My back bilge is wired up to an on off switch at the helm. The bilge is also wired directly to the battery so when I switch off my perco battery switch the auto float switch will still work. I cleaned up the wiring in the bilge and now I can not get the auto switch to work. I have four wires going to my bilge pump area. I have a negative and a positive wire hooked up to the bilge pump itself. The bilge pump works fine when I switch the on off button. However when I hook up the other two wires which both apear to be positive wires to the float switch the auto float switch does not work. One of the positive wires goes directly to the batter and I do not know where the other wire is coming from. i could not trace it. However, when I take off the positive wire hooke up to the bilge pump off and hook up either of these two positive wires the bilge pump just runs so I know these both have power. I just bought a new float switch because I thought this was the problem. However, it does not work. I heard it could be a bad new float switch. I am not sure if this is the case because if I understand correctly if I touch the two possitive wires that are hooked up to the float switch together one would think that the bilge should start working because all the float switch does is cause a connection when the water level rise. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Having trouble Rule Float Switch to work
- Thread starter Jbender5
- Start date
You have 1 negative and 3 positives --connect the negative to the pump. 1 positive goes directly to the battery--this should be hooked up to the float switch--Test by connecting it to the pump and and the pump should run regardless of the console switch. The other positive runs from the float switch to the pump--trace it. The third positive comes from the console switch and should be connected directly to the pump.
How come when I touch the positive wire" coming from the bilge pump" (it is a brown wire) and the "positive wire" coming from the battery together the pump does not turn on? Also does that mean this brown wire comes from the switch on the helm as well. The switch is only on off but it does light up when the float switch gets triggered to let me know that the bilge pump is on.
Wrong two positives--If you touch the positive from the battery and the positive from the console switch together nothing will happen--two positive have to be attached to the pump--one from the float and one from the console switch.
OK the pump DOES run when you turn it on at the console, so at least we know that is correct and the pump runs.
If I read it right you have two positive wires that are always "hot" and one more that is on the console switch.
The wire that goes directly to the battery may have been installed later as it bypasses the Perko switch. I would connect that wire to one side of the float switch. The other side of the float switch I would connect directly to the brown wire on the bilge pump (you'll end up with a 3-wire connection there, the pump, the float switch, and the console switch).
The remaining wire that you can't trace may go to the console, and is on the "switched" side of the Perko switch (you can test that by turning off the Perko switch). It may be the original wire. It may have connected to an old 3-position bilge switch, or it may have been for a second auto-only pump, who knows? I would tape it out of the way. Don't remove it until you KNOW you don't need it.
If I read it right you have two positive wires that are always "hot" and one more that is on the console switch.
The wire that goes directly to the battery may have been installed later as it bypasses the Perko switch. I would connect that wire to one side of the float switch. The other side of the float switch I would connect directly to the brown wire on the bilge pump (you'll end up with a 3-wire connection there, the pump, the float switch, and the console switch).
The remaining wire that you can't trace may go to the console, and is on the "switched" side of the Perko switch (you can test that by turning off the Perko switch). It may be the original wire. It may have connected to an old 3-position bilge switch, or it may have been for a second auto-only pump, who knows? I would tape it out of the way. Don't remove it until you KNOW you don't need it.
I thought the bilge pump only had two wires hooked up to it. Are you saying that it has three wires hooked up to it. One negative and two positives. One positive from the switch which I have hooked up to the bilge pump (brown) and one positive from the float switch. That leaves the wire directly from the battery (red) to be hooked up to the other float switch wire. What about the third positive wire the brown and white wire? What do I connect that to. Currently with the brown wire and the black wire hooked up to the pump I can manually switch the pump on. However, the float switch will not work. Sorry I am a bt confused.
I thought the bilge pump only had two wires hooked up to it. Are you saying that it has three wires hooked up to it. One negative and two positives. One positive from the switch which I have hooked up to the bilge pump (brown) and one positive from the float switch. That leaves the wire directly from the battery (red) to be hooked up to the other float switch wire. What about the third positive wire the brown and white wire? What do I connect that to. Currently with the brown wire and the black wire hooked up to the pump I can manually switch the pump on. However, the float switch will not work. Sorry I am a bt confused.
Capt. Bill1
Active member
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- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 2017
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- 6,127
Neg to the neg on the bilge pump.
Switched pos to the pos at the pump.
The always hot pos from the battery goes to the auto bilge pump switch.
The other wire coming off the auto switch ties to the pos wire coming off the helm mounted on/off switch at the pump.
You really don't need 4 wires. The 4th wire could be going to an indicator light of course.
Switched pos to the pos at the pump.
The always hot pos from the battery goes to the auto bilge pump switch.
The other wire coming off the auto switch ties to the pos wire coming off the helm mounted on/off switch at the pump.
You really don't need 4 wires. The 4th wire could be going to an indicator light of course.
Funny you mention indicator light. When the float switch gets triggered and the bilge pump turns on automatically and a indicator light goes on on the dashboard. What do I do with this extra wire then. Does it hook up to the pump or the float switch. Right now when you switch on the pump manually but turning the switch on the indicator light comes on.
AHA! You say your bilge pump has 3 wires coming from it???? A black ground wire, a brown "hot" wire, and a brown and white wire?
If so you have an automatic pump with a built-in float switch and you don't need the float switch you just bought for that pump.
IF your pump has 3 wires:
The brown wire connects to the built-in float switch and should be always "hot" (connect to the red wire from the battery). The reason the pump didn't come on when you touched the brown wire to the red wire is because the float switch was still "off". Turn the pump upside down (or put it in a bucket of water) and it should come on.
The brown/white wire goes directly to the pump motor and should be connected to the console switch (manual).
The black wire is your ground.
IF your pump has 2 wires:
The brown wire connects to the external float switch AND to the wire coming from the console switch. Either one will turn it on.
The other end of the external float switch goes to the battery (red wire) and should have a fuse somewhere.
The black wire is still your ground.
You still don't need that original wire (the one you can't trace). But don't remove it until you figure out what it was for.
My guess is that the brown wire from the float switch was originally connected to the always-on wire that you can't trace. The other end of it is probably at your console somewhere. However if you shut off the Perko switch the console goes dead and with it the pump (NOT GOOD). So somewhere in the past someone ran another wire (the red one) directly to the battery bypassing the Perko switch (it should be fused). THIS is the wire that should be connected to the brown wire (auto) wire from the pump.
The indicator light is connected at the console switch and will light whenever the pump comes on. Even with the console switch OFF, if the float switch comes on, some of the juice will feed back up the wire to the console and light the light. No need to worry about it at this time, it ain't broke!
If so you have an automatic pump with a built-in float switch and you don't need the float switch you just bought for that pump.
IF your pump has 3 wires:
The brown wire connects to the built-in float switch and should be always "hot" (connect to the red wire from the battery). The reason the pump didn't come on when you touched the brown wire to the red wire is because the float switch was still "off". Turn the pump upside down (or put it in a bucket of water) and it should come on.
The brown/white wire goes directly to the pump motor and should be connected to the console switch (manual).
The black wire is your ground.
IF your pump has 2 wires:
The brown wire connects to the external float switch AND to the wire coming from the console switch. Either one will turn it on.
The other end of the external float switch goes to the battery (red wire) and should have a fuse somewhere.
The black wire is still your ground.
You still don't need that original wire (the one you can't trace). But don't remove it until you figure out what it was for.
My guess is that the brown wire from the float switch was originally connected to the always-on wire that you can't trace. The other end of it is probably at your console somewhere. However if you shut off the Perko switch the console goes dead and with it the pump (NOT GOOD). So somewhere in the past someone ran another wire (the red one) directly to the battery bypassing the Perko switch (it should be fused). THIS is the wire that should be connected to the brown wire (auto) wire from the pump.
The indicator light is connected at the console switch and will light whenever the pump comes on. Even with the console switch OFF, if the float switch comes on, some of the juice will feed back up the wire to the console and light the light. No need to worry about it at this time, it ain't broke!
The bilge pump has 2 wires, the float switch has two wires, and the boat has four wires. A brown, brown and white, red, and black. The red is directly connected to the battery bypassing the perco switch. The black is grounded to the switch ground. The brown is from the switch positive and I am not sure where the brown and white is coming from.
OK I think we're getting somewhere.
How many terminals are on the console switch? (Probably 2)
How many wires are on the console switch? You should have a red pos wire from the pos feed. Any other wire on THAT terminal is always hot. The OTHER terminal goes to the pump, and there may be a small wire to the indicator light.
The fourth wire is still not needed.
How many terminals are on the console switch? (Probably 2)
How many wires are on the console switch? You should have a red pos wire from the pos feed. Any other wire on THAT terminal is always hot. The OTHER terminal goes to the pump, and there may be a small wire to the indicator light.
The fourth wire is still not needed.
Capt. Bill1
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 2017
- Messages
- 6,127
3 wires at the pump = what Willie said.
It's a bit hard to follow the rather confusing description of what is actually connected or tested to what, but have you checked the inline fuse and the fuse-holder contacts in the battery-positive-terminal- to-float-switch wire (then to pump, then to battery negative)?
Here are ITT/Rule's wiring instructions: http://www.ittflowcontrol.com/suppo...a-pump-and-float-switch-to-a-panel-switch.htm
This is for a Rule-Mate or computerized bilge pump & dash switch: http://www.ittflowcontrol.com/suppo...rized-or-rule-mate-pump-to-a-panel-switch.htm
Here are ITT/Rule's wiring instructions: http://www.ittflowcontrol.com/suppo...a-pump-and-float-switch-to-a-panel-switch.htm
This is for a Rule-Mate or computerized bilge pump & dash switch: http://www.ittflowcontrol.com/suppo...rized-or-rule-mate-pump-to-a-panel-switch.htm
I'm still scratching my head. The bilge pumps I've seen have 3 wires. One wire connects to ground. The second wire connects to dash switch which will manually turn the pump on; this a 12v positive wire. The third wire is connected to the float switch. The float switch is essentially connected to the battery, prior to the battery switch. One hot lead going to the float switch and the other wire from the float switch to the bilge pump. If there is a 4th wire from the bilge pump, it may be for an alarm/indicator.
Bilge pumps come in two varieties, the basic 2-wire manual pump and the 3-wire auto or computerized pump.
The 3-wire pump needs 3 wires to work as intended.
The 2-wire pump only needs 2 wires for manual-only operation or 2 wires for auto-only operation with an external float. If you want manual AND auto, you need three wires and an external float.
Oddly enough I can't seem to find any online wiring diagrams.
None that I know of need 4 wires.
The 3-wire pump needs 3 wires to work as intended.
The 2-wire pump only needs 2 wires for manual-only operation or 2 wires for auto-only operation with an external float. If you want manual AND auto, you need three wires and an external float.
Oddly enough I can't seem to find any online wiring diagrams.
None that I know of need 4 wires.