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Ballast pump Circuit breaker


kayakwv

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I have two Piranha 800 pumps draining each rear locker. One drains the hard tank, and one drains a 750 Fly High bag. On each side, I wired both pumps together using a split tap connector. The starboard side works fine. The Port side keeps tripping the 5amp breaker.

My guess is that the extra few feet of wire (16ga, I think) it takes to get over to the Port side, is just enough to trip that breaker.

My questions:

1. Is it ok to just upgrade the breaker without running new heavier wire?

2. If so, what breaker to get?

3. I have an unused 10amp breaker for a shower option that I don't have; can I just move the connection to that breaker?

any suggestions?

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Shurflo lists the current draw as 2A for those pumps, so a pair would be roughly 4A. Add a little age to them and you may see 3-4 amps per pump. But, before increasing the size of the breaker, I would pull each cartridge out and make sure theres no trash in there that might restrict the impeller. Next, I would probably test the current draw of the circuit. Pull the leads off the breaker and test the amp draw there just to see what it really is. If its a little above spec, then i see no issue with going to a slightly larger breaker. if its well above the spec, then I would test each pump individually to see which one is excessive.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Shurflo lists the current draw as 2A for those pumps, so a pair would be roughly 4A. Add a little age to them and you may see 3-4 amps per pump. But, before increasing the size of the breaker, I would pull each cartridge out and make sure theres no trash in there that might restrict the impeller. Next, I would probably test the current draw of the circuit. Pull the leads off the breaker and test the amp draw there just to see what it really is. If its a little above spec, then i see no issue with going to a slightly larger breaker. if its well above the spec, then I would test each pump individually to see which one is excessive.

Very good advice. However, I must admit, that last night, I skipped the in between steps and just moved the MLS Port/Starboard leads from a 5amp breaker to an unused 10amp breaker (dedicated to shower input). Replacing the 5amp breaker in its actual spot on the circuit board is a PITA to deal with, so I just moved the leads to the unused breaker. I sure hope there's no problem with that. I really didn't want to pull the floor again to check the drain pumps. Pulling the floor and testing each pump would be the best.

Hopefully, I am not overloading the wire by jumping up to the 10amp.

I would like to know if there is an easier way to remove and replace these breakers, without removing all the screws from every breaker and removing the main bar. I'll try to do this the correct way this winter, but in the middle of August, I really didn't want to get into a lot of evening work on the boat.

Also, what's the best way to test the current draw on the leads from the breaker?

Edited by kayakwv
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My only concern with your plan would be that if you are only using one of the pumps, you have it on a 10 amp breaker. That is still probably just fine for 16 gauge wire. The point being that you want the breaker to pop before the wire gets hot enough to catch fire.

I would check with BCAE1.com and see what they say about fuse size. There is a calculator on the lenght and size of wire for a certain fuse size.

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According to this http://www.offroaders.com/tech/12-volt-wire-gauge-amps.htm you can run 8 amps through 20-25' of 16 gauge wire without causing too much heat. So you should be good to go with your 10 amp breaker and 16 gauge wiring as long as the run isn't too long.

Edited by FastFreddy
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