Wire a bilge pump

[mrlee]

Hi all, Well I have fixed the leaks and I am now redoing the bilge pump and switches. I have a rulke 500GPH for the everyday pump with a Water Witch 101 switch. The bilge pump has 3 wires-Black(ground) brown and brown with a white stripe. The switch has 3 wires-red, tan and black. Ok, The blacks are all run to ground. I connected the red from switch to auto on the toggle switch at the panel. I connected the tan from the water witch to brown striped from pump and ran them to the manual side of switch at the panel. The other brown wire on the pump is not connected...The pump runs with the switch turned to Manual and Automatic both!
I wired it as per the picture with the brown pump wire not connected anywhere...I feel this is a traveler to the switch but not sure how to do it..
I have searched for a wire diagram for this switch/pump combo but they have the pump with 2 wires and switch with 3 wires or the pump with 3 wires and the switch with 2 wires...Nothing with 3 wires on each! How do I connect this thing???
Thanks in advance for any help you guys can send me...I have been making great progress with her since the leak situation and now a minor setback...I don't want her sitting with no bilge pump...I am forever paranoid now about leaks!!!

[Sailmonkey]

You've got a pump that doesn't require a float switch. Here's the manual.

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/kingp...mps-Manual.pdf

In a nutshell, the black is ground, the brown connects to the auto side of the switch, brown/white connects to the manual side.

[mrlee]

OH!!! It was connected to a float switch before...that's why I bought the water witch switch...I should have asked this a long time ago!
Can I run it through the other switch as well? how reliable are the automatic pumps?
Thanks a lot

[Sailmonkey]

you can use the brown white just like in your diagram above, forget about the brown entirely and it'll behave just like you expect it to.

when wired as it is intended the pump cycles on occasionally, if resistance is met by the motor, then it stays on until the resistance goes away (pumping water creates the resistance). I don't like them as they have been known to short cycle, or pick up a piece of something and stay on forever.

[mrlee]

The problem is that the pump runs on both manual and automatic as it is wired now. Can I connect the tan from water witch to the brown from the pump? The float switch worked fine with this setup...confusing.
Thanks...I don't know what I'll do...I don't have room in there for the float switch.

[wunderluster]

I have found its best to wire the float switch in front of the automatic pumps. The ones I have had tend to stay too long. Using the float switch prevents the long runs because it cuts the power once the water level has decreased below the switch level.

[mrlee]

Ok, Are you all ready for this? Everything is PERFECT!!! After a friend pointed out that the water witch switch will run everytime it is turned on to configure it...I went today and checked it...it ran for the 15 seconds and stopped...I used a wet rag to connect the contacts and it worked as it should...So I have a bilge pump! WHEW!!!
Thanks for all your concern and help. I was actually a little freaked out without a pump for a night.
Be safe and God Bless...