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2012 VLX integrated ballast install


Brett B

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Pretty sure those pumps don't each pull 25 amps when running. They suck juice on startup, then back way down.

Per the manual, typical draw per pump is 12 to 15 amps.

Now I would advise that you don't flip all three on at the exact same time.

Edited by Murphy8166
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And this is run directly to the battery?

Depends on a few factors. What size cables are feeding the helm BUS and can they candle the additional load of the components that will be connected to the new fuse/ground BUS and what is that new potential load going to be. An aerator pump can be 6A and an impeller pump can be 20A of additional draw on an existing circuit.

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There is a 0 AWG wire with an 80 amp breaker that runs straight from the Perko switch to under the throttle knob. I tapped into power there and ran 3 seperate fuses off of that, one for each pump. I typically turn each pump on one at a time but I have never popped the 80 amp breaker under the clamshell even when turning them on all at once. As Murphy said they do pull a lot of aperage at startup, especially if they have been sitting dry for a long time, but once they are running they don't pull too much.

If my boat has been sitting for a while I typically let the pumps run in drain for a second, and then flip to fill. The impeller vanes have to "turn" when you switch directions. And since the last time I used them they were in drain mode it's a bit easier to get them freed up by hitting drain for a second first. I have never replaced the impellers in these and they were starting to get a bit noisy this year. I plan to try some of the new orange impellers for next year which should be a little quieter/smoother running.

The fuse block setup Shawn posted would be a great way to keep things clean and organized. You could mount that right under the dash and feed it power from that same 0 AWG wire, or run your own wire back to the Perko switch/battery. There is a bus bar under the dash for grounds that has open spots making it easy to tie into.

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Hey Brett, this post has been a great read, just wanted to pick your brain as i have been lucky enough to just pick up a boat almost identical to yours 2012 VLX, Monsoon 350, power wedge, 4 bult in tanks and has also had professionaly fitted extra bags - 2 in back lockers 1 for walkway and 1 up front. we went out yesterday for first time (bring on summer in Oz) and dialed in a great wakeboard wake however we struggled when playing for a wakesurf wake, any idea's on which tanks and bags to fill % and where to run wedge???

Thanks,

Daryl..

We don't surf very often so I haven't put much effort into getting a great surf wave but here is what we usually do for surfing regular side:

Bow, center, and port side hard tanks full

Port side 750 sac full

Bow triangle folded in half, moved to port side of bow, and filled to about 300 lbs

No wedge (stowed position), ~11.2 mph

This isn't a monster surf wave but it's nice and clean and plenty good for us. If I put the wedge down it gets much steeper and a bit too short unless I run a lot more weight in the bow, so we just leave it stowed to surf. It would be better with another ~350lbs under the port side seats but we don't usually bother. We weight it pretty much the same on the goofy side too.

Edited by Brett B
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Another cool thing I have done is to grad the power from the push button circuit breakers underneath the throttle. My boat has 2 or 3 that were not being used so I switched them out to 30amp and grabbed power from there. No more fuses to carry around and no more knuckes to bust trying to get them out.

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Another cool thing I have done is to grad the power from the push button circuit breakers underneath the throttle. My boat has 2 or 3 that were not being used so I switched them out to 30amp and grabbed power from there. No more fuses to carry around and no more knuckes to bust trying to get them out.

That's a great way to do it!

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  • 3 months later...

What are people thoughts on mounting the pumps directly to the floor under the seats. On The VTX the base of the seats is not tall enough to mount the pumps.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • 2 months later...

Brett - Did you have any problem running two pumps off 1 intake? When putting my order together wakemakers strongly suggested I not do my build this way as it would likely burn out my pumps.

Thoughts?

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While I generally think that Wakemakers does a great job (I have given them my business in the past), on this issue they are incorrect. Running 2 pumps off of a single inlet as I have implemented will not in any way "burn out" your pumps. Several other owners run it this way and they all have also had great success. I've answered this question by PM a few times so here is one of my recent messages that I sent to another member.

The "Y" with both rear pumps on the single through hull works great, no problems or regrets at all. There is no difference in filling or draining both bags at the same time vs using two thru-hull fittings. Based on some quick calculations I did a while back, if you use the 1" diameter hose, and keep the length of the single shared line short (1-2 feet), there is no appreciable increase in head pressure that would reduce flow when compared to two individual lines. I can fill both and drain both at the same time no problem. The rear 750s are all the way full well before the front 1000lb triangle sac is full. It takes about 6-7 minutes total to fill the triangle sac and the rears take less than that. I will use the same setup on my next boat for sure.

The only slow down I have noticed is when switching sides for surfing. I can fill one rear and drain the other at the same time, but it does seem to go a little bit slower on the bag that is filling. I'm guessing the additional turbulence causes some cavitation on the pump that is trying to fill. It takes maybe an extra minute or two compared to just filling one by itself. I rarely have to do that though since we mostly wakeboard, and since you will have a surfgate boat I doubt you will either.

  • Like 2
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I second what Brett says, I am also running same setup and it is working great. I read an article that stated the 3/4" inlet could supply up to 2000gph, well beyond the rated capacity of both pumps running together.

  • Like 3
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Running 2 pumps off of a single inlet as I have implemented will not in any way "burn out" your pumps. Several other owners run it this way and they all have also had great success. I've answered this question by PM a few times so here is one of my recent messages that I sent to another member.

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Since you can only "Like' a post once, this one deserves a X2 as well.

I do about a dozen custom setups a season and many of them are designed with 2 pumps sharing a t-hull. It save hardware mounted in an already crammed bilge, less holes in the boat, and certainly reduces the cost of the system, with no negative side effects. I use both impeller and aerator pumps. i maybe ship out 1 replacement impeller a year.

I seriously doubt two 700 gph pumps are going to outrun a thru-hull mounted below the water line in the bilge of a 4-5 thousand lb 21-25 ft boat. If there is any doubt to what kind of water pressure that displacement is creating, pop the hose off the thru-hull and watch the geyser.

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No issues with mine in a year and a half. Pretty much copied Brett B. Two rear bags with 1" hose running off one 1" inlet, two front bags with 1" hose running off one 3/4" inlet. All 4 bags fill and empty as fast--or faster--than the rated pump capacity. I can't imagine a scenario where the pumps aren't receiving plenty of water while filling.

Edited by aggie08
  • Like 2
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If there is any doubt to what kind of water pressure that displacement is creating, pop the hose off the thru-hull and watch the geyser.

I'm just going to take your word for it :biggrin:

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I am just starting to plan my ballast system for'12 23lsv. What are the thoughts of using a "T" instead of a "y" before the pumps? This way you can transfer water from side to side faster? Maybe?

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So is no anti-siphon needed on the bow bag? I copied this on my boat but installed the vented loop between the pump and bow bag. I believe that may have been a mistake because it pulls air when draining. I put my toe over the vent and it works better. Is this vented loop for another tank or am I missing something?

http://carphotos4.cardomain.com/images/0015/28/84/15908248_large.jpg

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No vented loop is needed. That is the one for the factory front hard tank. While it's in the picture right next to the Johnson pump for the bow bag, it's not used for the bow bag or plumbed into the line that the Johnson pump uses.

Edited by Brett B
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  • 8 months later...

Lots of options here.... nice job on all the installs. This is what I chose, two seperate 1" thru hulls, with Johnson pumps (little bit faster than Jabsco), and vented bags with a one way check valve. Personally, I would never run a bag without a vent using impeller pumps, they are way to powerful and could easily snap a fitting off or burst a bag. To get full benefit of the impeller pumps you really need a seperate thru hull for each pump. This also allows you to fill and drain simultaneously with both pumps.

Surf7.jpg

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Have you had any issues with having the switches that high up near the throttle? I am thinking about mounting mine there since it is probably the flattest spot I can find. I am worried someone might hit the switch while throttling up or from when they have their hand resting on the throttle lever.

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I then fabbed up a mounting plate from black polycarbonate and installed a lit reversible switch for each pump. I mounted it into the armrest pocket area so that I didn’t have to cut any holes in the nice factory vinyl.

15908256_large.jpg

Each pump is has it’s own fuse and 12 AWG marine wire. You need a 25 amp fuse for these pumps because they pull a lot of current when you first turn them on. I tapped into power from the main power BUS that feeds the circuit breaker panel since it already has 0 AWG wire on an 80 breaker running from the Perko switch.

I don’t always run extra ballast, but when I do it works great!

Do you remember the size of the mounting plate that you used and is it just a flat piece? This may be a good alternative for me to do to mount my swithces.

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  • 6 months later...

Had some people asking me about my install this weekend so wanted to bump this one back up for those needing a parts list. 4 years and 360+ hours later and still running like a champ with the original pumps and design.

Edited by Brett B
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  • 4 months later...
On 18.9.2012 at 0:17 AM, waterrat said:

Does anyone have experience chaining 2 bags together? i want to put a pair of bags in the bow under the seats. I'm thinking W703's.

Am I better off just using a Y off the pump? or just connect the bags end to end? Might require a custom port added to the end of one bag.

This is an interesting question and I think about this option too. Does anyone have experience on this?

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17 minutes ago, Maisbiensuer said:

This is an interesting question and I think about this option too. Does anyone have experience on this?

I would Y... since one bag is on left on the other on the right.... the only time you would have equal weight is when the bags are full... only 1 bag fills fully before the next one starts.

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2 hours ago, Maisbiensuer said:

This is an interesting question and I think about this option too. Does anyone have experience on this?

On paper, yes, you could link the two sacs together. I would would want to use a lower fitting rather than a top fitting. Fill into one and vent through the other. Once the vent trickles, both should be full. Now, the one problem i see, would be draining. If using a reversible impeller pump, you may find that water is left in the 2nd sac. If using aerator pumps, fit each sac with its own 800 gph or so drain pump and both will drain and drain fast. 

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