Running dedicated battery wire to bilge pump.

[Sidnewport]

As a new owner of a n Ericson 28-2 I am a bit dismayed by all the compartmentalization. Considering that the battery switch is accessible only by removing the water tank, and wires are all run through holes in the plastic compartments, I am at a loss as to how to hard-wire an an automatic bilge pump directly to a battery when the battery switch is set to OFF. Any ideas?

 

[peaman]

A battery terminal mounted fuse block is commonly used for that. It mounts directly on your battery, so is unaffected by the battery switch, and takes a fuse to protect against overload.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Hi Sid,
Welcome to Ericson ownership!
You might find these threads helpful:

Bilge pump wiring practices?

I'm rewiring our E 25 and am unsure of the standard practice of bilge pump wiring. Should its power come from downstream of the battery selector switch and this switch just always left on? Or wired directly to a battery? I can also see this dilemma as to wiring the little solar charger I just...

ericsonyachts.org

Bilge Pump Wiring

I am installing a new bilge pump and at the same time rewiring it directly to the battery. I want to make sure I’m doing it right. Quite honestly, even after reading all the posts here, I’m still a wee bit confused about the electronics of it all….(I should have paid a LOT more attention in...

ericsonyachts.org

also related:

E381 - Ericson 38-- Bilge Pump Systems and Considerations

What are bilge pumps for? I admit that for the first half of my life I figured they were there to keep the boat from sinking. But of course, they won't. Not even the manual Whale diaphragm that came with the boat will do that. Surely not the...

ericsonyachts.org

adding float switch to bilge pump

Hey all, Reading over some of the cockpit drain threads, I got to thinking about my bilge pump setup. In my '85 30+, my electric bilge pump is installed in a circular port just aft of the battery compartment on the starboard side near the nav chart area. There is a slot for it in the breaker...

ericsonyachts.org

Water Witch 101 Failure after Seven Years

The Water Witch is a solid state replacement for a float switch. Mine worked reliably, but failed this week. It engaged the pump on manual (three-way switch), but was dead on "auto," the switch setting that starts the pump when water level rises to the WW. Seven years is a good run, but since...

ericsonyachts.org

There are also a bunch more.
Cheers,
Jeff

If you haven't discovered Christian's master thread list, that's always worth a look too.

Master Threads (Recurring Topics)

Master Thread in a title identifies a full discussion of a popular topic. Posting to a Master Thread keeps topical information together. Autopilot Installation (Electric) https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/38-200-below-deck-linear-drive-installation-autopilot-master-thread.12103/ Bilge Pump...

ericsonyachts.org

 

[Sidnewport]

Thanks. The issue will be how to run a second wire from the battery to the pump. There is a single wire (plus ground of course) that runs from the "bilge pump" panes switch to the pump, but it runs under or through the plastic compartments, and somehow under the floor, to get to the pump. If I could follow the route of the existing wires or hoses it would be "easy" to get another wire down there, but I am dumbfounded.
Will I have to remove the cabin sole to do this? I have never had a boat before with all these sealed compartments

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Thanks. The issue will be how to run a second wire from the battery to the pump. There is a single wire (plus ground of course) that runs from the "bilge pump" panes switch to the pump, but it runs under or through the plastic compartments, and somehow under the floor, to get to the pump. If I could follow the route of the existing wires or hoses it would be "easy" to get another wire down there, but I am dumbfounded.
Will I have to remove the cabin sole to do this? I have never had a boat before with all these sealed compartments

Do you have any pictures of the inside of your boat? I'm not familiar with the 28-2. Are there any bilge access panels? When you say 'plastic' compartments, do you mean fiberglass or something like roto-molded plastic or? Finding spots to run wires can definitely be tricky. If your question is really model specific, you can put the model number in the title of the thread you start so it will draw in other owners of that model.
Maybe you could use the existing wire as a messenger to pull two wires through?

 

[peaman]

Not sure how your boat is set up, but my 32-3 has a few "conduits" of plastic hose for wiring. Those conduits terminate in the area of the electrical panel and nav station, and they pass through inaccessible spaces to convenient locations. Check your bilge to see if the pump wiring doesn't enter into a plastic hose on its way to the panel. If there is a hose, you should be able to use a fish tape to see where the wires go, and to run new wires.

 

[Loren Beach]

Will I have to remove the cabin sole to do this? I have never had a boat before with all these sealed compartments

For many access points we needed for bilge wiring runs, (former) fuel hose run, and the bilge pumps, yes we did have to remove the teak plugs and then remove the screws to lift out each sole piece.
Not sure what is mean't by Sealed Compartments, but I wonder if reference is being made to the various parts of the TAFG, which is the internal bracing structure of your boat (?)
Note that there are several divergent schools of thought on running wires directly to the positive terminal of the battery, and bypassing the main switch and/or high-current breaker.
Surveyors and Insurers much prefer a main battery switch that really de-enegizes all the DC circuits, in case of fire. We do still have some sense wires, fused, that go to the battery terminal, tho. (sigh)

 

[Sidnewport]

Do you have any pictures of the inside of your boat? I'm not familiar with the 28-2. Are there any bilge access panels? When you say 'plastic' compartments, do you mean fiberglass or something like roto-molded plastic or? Finding spots to run wires can definitely be tricky. If your question is really model specific, you can put the model number in the title of the thread you start so it will draw in other owners of that model.
Maybe you could use the existing wire as a messenger to pull two wires through?

 

[Sidnewport]

N

Not sure how your boat is set up, but my 32-3 has a few "conduits" of plastic hose for wiring. Those conduits terminate in the area of the electrical panel and nav station, and they pass through inaccessible spaces to convenient locations. Check your bilge to see if the pump wiring doesn't enter into a plastic hose on its way to the panel. If there is a hose, you should be able to use a fish tape to see where the wires go, and to run new wires.

No conduits at all, just wires running under and through holes in the compartments, but I was able to trace the "bilge pump" wire that looks like it will be able to pull through, and I found a route from the batteries directly to the switch panel. So direct wiring to the float-switch should be easy. I should remember to put in a fuse, though.