bilge switch

[gto1973]

would this bilge switch be alright? what are the solid state ones like?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/parts-accessories/other/auction-938410190.htm

thanks Jesse

[mohawk]

Seems flash     Most I know are buying the pumps with the integral switch .
Be sure too ad a light for each pump so you know when its on or not 

[gto1973]

Yea I bought two 800gph ones from repco 75 each they are manual ones I wanted to get a good switch though an I'll have auto an manual override  with lights. was just going to have them both run off the auto then maybe two separate overrides?

[mohawk]

bilge pumps set up is a personal thing . just make sure they both work .
Make sure the fuses are easy too get at , Ive blown a few when sticks jamb them up.
I have a little flappy float switch that rattled on the bottom and the light flashed every time I stood on the gas . I cable tied a scotch bright pad over the flappy bit and it made it less sensitive and stopped the rattle 

[Paul]

bilge pumps set up is a personal thing

Yes, you'll get a stack of options.

I didn't like the 'auto pumps' that I saw, as it seemed they were designed to run regularly (every minute or so?).  They spin up to check RPM and keep going until RPMs max-out (- i.e. the pump has then run dry - the RPMs are lower when pumping water).  Quite a crude system I thought and wasteful of power - especially for those times when the boat is left for a number of hours\overnight in the water.  Because of that, I wanted a proper bilge float-switch and went with a 'Sure Bail'.

The needs I saw:
- mercury float-switch in bilge;
- multiple pumps for redundancy - individually fused;
- able to run the pumps in 'manual' or 'automatic' mode;
- buzzer to sound, if the float-switch starts the pumps and the engine is running;
- minimum number of connections in the bilge for long-term reliability.

It was then wired up as per the diagram below.

[gto1973]

this may sound dumb but what does the middle image represent with the switches in it, is it a relay? 

[Paul]

is it a relay?

Yup.

If you don't care about stopping the buzzer running when the engine is off (which is a bit annoying to listen too), then you can remove the relay from the circuit totally.  This leaves the float-switch enabling the pumps and buzzer directly.  It also means that all the current for the pumps goes through the float-switch (- which I felt was not ideal, so I added the relay).

[gto1973]

Yea not into the buzzer I'll get switches with lights. If it's a 12 volt solid state or float it should be fine to run that right?

[Paul]

If it's a 12 volt solid state or float it should be fine to run that right?

Check the current ratings on the pumps vs switch.

[Jeff B]

I usually run 2 bilge pumps, one each side of the unit. One is auto the other manual but when I switch the manual one on both go just to check the auto one still works.
Most ski pumps also run a venturi bilge as well that I hook up, they work well.