[jjjtronics]

Guys, just because I am so nosey, and DO care, I will like to add an idea which has worked for me beautifully for 3 years now. When I rewired her, I knew, because I worked Marine electronics for a few years, that "faulty" bilge pumps are a common cause of sunk boats at the Marinas here, well, the safest way to wire them ( Mine is dead straight to the batt. with just a water/sinkable proof fuse holder in line with the + wire and the float switch in between, no manual switch, nothing else ). But, I learn from years of findings and complaints and almost sunk boats, a common problem is DIRT and DEBRY and CRAP that lives on the bilge. Stuff that gets stuck under float switches and also cloggs pumps etc. so the pumps keep on running without pumping water until the battery is drained to death, either because the pump is clogged or because the float keeps the pump running even on a dry bilge. Dead battery, no pump action, youre going down baby !!!!
So, I intalled on the float, and on the pump, homemade fence/screens for both the pump and the float. I used tall Tupperware bouls, with many holes around the sides, and the tops lids installed on the bouls. I used a solder iron with a 3/16 tip to open holes which are reinforced by the melting ( drill bit try cracked my first boul made ) The pump boul is about 10 inches high, the switch boul is about 6" high. Never had a battery even weak, or a clogged or stuck switch so far ( let me knock on wood ). This is not my idea, I have seen this screen boxes already made for bilge pumps. Mine are Tupperwares !!!