Trojan Boat Forum

First, very handsome boat.

Rule makes bilge pumps up to 2000 gallons per hour or more that operate on 12 volts. Rule also make a float switch that either clips to the pump itself or can be mounted slightly aft of the pump.

The trick with these large capacity pumps is to size both the outlet hose and the through-hull at or greater than the diameter of the outlet flange on the pump. The large Rule pumps have, I believe, a 1-1/4" outlet so the hose and through-hull should be that size or greater to achieve the pump's maximum capacity. If you use smaller hose than the outlet, the pump's capacity drops dramatically.

Wire the pump directly to a battery (or battery bank) that you trust. Put the fuse as close to the battery as you can to protect not only the pump but the wiring to it. Don't pick up and use any old wiring. Run at least new #14 or #12 stranded copper marine cable directly to the pump, without splices.

The pumps come with pig-tail leads, which means making a connection to the wires to the battery within a foot or so of the pump. Make that connection well above the pump as possible and use butt-connectors fastened with a crimping tool. I like the butt connectors that can be shrink-sealed with a hair dryer or heat gun.

No twisted connections covered with electrical tape, ever. Those are a invitation to disaster for pumps or anything else on a boat.

guglielmo6160 wrote:one more thought, you know a friend told me that they now have a monitor module that will call your cell phone if bilge water is at a higher level than normal,
sounds like a real good idea and Im going to look into that

Where do you find that little treasure?

I have 2. 2200gal Johnson pumps & 2. Johnson float switches(the one with the ball). one in front where the dinette meets the forward locker & one in the Lazerette where the factory put them. Also, I put in a 120 volt Rule 1800 gal automatic pump behind the forward pump but put the thruhull on the opposite side so when the marina guys look at it they'll know which pump is on & can go aboard & correct anything before it goes down. ( it went down 4 times in one year at the dock). I wired it ahead of my shorepower switch & put in a GFI receptacle to protect it. The Rule comes on every 2 1/2 minutes & if it feels resistance on the impeller it keeps pumping. It maintains 3/4 of an inch in the bilges.

My buddy put one in his 42 sea voyager & loves it.

seavoyager,

did I read that correctly, you went down 4 times in one year??? ya gotta be kiddin me

Sad to say, it's true. Took me forever to find out why the house battery kept dying. Turns out Trojan used only one butt connector in the whole boat & put it in the worst possible place. Wire # 7 on the port engine harness goes thru the emergency start system. The solenoid for it sits on the port inner engine stringer 2 inches above the bilge water. The dampness corroded the butt connector & when the boat flexed underway sometimes it would break the connection so the battery wouldn't charge. Took about 4 days (i'm a good slick- seamer) & down it would go. I cut out the butt connector, soldered everything, & shrink tubed it & that fixed it. It's really bad when you pull in the marina & see your carpets on the picnic table & a sump pump hose out the porthole.