I've been thinking about moving my bilge pump out of the bilge and toward the back of the boat, near the exit under the transom.
Today I experimented a bit: Jabsco diaphragm pump sitting on top the helmsmans seat, with a looooong 3/4" hose to the forward bilge pocket. It had no problem pulling the water up that distance (about 15 feet of horizontal run, plus roughly 6 feet of rise along the way), which is farther and higher than it will have to when installed. It emptied the bilge quite enthusiastically, in fact, so the plan looks... viable.
Given that, my pondering turns to the other pieces. I'm leaning toward a Water Witch switch to activate it, probably coupled with a conveniently-positioned panel to provide off-auto-on control.
But... which Witch?
On the Fisheries site there are about a half-dozen options. Some are designed for dual-circuit use, some have integral alarm buzzers, I don't think I need any of that.
The two I've narrowed it down to are
The 101
...or the 230
Both have a 6-second start delay, and a 14-second shut-off delay, which I want - I want the pump to run long enough to empty the hose when the bilge is empty.
Both are good for at least 15 amps, which I want - my pump nominally draws 11 amps when running, so a 10-amp switch won't cut it.
The 230 says it won't activate on fuel or oil, only water... which sounds good.
Are there differences I should care about? Will either do a better job at keeping the water-level low? Are there factors I should be looking at?
Bruce
Today I experimented a bit: Jabsco diaphragm pump sitting on top the helmsmans seat, with a looooong 3/4" hose to the forward bilge pocket. It had no problem pulling the water up that distance (about 15 feet of horizontal run, plus roughly 6 feet of rise along the way), which is farther and higher than it will have to when installed. It emptied the bilge quite enthusiastically, in fact, so the plan looks... viable.
Given that, my pondering turns to the other pieces. I'm leaning toward a Water Witch switch to activate it, probably coupled with a conveniently-positioned panel to provide off-auto-on control.
But... which Witch?
On the Fisheries site there are about a half-dozen options. Some are designed for dual-circuit use, some have integral alarm buzzers, I don't think I need any of that.
The two I've narrowed it down to are
The 101
...or the 230
Both have a 6-second start delay, and a 14-second shut-off delay, which I want - I want the pump to run long enough to empty the hose when the bilge is empty.
Both are good for at least 15 amps, which I want - my pump nominally draws 11 amps when running, so a 10-amp switch won't cut it.
The 230 says it won't activate on fuel or oil, only water... which sounds good.
Are there differences I should care about? Will either do a better job at keeping the water-level low? Are there factors I should be looking at?
Bruce
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