Mystery fuses/wires

[matt_unique]

I will paste a thread I posted last year during winter layup:

>>Not precisely related but when I was removing my batteries this year I found an empty fuse holder right near my house battery. Everything works including both macerators and I was wondering what it could have been for. Makes sense that it may be a fuse for a Wallas even though I never had one installed in my Tomcat.<<

This is an old thread but as I'm doing spring recommission I took another look at the wires/fuses I mentioned above.

The wires run directly off the positive terminal on my starboard and port start batteries. Both have a fuse holder but no fuse. The wires disappear into a large sheath with a lot of other wires.

I wondered over the course of last season whether my bilge pump auto switches worked. The Tomcat gets only a little water in the sponsons even after days of pouring rain. Each day I arrive I always check the bilge and throw the manual switch on to drain whatever water may be there. There were some mornings when I seemed to have a decent amount pouring out when I hit the manual switch.....I wonder if these wires/fuses are for my auto switches on the bilge pumps? It would make sense because each would need a constant hot wire and each would need a fuse. Based on this assumption, what size fuse (amps) should I use?

With the enclosed Rule pumps there is no easy way to test other than to pour water in there. Any other suggestions?

Thanks

[Matt Gurnsey]

What color are the wires?

[Captains Cat]

Capt Matt, Here is a wiring diagram I got from the factory last year, if it'll help.

Charlie

[thataway]

Charlie,
Thanks---the wiring on my 2006 is slightly different. But it is a good basis for people who are trouble shooting.

How are your port and STb engine start batteries and switches set up? This circuit does not look as if there are 1/2/all switches on both sides? Mine is set up so that the stb engine has the house battery. #2 position on the port switch combines the port and stb engine start batteries.

[Captains Cat]

Bob, I have one battery on the port side with a 1-2 switch and two batteries on the stbd side with another 1-2 switch. All batts are the same, deep cycle. I plan to add one more on the port side soon and sort out which feeds what. Need to get in there and do my own diagram of the stern area...

We have spent virtually no time on the hook and until now, have had no power at my pier to run the onboard charger. I apparently run it enough to keep them up for the time I run each year, just turn them both on to
"both" when we go out and "off" when we get in. As an electrical engineer, I' that I don't know more about how it's wired..

Charlie

[matt_unique]

The wires are red for the first foot from the positive terminals then spliced into brown wires (i.e. first foot red remaining length brown).

My electrical system is different then the diagram as well but it is a great guide.

My starboard switch position 1 is starboard start bat, position 2 is house, and both is house and starboard start.

My port switch position 1 is port start bat, position 2 is starboard start bat, and both is port and starboard start bats.

[marvin4239]

Matt brown wire is usually the bilge pump.

[matt_unique]

Well I confirmed the mystery empty fuse holders were for the auto float switches on the bilge pumps. The port side works perfectly, the starboard bilge pump is leaking water around the hose outlet and the float switch is stuck on. I removed it, cleaned the filter, and lifted/lowered the float manually but it would not shut off. Something tells me this was the case since before it left the dealership and they just removed the fuses to ignore the problem

I tried tightening the hose clamp but it still sprayed out from the side. I filled the bilge with water over the pump and hit the manual switch. She pumps out good, I can see a little spray for the last inch of water or so that it cannot drain.

Some lessons learned in working with the bilge pumps. As we all know, they are a nightmare to access. (I know someone, Roger maybe, that added an access hatch in the aft vertical portion of the fish box to make this a bit easier). However, you can snap them out of their housing and pull them out of the existing aft access port. This made it A LOT easier for working with the hose, clamps, and for wiring. The bilge hose is very rigid so it's hard to get it back into the casing. If you pull it out do your best to figure out the orientation of the hose to the pump to make this a little easier. It also takes some force to push the pump so that it locks back into the casing. Make sure none of your other wires are under there of course.

I'm hoping I can use the existing housing for the replacement pump. I was unable to remove the hose from the pump though. I loosened and removed the hose clamp. I could get the pump to twist inside the hose but she would not come off. Any suggestions for this?

Thanks!

[eNORMous]

I more or less had a similar issue w/ the bilge pumps on my boat. Spent time running down the wiring schematic - colors were correct, until they bled into the brown wiring for bilge pumps. Actually, the factory had the wiring backwards relative to which switch went to which bilge pump - cockpit verus cabin.

One of the Rule bilge pumps was simply shot. The factory (Frank) sent me all new stuff including ties, clamps, etc.

It's 71F today and it's boat day! I have a full day of "playing" on Antibody - new bilge pump (yeah, they're kind of tough to get out). I've had plenty of experience with them on other boats. They due burn out occasionally. After having tackled your first one (lessons learned the hard way) - you get much more comfortable with others down the line. The one in the transom bay is much more difficult to maneuver than the others.

If you pop the bilge pump out of the base first, the job is easier, IMO. Then remove the wires, the hoses (they're tough to get off), etc and do the reinstall. I'll be doing my new installation this morning.

Looking forward to spring and summer weather.

The hose "will" come off - but, it's a mutha to get off. You "can" buy different style/type hose. Some hoses adhere to or don't adhere to the plastic PVC on the bilge better than others and can make the job easier. More or less a random call on the type/style of hose; but, you're not locked in to which hose you use. You can always change out the hoses, as well. You can, and should use the old bilge pump base - unless the base has issues of water intrusion or anything else. In some of my boats, the hoses were so nearly perfectly aligned and so tight, I didn't even have the base mounted - LOL. It stayed rigid to the hull. I then filled the holes w/ epoxy and never had to worry about water intrusion.

[SEA3PO]

I know what it is...and why it is empty.... it's to that damm automatic bilge pump...and it will drain your battery if you leave a fuse in it when you are not using the boat.... mine was hooked up that way... it checks the bilges every couple of minutes...takes a very small amount of energy, but over weeks will drain the battery....maybe the same person who rigged my boat rigged yours....(idiot)

Joel
SEA3PO

[flrockytop]

[matt_unique]

Today I replaced the starboard bilge pump. The new pump worked perfectly and I was able to get the hose off OK. It was very warm today (near 60) so maybe that softened up the hard plastic hose a bit.

Turns out my starboard bilge pump had a cracked housing. I don't know if it was like that for a while or if I caused it when tightening the hose clamp the other day after testing the float switch.

The job was really not that hard once I realized I could pull the entire pump, hose, and wires out of the aft access port. Makes it much easier than trying to do the monkey arm repair down below.

Anyway she does not leak a drop and works perfectly. The mystery fuse holder issue has been solved and now I have properly working bilge pumps. Thanks for the replies.