How To Replace the Bilge Pump Float Switch on Your Boat
You know, the best float switch in the world won't do you any good if it fails to work. The bilge pump is an essential safety item on your boat, and if it fails, it should be replaced straight away. Put it off, and your boat could sink underneath you. The best electric bilge pump in the world won't do you any good if the float switch that controls it fails to work. The float switch is a very simple device. It sits in the bottom of the boat. As the bilge water rises, it comes on and switches on the pump. But this one's no good, so we've got to replace it.
Replacing it is a simple matter. First thing is to get the old one out of the boat. With the switch loose, I trace the cables to just above the existing crimp connections. Before we cut though, I need to make sure that I've disconnected the battery, so I'm going to go ahead and cut the cable. With the wires cut, I've made one connection already, and I'm about to make the second connection. Strip the cable. Twist the ends together so they don't come unraveled. And to make my job a bit easier, I'm going to crimp one half. I've connected it to the power, and now I'm connecting it to the switch. So I'm putting that into the connector. And here's a good tip: If you do much boat electrical work, do get yourself a good set of crimpers. They do make a better joint. Give it a little tug, make sure it doesn't come apart. So, we're good there. What I'm going to do now, is just warm this up, shrink these down on the cables to make them watertight. We've made all the connections, and with those out of the way, I'm just going to reinstall the switch. Actually, as we're reinstalling exactly the same type of switch that we had previously, I don't even have to exchange the mount. I'm just using the old mount. All that's left to do now is just to put some water in the bilge and see if it pumps. So that job took me all of 30 minutes, cost me less than $40, and now I can safely leave the boat knowing that if I get any rainwater in here, it will be safely pumped over the side.
