Shower Sump Box Replacement take2

[barryg]

OK, after the last thread where both the float and pump burned out, and the new non mercury float doesn't fit in the old box, I ordered a new box which has the new pump and float in it all wired and ready to go. With the old box, there were 3 wires going out; the ground, the positive which had one of the float wires attached to it; and the additional float wire. These were connected to the 3 wires in the harness from the boat; the positive, the ground, and the systems monitor which sets off an alarm when the pump goes off.

Now the new box...Only 2 wires going out; a ground, and the positive, as the other wire from the float switch is already connected back to the pump. Still have 3 wires to connect to. I went to MM and they said to connect the wire from the systems monitor to the positive and then to the one positive wire from the new box, and of course the ground to the ground...

Did that, and tested the float and the pump works great, BUT now the systems monitor alarm is showing the forward pump alarm going off though the pump is not on. I thought that the reason was that I had the systems monitor wire connected to the positive coming from the boat, and then together those are connected to the positive from the box, and that the positive from the boat was giving the systems monitor a false alarm, so I switched it and reconnected the system monitor to the positive of the box and then that was tied in the with the butt connector to the positive of the boat..still same result, a false alarm that will not go off.

HELP...Any ideas or suggestions. My only thought now is to just disconnect the system monitor lead wire and don't have it connected.

Barry

 

[Sea Gull]

Try connecting the alarm wire from the boat to the gound from the sump box. This should mean that there is +12v on the alarm circuit only when the pump is actually on.

 

[barryg]

makes sense..of course it's the only thing I did not try yet...Will let you know if it works..
Thanks,

Barry

 

[jg300da]

Agreed, sounds like he's on the hot side feed of the pump instead of the load side.

 

[barryg]

Yep, that did the trick.. I shouldn't have listened to guys at MM as they were the ones to tell me to connect it to the positive.

Thanks for the help!! Finally I can close that thing up and move on to the next thing..

Barry

 

[tobnpr]

"sets off an alarm when the pump goes off."
What does that mean- that if the pump fails to come on when it should, it activates the alarm?

 

[barryg]

" These were connected to the 3 wires in the harness from the boat; the positive, the ground, and the systems monitor which sets off an alarm when the pump goes off. "

I suppose I should have said the system monitor sets off an alarm when the pump turns on, not goes off. Sorry about that.. Kind of like saying when the alarm goes off really means the alarm is triggered.