dead batteries and float switches

[stoney]

Due to circumstances (work) I keep my boat in the water where the fish are and visit it on weekends. I installed two bilge pumps directly wired to its own battery. Batteries are on a Guest switch. I leave the switch off when I'm away. When I got to the boat Friday a float switch had stuck on and both batteries were dead. I do have a Promarine onboard charger. Two questions:
What is the best bilge pump switch that wont stick?
Why are both batteries dead?

[Skiblet]

http://www.johnson-pump.com/JPMarine...timaswitch.htm

Have this on my boat for the past two years.

[hermco]

First thing I would do is to check water level,fully charge and load test the batteries. You can then begin to diagnose the problem.

[McGillicuddy]

Did you see a float switch was stuck or is that your first logical assumption?
Are your float switches separate units or integrated in the bilge pump? Was the pump vertical? I don't know what's best but I prefer the integrated style. Fewer connections and theoretically, less likely to stick in the on position due to being in a cage of sorts, protecting it from something floating around in the bilge. Also do you have the constant cycling style or the type that only goes on when the water level rises 2" or so? I prefer the latter...
Are your batteries true deep cycle and in decent condition and are all of your contacts good?
Did it rain like hell all week so the pump ran 24/7?
Also long hoses and corrugated hoses reduce flow causing the pump to draw more power as the discharge takes longer. Father Frank personally undertook this test about a year ago, and posted his findings... I believe the West Marine Pro Bilge series are Johnson products. I have always used Rule products but there are always failures in a saltwater environment. I don't know what's better.

Regarding the dead batteries, you may want to look into a battery isolator. If batteries are tied together on a single switch it is natural that they draw from one another keeping a balanced charge unless they are isolated. Check out this product from Blue Sea Sytems, Im using it and think it's the best system out there for a small boat in big water.

http://bluesea.com/category/2/productline/overview/329

The system protects the starting battery from being drained by the house electronics.

[stoney]

This is my setup. The switch did have a piece of debris holding it open. I expect that could happen eventually and thats why I have two pumps, individually wired to a separate battery. I can live with aone dead battery but when one switch kills both batteries sometingwong!
I need better switches and to figure out why both batteris die.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...bilgepumps.jpg

[McGillicuddy]

Stoney, I dumped my rule-a-matic switches for their tendency to get crap stuck under them. The V angle between your hoses and the floats don't help either as they form a weir trapping even more debris.

The other rule-a-matic float switches like the Rule 40A would solve the debris jam problem. Rule also makes covers for the ones you're currently using. I believe the cover models are Rule 36 and Rule 38. They're probably $5-6 a piece. That's probably the way to go until the pumps crap out. Which might never happen in a bilge that clean.

Here's another switch that looks excellent by design.

http://www.sealandsanitation.com/sensaswitch.htm

As far as draining both batteries, I'm guessing that they are connected by using 1 battery switch that offers 1 or 2 or 1+2. If that's the case one battery drew power off of the other, draining both. Either separate the batteries by using 2 separate switches, or get the battery isolator I described earlier. It allows you to charge your batteries while under way, but it uses diodes and does not let the batteries to share current unless you move the switch to "Combine" which you only do for emergency starts. About a $100 online. $150 @west marine. Here's what it looks like:



Good luck! -- McGill

[hermco]

What is the battery setup? Battery switch type?

[3rdday]

I read an article in boattest reports, they rated Rule automatic rule-mate with the integral float switch highest, I also liked the fact that the wires are marine grade tinned, attwood are not.

[Caymanboy]

USS Bilge switch, Ultra Safety System switches, one model comes with a hight bilge alarm, they don't stick, guarranteed for life.

[dcobbett]

McCillicuddy,

What's the black box connected to the ARC with green wires?