Bilge pump problem. Seaflo

[pmar]

Hi All,
I have some problem, lately my bilge pump started running on dry, and never stopped... My setup is without external sensor, so blocking was not an option, i thought that its something with sensor on bilge pump, so I bought new pump(Seaflo), new pump have 3 cables, brow(+ manual operation), brown-white(+ automatic operation), black (-).

According to manual new pump have 2 working modes:
1. Manual operation (brown cable connected to +) it should not work until it detect 3.8cm (1.5") of water and then start
2. Automatic mode (brown-white cable connected to +) it should work for 0,5sec every 2,5min, and additionaly start full on if detects water over 3,8cm.

Thing is when I go for option 1 it works all the time non stop even if it not detecting water. (so similarly to old bilge pump). Option 2 works as designed.
I've changed all connectors on cables, tried to connect directly to battery, its all the same.
So I'm confused and have some questions:
Maybe mode 1 should be only used with external float? (can somebody clarify, please?
Maybe there is something that I'm missing? What else could be the reason? New bilge pump might be broken?

PS. I dont know if this topic should be here or in electric section.

[JoeRobertJr]

Hi, pmar,

Which Seaflo pump model do you have?

For my pump, "manual" is intentionally constantly on as you described yours is doing. This mode lets you run the pump regardless of whether there is water in the bilge or not. It will not turn on automatically in this mode. It is only you controlling the pump via the switch.

When the switch is on "auto" mode, the pump relies on a sensor to determine whether there is water to pump out. The sensor could be internal to the pump or an external float switch, depending on the pump model. Start and stop is automatic in this mode.

[JoeRobertJr]

Your point #2 suggests your pump is the type that detects water based on the loading of the pump when it turns on intermittently. I am not familiar with how those should be wired, so my previous post may not be helpful. I would focus on the schematic that came with your pump, especially with regards to whether it requires an external sensor for the manual mode, and how the man/auto switch should be wired.

[pmar]

Originally Posted by JoeRobertJr

Your point #2 suggests your pump is the type that detects water based on the loading of the pump when it turns on intermittently.

Thats true, i've checked with producer and everything works like it should, so its just like this pump works. Thanks

[jzk]

Originally Posted by pmar

Hi All,
I have some problem, lately my bilge pump started running on dry, and never stopped... My setup is without external sensor, so blocking was not an option, i thought that its something with sensor on bilge pump, so I bought new pump(Seaflo), new pump have 3 cables, brow(+ manual operation), brown-white(+ automatic operation), black (-).

According to manual new pump have 2 working modes:
1. Manual operation (brown cable connected to +) it should not work until it detect 3.8cm (1.5") of water and then start
2. Automatic mode (brown-white cable connected to +) it should work for 0,5sec every 2,5min, and additionaly start full on if detects water over 3,8cm.

Thing is when I go for option 1 it works all the time non stop even if it not detecting water. (so similarly to old bilge pump). Option 2 works as designed.
I've changed all connectors on cables, tried to connect directly to battery, its all the same.
So I'm confused and have some questions:
Maybe mode 1 should be only used with external float? (can somebody clarify, please?
Maybe there is something that I'm missing? What else could be the reason? New bilge pump might be broken?

PS. I dont know if this topic should be here or in electric section.

Manual operation means that if you power the brown wire, the pump will run such as if you connect the brown to a switch.