Bilge pump wiring help

[vbjoe7]

Hi all,

So I've been spending hours trying to find an answer to this question already in the forums but no luck. Hoping you guys can help me out.

I bought a 2006 SX230 last year and we've been having a blast with it, but just last week I had a cleanout plug blow and turn sideways in the tube, flooding the engine compartment. That's how I found out my bilge pump isn't working.

Since then I've installed the EZ locks on the plugs and installed a new bilge. The new bilge has a float switch built in. I cut the wires off the old Rule bilge pump and hooked up the black to the black, the brown to the brown, and sealed off the brown and white wire that came on the new pump. I filled up the compartment with water, just over the top of the bilge, but it wouldn't turn on.

I tried touching the brown & white wire to the brown wires - as soon as I did the bilge kicked on and ran until the compartment was dry. The bilge turned off, correctly, on its own. Everything I've read says to connect brown to brown, black to black, and seal off brown and white, but the automatic function doesn't seem to work when I do that.

Any insight as to what I'm doing wrong here? Thanks in advance.

 

[Dave burke]

What kind of pump is it? Usually bilges that have float switches built in have 3 wires - negative, switch and battery positive. Not sure of the colors in your case but it sure sounds like the brown/white wire needs to go to the positive terminal on the battery.

The float switch needs to have constant power to operate independently of the bilge switch in the boat, which is why one of the wires needs to be wired directly to the battery or another constant power source.

 

[vbjoe7]

It's a SeaSense 800GPH pump with built-in automatic float switch. The pump does have 3 wires (brown, black, brown&white). Looking at the instructions, it seems there should be a way to wire it to a two-way (on-off) switch and maintain the automatic function (assuming the switch is in the ON position). Instructions say to just seal off the brown & white wire, which I'm assuming is the "switch" wire. Is there something about the way the wiring is in our boats that would prevent this normal operation?

 

[dgfreeze]

The original bilge is a two wire system, simple on/off switch on the dash. It cycles periodically to “check” for water, and runs until it knows there’s nothing to pump, and shuts off. Going to a three wire system, I’m trying to remember exactly how they’re supposed to work...did it come with a wiring schematic you can take a pic of? I left my original bilge pump, since it was still working, and wired up a two float system that will come on automatically if the water gets high enough whether the switch is on or not. Is that what you’re wanting, or do you want it dependent on the bilge switch?

 

[Beachbummer]

You need permanent power to the wire going to the float. Otherwise it only works when the switch is on (As you found out).

The pump cannot operate with the float without power. If the bilge power switch is off, and no power is reaching the pump...water activates the float, but still no power to the pump, pump no go.

One of those wires must be hot all the time for the switch to work. The float is another switch to power on the pump, you still need juice to feed it so it can spin when the float is triggered.

 

[Dave burke]

If you just want it to operate only in automatic mode then you can wire the automatic wire through the switch. Seems like this is the brown/white wire in your case.

The way I’ve wired these pumps in the past is to connect one wire to the switch and one to the battery or a constant power source. This way the automatic option is always working and the switch allows you to override if you want. I don’t do it often but it’s nice to have the option.

 

[vbjoe7]

If the brown and white wire is the automatic wire in this case, then wouldn't the pump have kicked on as a "manual" option with the brown connected to the brown wire? With the brown & white wire capped, wouldn't the bilge switch just act as an OFF or MANUAL ON?

thanks for the replies!

 

[Beachbummer]

Are these the same instructions that came with your pump?

http://janice142.com/images/SeaSensePaperwork.jpg

Brown with White seem to be for immediate power, brown is switched/interrupted by the float.

 

[Dave burke]

I can’t read the instructions provided by @Beachbummer (too blurry on my phone) but if they are the same as those that came with your pump, I think you have your answer.

If you’re not sure, connect the black wire to battery negative and then just touch the brown and then the brown/white to the positive terminal. Whichever wire turns on the pump immediately is the one that should be wired to your switch. The other is the automatic one and needs a constant power source.

 

[vbjoe7]

Yes, these are the instructions. I am trying to do the "Installing with a 2-position (ON-OFF) Panel Switch in Switched Auto Mode. The problem is, when I wired it the way the instructions recommend (black to black, brown to brown [which connects to the switch's on terminal], brown & white sealed off), with the switch turned ON, it does not operate automatically as indicated - or manually for that matter. However, it does turn on when I briefly touch the brown & white wire to the brown wire. Not sure if that's relevant.

I'm going to try wiring the brown to the brown & white and see if maybe the wires were reversed at the factory?

 

[Beachbummer]

You wired it for Auto only, when the switch is powered on. With the switch ON, the pump should start when the [ I meant FLOAT] senses water. Nothing would happen with the switch off.

 

[Beachbummer]

Ground to Ground.

If Brown + White is energized = pump runs. No energy, no go.

If Brown only is energized = pump runs when the float is triggered. No energy to this cable or no water, no go.

 

[vbjoe7]

You wired it for Auto only, when the switch is powered on. With the switch ON, the pump should start when the [ I meant FLOAT] senses water. Nothing would happen with the switch off.

Correct - this is how it was wired, and how I wanted it wired. With the switch ON, the pump should start when the float senses water. However, the bilge was fully submerged (i.e. float is sensing water) and nothing happened, which is why I"m confused. However, when I touched the brown and white wire to the brown wire, the pump kicked on and continued pumping, even after I removed the brown & white wire. Which shows me the brown wire was energized.

If the brown wire was energized, the float was in the ON position, and the switch was in the ON position, this should mean that the pump should run with the brown to brown connection. Even if the wiring was reversed somehow and the brown wire was just the manual on and not the auto on, it should still have run, correct?

 

[vbjoe7]

Ground to Ground.

If Brown + White is energized = pump runs. No energy, no go.

If Brown only is energized = pump runs when the float is triggered. No energy to this cable or no water, no go.

Brown only was energized. Float was triggered. Pump did not run. However, when I touched the brown wire with the brown & white wire, the pump did kick on. I removed the brown & white wire immediately and the pump continued to run, so I know that the brown wire was energized.

This is why I'm so confused - with the brown wire energized, the pump should either be running "ON" manually, or "AUTO ON". It did neither.

 

[Beachbummer]

Can you try it again? Maybe the pump was a little stuck to start? Maybe the float is not passing enough current to start the pump, but just enough to keep it running?

 

[Dave burke]

That’s weird. All I can think of is the float was stuck and when you force started the pump, it became unstuck.

Sometimes debris can get inside the float mechanism which can cause it not to kick on or not shut off. Can you open up the pump and check?

This is another reason why I like to have an override switch.

 

[vbjoe7]

I'll be able to get back in and try it again tonight. I'll update with the results. This is definitely making me consider wiring it for AUTO ON through the battery and then manual on through the switch.

I really appreciate the replies. Thanks for sharing your knowledge/experience!

 

[Dave burke]

That’s what I would do. If you take it directly to the battery, make sure you add a fuse.