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A Light Touch Protects the Water Pump

by Chris Caswell
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Few if any pumps for your boat's freshwater system are designed to run dry for more than a few moments. But on small boats with limited water capacity, it's easy to run out of water -- which leaves the pump running. Because the sound of the pump is hard to hear over the sound of your engines while under way, the pump can easily burn out.



To give myself an indication of when the freshwater pump is running, I bought a red 12v light with a flush-mounted housing at an auto supply shop. I installed it on the helm console and wired it parallel between the pump motor and the pressure switch. It glows whenever the pump is running.



Not only does it help prevent an expensive burned-out pump, but it also helps me monitor the use of my limited freshwater when guests or children are aboard.


This article first appeared in the August 1, 1996 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated.