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When installing your pump, 14-gauge wire should be used. However, if your installation is over 20′ from the battery source, the wire size should be increased to 12 gauge. Using a wire that is too small causes undesirable heat in the wires and results in a voltage drop and lower performance of the pump.
What gauge wire should I use on my boat?
The ABYC recommends wire conductors of at least 16-AWG (gauge) for lights and other similar equipment. That’s minimum, and heavier gauge isn’t much more expensive — and generally no more trouble to install. We suggest you use 12- or 14-AWG to minimize your voltage drops, or more if the manufacturer suggests it.
How many amps does a bilge pump take?
Product Specs Amperage 3.7 Capacity 1100 Gallons per Hour Diameter 1 and 1 1/8 Inches Voltage 12 Volts Warranty Details Three Year Limited Warranty; Contact Manufacturer For Details.
Should bilge pump be wired directly to battery?
Connect to the battery When you turn the power off to leave the boat unattended, you don’t want to turn off the bilge pump. Connect an automatic bilge pump directly to the battery, not through the distribution panel.
What size fuse do I need for my bilge pump?
Remove and replace with the bilge pump manufacturers recommended fuse size (20 amp maximum). Failure to properly fuse your bilge pump is dangerous and may void the manufacturers warranty.
How many amps does a Rule 2000 bilge pump draw?
Current Draw: 8.4 Amps.
What type of wire is marine grade?
Well being marine grade means the power cable or speaker wire has been treated with a coating to prevent oxidation, usually tin. Tinned copper will not tarnish or oxidize like bare copper.
What is the difference between marine wire and regular wire?
Marine-specific wire is unique in a few ways. Most importantly, marine wire is larger for a given gauge size, up to 12% larger in some sizes. The fine stranding makes the wire very flexible, allowing it to better survive in a moving, vibrating boat, while the tinned strands provide additional corrosion protection.
Can I mix 12 gauge and 14 gauge wire?
Originally Answered: Can I mix 12 and 14 gauge wire? The 12 gauge can carry more current, therefore; you must not use 14 gauge in place of 12 gauge, but you can use 12 gauge in place of 14 gauge, but 12 gauge is larger.
How many amps does a 12 volt bilge pump draw?
12 volt DC – 2.1 amp draw. Hose outlet suits 20mm hose. Compact submersible electric pumps for use as bilge or bait pumps. 500 GPH – 31 Litres per minute.
How much does a bilge pump draw?
According to Rule’s technical documents, the pump will put out 1,620gph against a 1m (3ft 4in) head or 1,300gph against 2m (6ft 8in). In other words, you lose around 20 percent of your pump’s output when it has to lift the bilge water more than 3ft and 30 percent at 6ft 8in.
What kind of battery do I need for a bilge pump?
Most people go with sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries because they are less expensive and waterproof, but they are heavier than some other options. Some folks would use a 5 amp/hour 12 V SLA for that pump, but I would go with a 3.3 Ah battery like this Werker: http://www.batteriesplus.com/product/32 r/12V.
Should a bilge pump have a fuse?
As for fuse size, that is determined by the amp draw of the device being protected. Motor loads such as your bilge pump should be fused at no more than 150% of the full load amps of the motor when running (full load amps are listed on a plate or sticker on any electrical device).
Where is the fuse for my bilge pump?
There should be a 5 amp fuse. If the boat has a bilge breaker box with optional hour meter the fuse will be in the box. Either way it shows it should have been located on the port fwd bilge bulkhead.
What causes a bilge pump to stop working?
If pump runs but very little water comes out, this could be caused by low battery voltage. Another cause could be a kinked, split, partially disconnected, air-locked, or blocked discharge hose. Check hose and reroute, reconnect, or replace as required.
How does a rule bilge pump work?
Rule automatic bilge pumps have an internal computer chip to cycle pumps every 2-1/2 minutes. The pump runs for one second and shuts down if no water is detected. If water is detected, automatic pumps sense resistance at the impeller and run until water is removed. No float switches required.
What is marine wire coated with?
The most commonly used marine-grade cables are tin-coated. This tin coating prevents the wire from oxidation and will not tarnish like bare copper.
Is Thhn wire OK for marine use?
The THHN wire is not to be used in marine environments. At the least, it has a higher resistivity than what you’re using and would result in a high voltage drop thus poor windlass performance.
Is marine grade wire necessary?
For starters, using the wrong type of cable would leave your electrical connections more susceptible to corrosion. Without the tinning we talked about before, these cracks will lead to more corrosion. This is why it is essential to only use marine cable on your boat.
How do I know if my wire is marine grade?
the copper color of the blue cable. The silver color is “tinning,” which although not a Standards requirement, we often see on marine graded wire. The tinning is to minimize the effects of corrosion to the individual strands.
Is copper clad aluminum wire good for boats?
Earmark Marine Aluminum is a terrible conductor, it doesn’t belong in your power/ground wire. Aluminum will be very inefficient, reduce current capacity and increase heat. It’s simply dangerous if you are running any serious amount of power.
Should I use 14 or 12 gauge wire?
As long as you don’t put too many lights on the light circuit, you can usually control that circuit with a 15-amp breaker, as well as wire it with a 14-gauge wire. On the other hand, an outlet circuit controlled by a 20-amp breaker requires a 12-gauge wire.
Which is thicker 12 or 14 gauge wire?
Twelve gauge is about the thickness of a nickel, and 14-gauge is about the thickness of a dime. Also, look at the breaker for the circuit in question to see if it’s a 15-amp or a 20-amp breaker. A 20-amp circuit requires wire that’s 12-gauge or larger.
