hard wire a 12V high-volume inflator deflator in the boat????

[tdonoughue]

You are exactly right, @Bill D. I would remove it. You shouldn't need it.

 

[Bill D]

I just went back and reread your post where you said you swapped the coil leads. Do you have a multimeter? Checking the coil leads, you should see coil resistance one way (like 2 ohms or something), and almost 0 the other way (the short the diode creates).

 

[eticket]

The relay has the diode built in, but I did try reversing the power and ground between 85 and 85, same outcome.

 

[Bill D]

Gotcha. Sounds like a bad relay. Do you have a meter?

I've got an extra relay I can send you, or you can buy a 5 pack from Amazon for like $12.

 

[eticket]

Thanks for the inputs guys.

There are limited specs available for the relay, the NAPA site only says "N.O. Terminals 30-87 @ 50 Amps; N.C. Terminals 30-87a @ 20 Amps; Coil Terminals 85-86; Diode Across Coil", nothing about the capabilities of the coil side.

Tomorrow I will check all wiring again and check resistance. Otherwise I will go get a new relay.

 

[tdonoughue]

Ok. Yes, that is called a flyback diode. It prevents spikes when you turn off the switch (which should not be an issue in this application, I don't think). At any rate, if it is built in, that is fine. But it means that you need to have the polarity correct. Are you sure you switched them when you switched them?

 

[eticket]

Gotcha. Sounds like a bad relay. Do you have a meter?

I've got an extra relay I can send you, or you can buy a 5 pack from Amazon for like $12.

Thanks Bill. I hope it is a bad relay and I should be able to get one at an auto parts store tomorrow.

 

[eticket]

Ok. Yes, that is called a flyback diode. It prevents spikes when you turn off the switch (which should not be an issue in this application, I don't think). At any rate, if it is built in, that is fine. But it means that you need to have the polarity correct. Are you sure you switched them when you switched them?

Yes I was jammed in under the port seat and could see it well...such a pain getting in there! I was cocky and had everything tie wrapped already before testing...dumb!

 

[Bill D]

Should be the relay. If the fuse blows instantly, there is a short. It could be the coil, it could be the diode. I would just get a standard Bosch style relay. There's no need for the diode.

 

[KXCam22]

I recently had two bad relays in a row. I typically skip the 10a and use the 30a to fuse the whole thing. Simpler. The relay coil only needs 1a fuse. Cam.

 

[eticket]

It was the relay...put in a standard Bosch relay without a diode and wala, it all works as planned! Here are a few pics of the rest of the installation.

Hose for swim deck - took from an Airhead manual pump and added a section from the original electric pump so that I can have about 6 feet of total length with one end having a hose fitting to match up with the thru hull fitting and the other having the mating plug for the Airhead hose. It will be stored under the hatch cover on the swim deck.




The switch is just above the port aft locker close to rest of the wiring (and batteries). It is a small toggle switch with a rubber cover and it is sitting between two much thicker cushions, so should not jab anyone who is sitting there.



The positive and negative buss bars, with positive downstream of the main battery switch.



All in all I am quite pleased with the outcome and look forward to a less obnoxious process to blow up the inflatables this season.

 

[waternutt]

Since my write-up, I have purchased an inflatable standup paddleboard that requires higher air pressure 15 psi. The AirHead AHP won't generate enough pressure so I bought a SUP pump and installed that.
I replaced the low-pressure tubing with water line hoses to handle the increased pressure. Instead of a modified Boston valve on the swim platform, now I have a standard water hose fitting.
The electrical stayed the same.
The benefit of this pump is that it has 2 stages. It starts out using a high volume blower like the AHP but at a certain pressure, it switches to a piston pump. This allows it to get 20+ psi.
The pump will shut off when a desired pressure has been reached. I had to hot-wire the "on" button of the pump for it to start as soon as power is applied. I still need to confirm if the auto shutoff still works.
I am still testing the installation. I'm hoping that the first stage inflator will still work well with tubes.
I will add to my original post if everything works out.

@MNdrifter, how did your pump work out for you? I am trying to find a good pump for both lower pressure inflatables (i.e. tubes, gang planks, etc) as well as our ISUP. I would like to avoid having two separate pumps onboard.

 

[Mainah]

Has anyone ever tried using a leaf blower as an inflator by necking down the output to fit in an inflatable? The restriction from necking down may mean that no more effective but figure worth a shot.

 

[Eric Ballard]

Has anyone ever tried using a leaf blower as an inflator by necking down the output to fit in an inflatable? The restriction from necking down may mean that no more effective but figure worth a shot.

Seems like a leaf blower would be loud, large to store and consume lots of power.

 

[swatski]

Has anyone ever tried using a leaf blower as an inflator by necking down the output to fit in an inflatable? The restriction from necking down may mean that no more effective but figure worth a shot.

Apparently no problem!
LMAO

--

 

[Dough]

I use a worx blower for my sister's island. Blower end fit over valve barely, works great as is. I then blow the water off boat once on trailer!

 

[Mainah]

I have an old plug in shop vac power unit just itching to be repurposed. Another excuse to install an inverter. Theoretical 8x more volume per minute! My big tube would fill up much faster.

 

[BigAbe75]

View attachment 55057

@eticket How do you have your pump mounted? I just bought one of these, and my pump appears to have rubber feet on it. I'm not seeing a good way to run screws through the feet to mount on a bracket or wall. Also, looking at your pic, it looks like the pump is mounted on its side. I think I read that @buckbuck had problems with melting internal components when his was mounted on it's side.

And, finally, which compartment is this? Did you end up in the engine compartment or under one of the seats?

Thanks!

 

[eticket]

@BigAbe75 , if I recall correctly I mounted the pump by first putting two pipe brackets like the one below on the bulkhead and then using some tie wraps to hold the pump to the bulkhead. It is admittedly not that great but so far after one season it is still there and works fine. The pump is in the far aft area of the starboard under seat locker. This puts the pump out of the way and allows the air hose to go straight into the engine compartment and to my fitting penetrating through to the the swim platform.

 

[BigAbe75]

thanks! I did a little looking at it today, and I think I'm also going to mount it in that compartment. I can't go quite as far back, as I have bazooka sub in there. I also don't feel like I have a good spot for a thru-hull adapter going to the swimdeck (no flat surfaces). But, I think I can go straight up from that compartment with the fitting next to the original anchor light connection.

I'm going to try to work on this project this weekend. Have to recruit the admiral to climb in that compartment though. No way my butt's going to fit in there. Lol . I'll take lots of pics as I go.