Forward Bilge Fuse Location

[HBSteve]

We have a 2005 Sailfish 282. The forward bilge switch at the helm doesn't illuminate nor does it activate the pump. Pressing the float switch doesn't work either. I'm guessing it's the fuse. The manual states the fuse is located in the Accessory Panel but of course, I can't locate it. I imagine it has to be somewhere between the battery and the pump somewhere......Does anyone have any idea where to find it?
Thank You !

 

[fishbust]

There shouldn't be a fuse for that. It is probably the breaker, resettable breaker, which serves as a fuse, next to the switch.

If you push the button and it does not reset and trips again, you have a short/ground on your hot lead, which could be pump motor, toggle switch, float switch or the wiring anywhere in between.

If you do have a redundant fuse in circuit, it would likely be back at the batteries as the bilge pumps are hard wired so when you shut off your batteries, everything shuts off except power to the bilge pumps, in case the boat takes on water in your absence.

 

[HBSteve]

The breaker next to the panel switch isn't tripped. Same with the float switch breaker back at the battery selector switch. Both look OK. If it was simply a bad pump, wouldn't the indicator light at the helm switch light? I thought the illuminated switch indicated power was going to the pump (even if the pump was bad). But it sounds like you're saying a bad pump would cause the short, hence no illumination at the switch? Is that right? Thanks much for your help. I always struggle with electrical problems.

 

[ROBERTH]

I found fuses to all my bilge pumps, fore and aft just exiting out of the battery selector switches. The fuse is about a foot or two on the brown wire if I recall. When I picked up my boat, both fuses were blown, so I replaced them and new float switches and all has been good. You might have a bad float switch causing them to blow.

 

[fishbust]

Yes, brown wire is positive power for pump.

If your breaker is not tripped and if the redundant fuse aft off the battery is not blown, then something is open, which would also explain no light at switch, incomplete circuit.
Looking at my diagram, each cranking battery should have a fuse for a bilge pump. 1 battery for one pump and the other battery for the other pump. But could also be on the house battery. Wires get moved sometimes over the years. I hate those inline fuses stuffed into nowhere land, all fuses should go to a fuse block.
If fuse is blown, sometimes the filament just fails (very infrequent) and you change the fuse and all is well. But if it blows a second time right away, you have a short, which is power shorted to ground somewhere.
Usually that would not be the float switch as it just opens and closes positive power to pump, no ground wire associated with float switch.
Common for bad float switch is an open. This is not likely your case because your pump does not work from the dashboard switch either. When your float switch is shot and open or broken wire, the pump should still work from the dashboard switch.
If float switch stuck closed, which also happens, debris can get stuck under it or it just gets too caked up from an unclean bilge, then the pump would run continuously, can kill a battery, can overheat the pump and blow a fuse that way.
There are more than a couple things that could be wrong.

So, we need you to locate the aft fuse and take it from there.

 

[HBSteve]

Roger that. Ill get back on the boat Friday and find those fuses off the battery. Thank You !!

 

[HBSteve]

You were both right. I followed the brown wire from the battery to a breaker switch behind the battery selector switch. Pushed the breaker back in and..bingo....forward bilge pump works from the float switch and the helm accessory panel. THANK YOU.