Float switch alternate wiring advice

[gulfcoast john]

Greetings wiring wizards, I again need some good free advice and always come here to get it.

We’re getting ready to splash from the dry slip to the wet one and found the port sponson float switch inop. The manual bilge pump switch at the helm works, so it’s not the pump. No big deal, the wiring lives close to the bilge water in a bad neighborhood for electrical stuff. There was some corrosion at the float switch butt connections. I cut that back to clean wire and new connectors, but no go. Then I replaced the Super Switch with a new one. Still no go.

In tracing this problem down, it appears to be in the worst possible place...inside the Blue Seas battery management panel.

https://www.bluesea.com/products/8693/Triple_Battery_Bank_Management_Panel

Touch the picture to enlarge. The two 24/7 15A bilge pump circuit breaker LED’s were previously always on. Now only one is on, the other off, and the next four LED’s were previously off but now are on (these are un-used circuits). Neither breaker is tripped (popped out). Two brown wires with white stripes each go from the panel to one side of each float switch. The other float switch wire is connected to the brown + wire from the helm switch.

I have never disassembled one of these panels (mine is an 80 amp version with a 40 amp breaker for the helm bus and two 24/7 bilge pump circuits with LED’s). Getting pro service this year has been a nightmare. The intermittent no-crank issue that ended our August Gulf Coast adventure turned out to be a bad start relay. Getting that $120 relay from Japan and 2 rigging tubes took 3 months in the shop.

On the other hand, I would not put her in a wet slip without a working automatic float switch. So I’m looking for a work-around until annual off-season service.

I could splice the port switch over to the working stbd switch brown/wh wire, except I use Rule 1750g/h Gold 20 amp pumps that would then both be on a single 15 amp circuit. (Neither has ever tripped it's 15 amp breaker).

I believe the float switch wires are not polarity dependent. If I keep the port one connected to the brown manual helm switch wire, and change the other from the non-working brown/white from the panel directly to the nearby port engine battery positive terminal with a 15 amp fuse, would that accomplish this mission? (I use a Blue Seas 60amp MRBF terminal fuse above the engine start cable for the Blue Seas P12 40amp smart charger).

If not, please offer any other suggestions to bypass the panel. The Installation PDF, page 2 diagram is intimidating to me. I’d basically be trying to ensure that the wiring from the far right LED is like the one next to it and then getting it all back together without a short circuit or worse at the start of boating season.

Thanks all!

Cheers!
John

[colbysmith]

I'm already confused....but not the quickest at comprehending what I read.... So keeping it simple for me, is your float switch even working? (Find a way to test continuity through it....) If it is, and you are just looking for a temporary fix, I'd just run a new fused positive wire to the float switch and see if it works. If not, then it's likely in the wire between the float switch and the pump. In which case, replace that wire. Anyway, just my two cents.... and you get what you pay for. Colby
P.s. Just reread your post. Any chance something shorted back there causing those other LED's to be on now, that did not use to be? That may be a bigger problem than the float switch issue.

[gstraub]

I run an old wooden vessel for a museum and that boat, due to the way it is compartmentalized, has six bilge pumps and nine float swithes (three are high water alarms). There is an additional bilge pump and float switch in the yawl boat. Not a week goes by one of these isn't failing, so I feel your pain!

I don't know your set up well enough to give you any good advice except to just methodically trace it out. However, you can indeed wire the pump/float switch directly to the battery with an appropriate fuse in line near the battery terminal, as you suggest. It would at least confirm that the problem is not with the pump and switch.

Gerhard

[thataway]

If the float switch is working. I agree with the advice to wire directly to the battery with an appropriate size fuse. Use adhesive shrink crimp fittings, and cover with a second layer of the heat shrink tubing.

This gives you a work around until there is time to sort out the issue with the panel. (I have no experience with this specific panel, but it should be fairly straight forward. Breakers do go bad, and that may be the issue here. It can be tested for continuity, when the power is off to the panel.

Looking at the diagram it looks to be a very straight forward circuit. The "24/7" breakers are connected direct to the positive of the house battery bank. You should be able to replace that breaker. As for the other ones being on--only by using a volt meter can you determine if there is a short somewhere, feeding positive to the output side of the breakers (which would turn on the lights) & give at least some power--it could be low amperage--and not run the appliances connected.

Yes the float switch is polarity neutral-However it is always put in the "Positive" circuit, because there is a second positive feed to the pump from the console manual bilge pump switch.

The best float switch is the Ultra Safety systems float switch jr. with high water alarm. This is rated at 15 amps. If you decide to replace the switch, this would be the best alternative. Also it is often wise to have second bulb pump an inch or two ago the other pump, and the alarm/ switch in this circuit.

The wait is common these days. Reason to DIY.