Is there such a thing as a small bilge pump with float that will last more than a season in the salt? I’ve replaced the little Atwood Sahara 500 on my boat twice this year and it’s a PITA job in the tiny bilge of my little flats rig. I suspect the float sticks and burns them out.
I rarely use it but consider them a safety feature when in open water in rough conditions. I’ve taken to carrying an extra with aligator clips in case of trouble but would love to have something reliable.
I only leave my boat docked overnight a few times a year when traveling.
Thinking about going with a manual model next instead of the auto float if that’s the main point of failure.
Thanks for the quick responses. Sounds like a good project for tomorrow. Any experience with Johnson Ultima switches over Rule? Like the idea of less moving parts.
Rule also has a pump with a sensor built in, it is straight wired to the batt. and switched. It comes on ever so often "preset " if there is no pressure (water) it goes off, if water is there it pumps. Kind of expensive though, its what I use when shrimping.
I went through many float switches and pumps before I switched to the automated pump. It comes on every 2 minutes and if it does not sense a load it turns off. It was expensive but was a 2000gph pump. I don’t know how this would work on a boat on a trailer. I guess you would have to run 2 switches.
I run two bilge pumps in my boat. Both are RULE pumps and both have been in there for years.
One has a separate float switch, and the other is the automatic sensing type. If you run a battery maintainer or use the boat often it will be fine. The down side is that the automatic sensing one runs the pump a tiny bit every few minutes to see if it picks up water. I can drain the battery if you are storing the boat.
Ive had very good service life from Rule pumps with a separate float switch. As a side bar, I like to run double ground wires. To wire the pump up, I suggest using a length 14/2 outdoor rated extension cord. I think you’ll find this to be an excellent way to wire up a pump and get years of service!
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Gen. Chap.1 Vs.9-13 (sold) 1984 Jeep CJ7 350 Chevy
I am with you Larry, two conductor double insulated tin coated marine grade, heat shrink butt connectors with another layer of heat shrink wrap on top. I do use two extension cords for my trailer lights. Provides a cheap double insulted wire and since I use pole lights no chance of salt water coming close so no true need for tin coated.
Iv’e found the most reliable pump to be the manual type with a push/pull handle Just put the end in the water and as you pull back on the handle it sucks out the water and as you push it run overboard! I keep one on all my boats as a last ditch! And have use them many times!! Every one should have one! Just be sure you install a hose long enough to reach from the bilge to go overboard
Rule standard pumps, 20A Rule float switch(high aamp rated). I’ve thrown a bunch of those automated pumps in the trash. They will kill you battery and get stuck on when the voltage gets low. Rule is on their forth or fifth “improved” version of those things
The way I see it all boats need two pumps, one on a switch , the other on a float. The pumps gpms are rated at the pump not on 4ft of hose from the pump, which brings the gpm down the more hose you have to run. Better safe than sorry. As far as the rule pumps with the sensors built in, I cut the wire on the positive side and spliced in a male and female spade connector. I plug it up when I need it, and leave it unplugged unless water is coming in the boat.
I understand and generally believe in the idea of redundancy. “Two is one and one is none.” I do keep a back-up Rule 1000gph pump in my storage box with alligator clips and a long section of hose. However, as most of my fishing is in the marshes and creeks, I’m rarely far from a sand bar that I could run aground on if I got in any real trouble. My most frequent need for a pump at all is that my bait well doesn’t auto drain and any overflow has a tendancy to seep into the bilge area. This almost always happens when I’m trying to get on plane on the shallowest flats and suddenly dragging stern. I was hoping that someone would have a float switch they had faith in, but following the KISS rule, I’m thinking of bypassing a float altogether and going with a larger pump and just wiring directly to the switch. Of course I’d have to be very careful on those few nights a year I leave her at dock.
sorry, I gave the wrong model number, its the rule 40a float switch that I sell. I[ve had good luck with them, The wires are 14 gauge and its rated to 20 amps. I probab;y sell 20-25 of them a year, so far, they are all still working
quote:Iv'e found the most reliable pump to be the manual type with a push/pull handle Just put the end in the water and as you pull back on the handle it sucks out the water and as you push it run overboard!
Those are good if they are large enough. We used to always keep one on our sail boats. But it is said, and I believe it, is that the best pump is a scared man with a bucket:smiley:
I never had or seen a Rule pump fail unless it was completely clogged with something. Even then it keeps running and doesn’t burn out.
I wire mine a little different from most. I run 2 hot wires to the pump. One of them is on a manual switch on the dash, fused, switched and operated as normal, if necessary. The other hot wire is rigged directly to the float switch and goes straight to the battery. No switching, no fuses, nothing to fail. This way I can still turn off all the power on the boat with the battery switch, except for the auto pump. Can’t turn it off. Don’t ever want to.
FWIW is use a Rule 2000 on an 18’ boat. With a Rule 1000 backup. And I always have a bucket or 2
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I wire mine a little different from most. I run 2 hot wires to the pump. One of them is on a manual switch on the dash, fused, switched and operated as normal, if necessary. The other hot wire is rigged directly to the float switch and goes straight to the battery. No switching, no fuses, nothing to fail. This way I can still turn off all the power on the boat with the battery switch, except for the auto pump.
I was actually thinking & researching a similar set-up today. My 16’ is currently rigged with a 500 (with a 1000 on gator clips as backup in storage) I’d like to go bigger but stepping to a 1000 means changing the tubing and going to a larger thru hull fitting. Thinking of rigging the pump direct to helm & house power and the float separately to one my TM batteries. Hoping this will allow me to run the pump from the helm if the float were to fail.
Two questions of the experts:
Any problem pulling power from one of these batteries to the float even if they’re providing 24v to the trolling motor?
That means I’d be running power cables both from the helm and from the float to the same cable on the pump. What’s the best way to make a 3-way connection. Not sure I can find a 3 way insulated crimp. Would a wire nut filled with silicone or soldiering the three wires together be a better option?
