Sure Bail fuse?

[ncprgrady]

I have spent the past couple of days checking everything out on my 1999 Grady 222 Fisherman getting ready for the season. The only thing not working at this time is the automatic Sure Bail float switch. Bilge pump works great via switch on the panel, just no automatic operation. I filled the bilge with the hose and the Sure Bail was submerged, but not activating the pump. I was tracing the wires on the Sure Bail to the battery and came across this. It looks like a fuse would go in here, but not sure which one? Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[Halfhitch]

That is indeed a fuse holder. Depending on the size of your pump the necessary amp rating may vary. On my boat there is a 15 amp. It was probably removed by a previous owner or dealer to make sure there was no battery drain. If it is an older used boat it could have been removed due to an electrical problem so be watchful when you put a fuse in there. With no water in the bilge there should NOT be a spark when you touch the fuse to the holder connections.

 

[Bloodweiser]

did it work last season? maybe your auto float mechanism has some debris lodged in it??

 

[ncprgrady]

I picked up the boat last year, and I didn't check to see if this ever worked. Each time I have used the boat, I was on it, so I never really explored it. Let me try putting in a 15 amp fuse and see if this works. I did check the float switch manually and it appears that it is not stuck in the open position.

 

[ncprgrady]

well. That was quick. I put a 15amp fuse in and it works like a champ. Battery switch is off and the float switch is working manually. I took a baseline reading on the battery in the event there is a slow drain. I will recheck tomorrow to see if any drain. I will also fill the bilge with water again to make fully sure it works.

 

[Lite Tackle]

15A is probably to large. My 99 226 uses 5A for both forward and aft floats. Over sizing fuses is bad practice and could cause major issues. Melted wiring, damaged switches/ equipment and god forbid fire have all been attributed to incorrect fuse ratings being used.

 

[ncprgrady]

15A is probably to large. My 99 226 uses 5A for both forward and aft floats. Over sizing fuses is bad practice and could cause major issues. Melted wiring, damaged switches/ equipment and god forbid fire have all been attributed to incorrect fuse ratings being used.

This is good to know. I will go out and downsize the fuse today. Thanks for the input.

 

[ScottyCee]

Can you find the pump model number? It should be easy enough to find the amperage rating. Go no larger than that.

 

[Halfhitch]

ncprgrady,....Lite tackle is right. 15 amp is far too heavy for that circuit. I've been tinkering with both my washdown and freshwater pumps lately and they both use 15A fuses and I wasn't thinking straight. My bad. Thanks for straightening me out Lite Tackle. Here is how mine is rigged...

 

[OBX Grady]

I was working on my aft float switch yesterday on my 2000 272. When I could not get a straight answer from my owners guide I downloaded, I called Jamie at Grady White technical support. The original "sure bail" units with mercury called for a 7.5 amp. Even though the replacement float called for a 15 amp she said that was way to much. I installed the new float with a 7.5 amp fuse and added water to the bilge several times, never blew the fuse and the float worked flawlessly. Hopefully this helps.