Auto Bilge 242XE

[Maximilian]

Am I correct that the auto bilge function only works with house battery on and connex booted up? I Moore my boat all season and would really love to have the peace of mind that my bilge will function if the boat takes on water! I’ve tried everything to get it to work without the connex system booted to no avail… I can’t leave the system booted up and on 24/7 as it draws too much power for the solar charger to keep up. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Julian]

Unfortunately each model year is set up a little differently! In my 2016 242X the connext screen does not need to be on (but the bilge does need to be in auto mode). The house battery does need to be on (which is one reason - not the only one) that I added a second bilge on its own power connection to the battery (so I could turn off everything - and still have a new float switch bilge operational). Your owners manual should say exactly how your boat's bilge should operate (the manuals are online and free).

Yamaha manuals are available free on Yamaha's website.

 

[Maximilian]

Unfortunately each model year is set up a little differently! In my 2016 242X the connext screen does not need to be on (but the bilge does need to be in auto mode). The house battery does need to be on (which is one reason - not the only one) that I added a second bilge on its own power connection to the battery (so I could turn off everything - and still have a new float switch bilge operational). Your owners manual should say exactly how your boat's bilge should operate (the manuals are online and free).

Yamaha manuals are available free on Yamaha's website.

Soooo…. My boat has been in the water for a couple weeks and when I went to take it out the other day it had taken on A LOT of water!! I had left the house bar on and auto bilge activated so I cannot understand why it didn’t work? After pumping water out by turning the bilge on I proceeded to inspect it to figure out how I was taking on water. Scupper had failed! Not broken completely but cracked and was letting a steady trickle in! Pulled the boat and brought it home to change scupper (stainless) and while I’m at it I proceed to test auto bilge and it works here in my driveway… I’m perplexed.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Is it possible that there is debris in the float of the bilge pump? Have you pulled it off of the screen and checked for debris?

My suggestion would be to do what Julian has done, install a second bilge pump and wire it directly from the house battery for the auto side, and run the manual side up to the helm.

 

[Julian]

Soooo…. My boat has been in the water for a couple weeks and when I went to take it out the other day it had taken on A LOT of water!! I had left the house bar on and auto bilge activated so I cannot understand why it didn’t work? After pumping water out by turning the bilge on I proceeded to inspect it to figure out how I was taking on water. Scupper had failed! Not broken completely but cracked and was letting a steady trickle in! Pulled the boat and brought it home to change scupper (stainless) and while I’m at it I proceed to test auto bilge and it works here in my driveway… I’m perplexed.

It is entirely possible that the wiring in your boat is different/wrong - and that the bilge is wired to the starter battery.....

But @FSH 210 Sport makes a good point in that you need to check the float (or back pressure) operation of your pump. Cleaning the pump should be an annual maintenance item. What I did when I first got my boat and wet slipped it was to unclip the pump and put it in a bucket of water, then one can absolutely confirm it is working with the settings per the manual! Trust but verify!!

 

[Shipbuilder]

So, I was wanting to understand this as well. I think I will simply bring out a bucket of water and pour a small amount in to test the pump under different conditions. the owners manual is unclear. It does say to leave the battery switch on but nothing about the key switches / connect system. I'll start with everything on to see it work correctly and then turn things off on further runs to see what is required for them to operate. I am going to Lake Havasu next week and will leave in moored overnight for 3 days.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

So, I was wanting to understand this as well. I think I will simply bring out a bucket of water and pour a small amount in to test the pump under different conditions. the owners manual is unclear. It does say to leave the battery switch on but nothing about the key switches / connect system. I'll start with everything on to see it work correctly and then turn things off on further runs to see what is required for them to operate. I am going to Lake Havasu next week and will leave in moored overnight for 3 days.

What year is your boat?

I think @Julian has the best solution, put in another bilge pump with its own wiring and a direct connection to the battery. The older pumps would cycle every two mins to check for water, while the newer ones have an internal float. I believe @Julian wired in a separate float switch to go with his stand alone bilge pump.

Annual testing is a good thing to practice as is pulling the pump off of its base to make sure there is no debris.

 

[Julian]

So, I was wanting to understand this as well. I think I will simply bring out a bucket of water and pour a small amount in to test the pump under different conditions. the owners manual is unclear. It does say to leave the battery switch on but nothing about the key switches / connect system. I'll start with everything on to see it work correctly and then turn things off on further runs to see what is required for them to operate. I am going to Lake Havasu next week and will leave in moored overnight for 3 days.

Good plan....I smaller tupperware container works better than a bucket....ask me how I know this! LOL

 

[Cambo]

Every post that I see that mentions water in bilge I recommend to get these cheap water alarms all boats should have these from the factory.

Amazon.com

I have the same boat and think its ridiculous that they use colors as a desigantion to what the bilge pump is doing. The better set up would have been a float switch with the positive wire clearly labeled with a ring terminal that goes direct to the battery. Same with the solar panel charging wire it should have had a ring terminal clearly marked that went direct to the battery. I was probing the wires to figure out what bank was getting the charge from the solar panels only to find neither were . There was a blown fuse if you remove your batteries the starter battery cable stays live from the solar panel if its sunny and that positive hits a ground the fuse will blow and you will not know.

 

[Shipbuilder]

What year is your boat?

I think @Julian has the best solution, put in another bilge pump with its own wiring and a direct connection to the battery. The older pumps would cycle every two mins to check for water, while the newer ones have an internal float. I believe @Julian wired in a separate float switch to go with his stand alone bilge pump.

Annual testing is a good thing to practice as is pulling the pump off of its base to make sure there is no debris.

it is a 2015 242 LTD S