Sounds like you might need to pre-wet the boat!
First, just to pass on some comments made when I discussed bilge pumps on another forum - if the boat springs a leak, and is unattended for, say, 4 days, then the chances are high that all that you will achieve with the electric pump is the complete draining of a battery, after which the boat sinks.
Having said that though, I can understand your thinking - if you have the boat well maintained, then any leaks are unlikely, and hopefully small. So you are expecting that the pump will never run, but want the peace of mind of it being in place. This also might be an insurance requirement. You might want to also consider having someone local to the boat keeping an eye on it. The manual pump should maybe be located where outsiders can pump, even if the boat is otherwise locked. You might also want to consider a manual over-ride switch to run the electric pump if the float switch fails.
Anyway, to answer you actual last question, to do a simple hookup, you use wire of sufficient thickness gauge to take the expected current. The bilge pump might have that current, or the recommended wire gauge, on the label or instructions. You need some cable lugs, these fit on the ends of the wire, and have, in this case, an 'eye' in the end that is large enough to take the battery clamp bolt. These lugs normally crimp onto the cable. You might want to coat with lanolin to reduce corrosion at the joint. So you would just remove the clamp nut, and add the lug under it, then replace the nut and tighten. Do this last though, as you want to avoid having live wires while wiring it up.
I would run the wires as follows:
Positive terminal, (assuming your propulsion motor/boat wiring is negative ground) very short wire to an inline fuse that is of proper value to match the pump that you are using. This might be given on the pump label, or in the instructions. This fuse can also act as a switch in emergency, by undoing/unscrewing it to break the circuit. You will also need spare fuses. A wire from the fuse then runs to the float switch. Again, most wire connecters crimp onto the wires. And this is a potential source of hidden corrosion, so the lanolin might help. If the float switch is separate from the pump, a wire then runs to the pump. The other wire from the pump then runs directly to the negative side of the battery that you have selected. I would use the battery at the end of the bank that the ground wire comes from. This will make the ground system for the whole boat as a common system.
There is something called 'tinned wire' that is recommended, but boat makers, I am told, do not generally use it.
Bear in mind that especially if the motor never runs, which is probably the intended situation here, you will need to check the wire connections regularly. Try to keep them high and clear of water.
My experience is with cars, rather than boats, so, like all info gained on the internet, it is better to double-check this, and maybe get better opinions/methods, and certainly wait for other responses. You should be able to get this same advice/info clarified by an auto parts dealer, where the wiring parts can be purchased.
A final caution - once this is wired, you will have a dual voltage. Bear in mind the use of the 12 v part, in that it was designed never to run, and if in the future needing a 12 v supply for other items, then you will at that time have to revisit the whole issue - my own preference would be to use a small dedicated 12 battery for (LED?) lights, VHF, and at that time, move over the bilge pump to the new 12v supply, or to get one of those electronic units that allow the end battery of the bank to be used.
John
2. 48V-12V
Posted by: "Marti Thorkilson" mthorkilson@yahoo.com mthorkilson
Date: Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:34 pm ((PST))
The boat has been in a barn for the past 25 years! She seems as
sound as the day she was built but is dry as a dog biscuit. Once she
"takes up" I suspect that she will be free of leaks but that's pure
spectualtion on my part.. I've installed a dripless shaft seal and
she has a manual, whale gusher pump installed. I agree completely
about the bilge pump capacity. It's just that I live about 90
minutes from the dock and don't want to lose too much sleep worrying
about water seeping into the bilge. That's why I want the electric
pump. How would I go about wiring it directly from a 12V battery
that is part of a 48V system?
--
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