Normal to have electrical wires in the bilge?

[pallantejm]

I've recently purchased a new boat and the previous owner had the electrical wiring down in the bilge area. The electric toilet cable, fish finder, and bilge pump wiring can be seen in the image.


Curious as to if this is normal and if there is any advice to make this neater. Where should wiring ideally be placed/ran throughout the boat? Can this current setup cause any damage in the long-run?

[Pete7]

It's not great is it. Saltwater is going to get in there and cause you a world of pain. Can it be routed higher up particularly the wire with the connections, bilge pump at a guess. The depth finder wire is probably all right as they have long cables on them, unless someone has cut and joined it.

Also what is in those pipes, that isn't drinking water is it? if so I don't think I would even consider cleaning them, but rip the lot out and start again. Bet that isolation valve hasn't been turned in a decade.

However, the good news is its all fixable, just take your time to work it all out.

Pete

[HeinSdL]

I am not sure about actual standards and on my boat I do have the occasional wire running along the bilge, but tie wrapped away from the hull. This more to allow regular proper cleaning without having to move and clean around wiring which will likely get slimy. However what I would not do is make connections like the ones shown in the photo. In my view connections should only be made in guaranteed dry places or otherwise using proper watertight rated (IP67/68?) connectors.

[pallantejm]

Two pipes connect for the drinking water (there are two steel water tanks on each side, and I believe one is for the bilge pump. Pretty disgusting condition and will be ripping those out.

[valhalla360]

Depends...
- Some stuff like bilge pump and depth sounders by nature will have wires in the bilge.
- How dry is your bilge? On our cat, the bilges were dry. If you found water, you needed to find the source but a lot of designs use leaky prop shaft seals that are intended to leak water into the bilge, so you always have salt water kicking around. I'd be much more worried if you have a wet bilge.

[sailormed]

Wires in the bilge are unavoidable for some functions (bilge pump, depthfinder...). Make the best of it by avoiding chafe and attach the wires every 30cm.

[Chotu]

Typically my bilges are dusty, so I don't see it as a problem to run wiring in them. However, I'm still careful to use full runs rather than splices that low in the hull. Also, gathering them up and using brackets to hold them close to the cabin sole and away from the bottom is always a good idea as well.

Can't see too well in the pic but the bottom of the bilge appears to be below these tanks. So the wires aren't all that far down in the bilge.

[CDR Smith]

Wire in the bilge: OK. Connections in the bilge: Not so much.

[svfinlandia]

Unfortunately, the leads that come on a new bilge pump are often not long enough to bring out of the bilge before splicing. I use a waterproof in line crimp splice and then paint over it with Liquid electric tape.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[Captain Anthony]

Pete 7, you say " work it all out", my question is, what is the best way to " work it all out"?
EVERYONE, please feel free to offer your opinions,

[jmschmidt]

Normal? Yes. Good practice? No.

[CassidyNZ]

So my mast is keel stepped (as are many other vessels) with all the electrics (anchor light, tricolour, deck light, steaming light, spreader lights, horn, video camera, spot light, wind instruments and two antennae) coming out of the base of the mast and into . . . . . Yep, the bilge.

Then there are two bilge pumps, two shower sump pumps, speed, depth and fish finder transducers.

So in my boat, all in all there are 19 (?) wires to and from stuff that run through the bilge. Been like that for 30 years or more, still all appliances are working.

Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Captain Anthony

Pete 7, you say " work it all out", my question is, what is the best way to " work it all out"?
EVERYONE, please feel free to offer your opinions,

Route those cables up out of the the bilge if possible. Not much can be done with the transducer cable but not normally a problem. However, as already mentioned bilge pumps are bit short on cable length, but can the connections can be raised up? if so then great.

We have a mains cable and the fridge power cables running through the bilge but they are clipped up on the floors to keep them out of any water we may get in the bilge.

[tkeithlu]

I'll offer mine. How much seawater ingress will it take before you suffer either loss of all electrical circuits or start a short circuit fire? I can't tell from the picture, but I think you should think about it, because if either one happens, you're not going to have a battery with which to power your radio to call for help.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

So my mast is keel stepped (as are many other vessels) with all the electrics (anchor light, tricolour, deck light, steaming light, spreader lights, horn, video camera, spot light, wind instruments and two antennae) coming out of the base of the mast and into . . . . . Yep, the bilge.

Then there are two bilge pumps, two shower sump pumps, speed, depth and fish finder transducers.

So in my boat, all in all there are 19 (?) wires to and from stuff that run through the bilge. Been like that for 30 years or more, still all appliances are working.

Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.

We, too, have a keel stepped mast. All of its wires exit the bottom of the mast and are led to a terminal strip on the bulkhead between the saloon and the head, under the settee seat, and thence, across the boat under the cabin sole and aft and up to the electric panel. So, there are 2 runs, the one from the masthead to the terminal strip, (masthead and anchor lights, VHF, wind instrument) the one from the steaming light and deck light, and the radar to the terminal strip We have dusty "bilges", but really shallow, in any event. The boat is shaped like a giant dinghy, not at all like a full keeled boat. But what I wanted to say is that with some effort, and a lot of groveling, you can do a pretty tidy job, and the connections are made at terminal strips, not with connectors.

We do have two bilge pumps. One voids the shower sump, the other for the rest of the boat. Access to the depth sounders is via a hatch in the cabin sole, and the run goes through the bulkhead and into the cabinet, then in back of the settees, to the control panel.



Ann