.boatshop.com.au/category1_1.htm)

No problem putting on both. Auto is great if you are sleeping, but I wouldnt be without manual as well
David

G'day,

Ditto that. Don't forget in periodic maintenance to flood the bilge with fresh water and get the bilge pump to kick in on auto and pump it out. Clears the pump of any salt water deposits and gives you piece of mind.

Regards,

White Pointer

Midnight
09-03-2010, 12:13 PM
Gday,
What is wrong with the above pictured switch?
Cheers,
Myles

P.S Always an Auto with float switch and alarm with manual over ride for bilge pumps for me too. You can't turn on the pump when you are sound asleep.

Angla
09-03-2010, 01:47 PM
I personally have two switches to my bilge pump. One is for manual operation and one is for auto operation. That way I can have them both off when the boat is out of the water, but can have the auto on while sleeping on board. I normally run the manual when cleaning as I travel and give it a fresh flush regularly.

Cheers
Chris

rogerb
10-03-2010, 11:50 PM
From years of buying bilge pumps I would only use Rule, they may cost more but out last any cheap pump. On two occasions a bilge alarm has let me know there was a problem before it got too bad, both times it was a leak on the engine cooling water on the salt water side. An alarm is easy to set up using a float switch to trigger a buzzer, but don't mount the switch too low as any small amount of free water in the bilge will trigger it.
I currently have a auto pump with manual override in the engine compartment and a manual pump as backup.
Cheers, Rog

TheRealAndy
11-03-2010, 12:27 AM
Was discussing the pros and cons of various configurations with an ex pro fisho the other day. He had many a dory fishing reefs off central queensland. His opinion, they are all crap, no configuration or type is better than the other. So choose what you prefer, cause its no better than the bloke next to you.

I run a pump with an autoswitch in, but I have manual override. I prefer to have an auto as I often anchor up and camp in very rainy areas. As long as the auto works I have much less time emptying rain water out of the boat the next morning.