Systems monitor emergency bilge alarm going off

M

mrsrobinson

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2006
7,704
Virginia
Boat Info
2001 380DA
Engines
Caterpillar 3126
The folks cleaning our boat just called to tell me while they were washing the boat the systems monitor emergency bilge alarm came on. I asked him if it was pumping water, he said no. I had him open the engine hatch to check around. Bilge is dry, emergency pump is not running.

So I sit here at work, 90 miles away, wondering if I should drive down there and if I do what do I do. It sounds like a malfunction in the alarm/system. What should I look at first when i do get there? I assume when the float rises the alarm goes off so maybe there is an issue with the float, a switch of some kind, bad wire, etc?

Thanks
 
Try looking in the cabin hold. Your shower sump may not be working and overflowed into the cabin's bilge.
 
"cabin hold" ??

Our shower sump pump did quit working a few years back. The sympton was wet carpet in the aft cabin. You are thinking the water could have made it's way back to the engine compartment if it's not working again? I was on the boat Saturday, and the carpet was dry.
 
You should have 2 regular pumps to remove water before the level gets high enough to activate the emergency pump so it isn't likely a shower sump issue.

Not likely a bad wire either since in a normal position the float switch is open. What causes the alarm to function is for the pump to be energized. Put your hand on the high water pump and feel it for running vibration and heat. Rule pumps are pretty quiet and your boat washer may not know that and just didin't hear it. If the pump is running, you have a bad float switch.

If you find the pump not running, then isolate the float switch wires and the high water pump wires. They will be butt spliced together......ground to the pump, hot to one float switch wire, the other float switch wire is spliced to the remaining pump wire. Cut out the butt splices for the ground and hot leads and check the voltage across them. If removing the hot and ground silences the alarm, you probably have a bad (shorted windings) pump or bad float switch. If the alarm continues to sound with the hot and ground disconnected, you have a bad systems monitor.

Either way, you are going to have to replace all the butt splices, so take along some silicone filled shrink marine grade crimp connectors and a multi-meter.

There are only 3 components in this circuit....... pump, float switch and system monitor......... so don't make it a harder problem than it really is.
 
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"What causes the alarm to function is for the pump to be energized"

Frank, is it possible the pump did kick on, pumped some water (unknown source at this point) and the alarm simply has not gone off yet? How long will the alarm stay one...just while the pump is energized?
 
mrsrobinson said:
The folks cleaning our boat just called to tell me while they were washing the boat the systems monitor emergency bilge alarm came on. I asked him if it was pumping water, he said no. I had him open the engine hatch to check around. Bilge is dry, emergency pump is not running.
Click to expand...

I am just not sure I would have much confidence in the boat washers to diagnose the problem. Even you are not completely sure what alarm or what drives the alarm. Do you have a dock neighbor you could contact? If not you need to immediately address anything that triggers "ALARM".
 
I agree.

We are new to this marina. Prior to reading your reply I called our dockmate, Hoos Dave, and got the # of his mechanic, who is on site. I left the mechanic a voicemail.
 
Greg,

The alarm is in parallel to the pump.......like 2 lights on a common switch. When the pump is on; so is the systems monitor alarm. When circuit is open (motor off), the alarm is silenced immediately.

If the high water pump was activated by the float switch and the float switch sticks, the alarm won't go off because the motor is running. If this is the case, you have a worse problem to deal with. It means your regular pumps are not working or you have a real big leak somewhere.......it also means you have not been cycling the high water float switch regulary to keep the float clear.
 
"it also means you have not been cycling the high water float switch regulary to keep the float clear."

I have never done this and was not aware of needing to do this. My guess is I need to reach down in the bilge every so often and lift up on the float from time to time?

The regular pump was working the last time I checked it, last Saturday.
 
Does anyone know where the emergency forward bilge pump is on this boat? I just spoke with the boat washer again to see if the alarm went off. He said it was still on and the red light at the systems monitor was for the emergency forward bilge pump, not the high water one in the engine compartment.

osd9, you might be right, the sump pump may have quit and water overflowed forward. However, I would think it would pump out what it needs to and then shut off.
 
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Float type pumps need to be excercised so the float functions when needed. I had a shower pump float that stuck in the off position because it hadn't been used in quite awhile. When the shower was in use the water overflowed the box and starting filling the compartment. Now, I turn the shower on and watch for the indicator to show the pump is running before using the shower. In my bilge I make sure I force the pump(s) to run by lifting the float or adding water make sure they work. I also have a manual pump in the bilge just in case.
 
Mechanic called from the boat. Everything is normal. No sign of water, all pumps working correctly. Alarm was off when he got on the boat. He stated the two top red lights on the system monitor were partially red, but no alarm noise. The 2 tops lights are sump pump and emergency forward bilge. The sump pump is fine, working correctly and he is not able to finda forward bilge pump on our boat.
 
OK...I think jinxed myself....

The Rule Shower sumps have given me many head headaches in the past and I've posted here with that regard before.

I was getting preped to go for a cold water ride this morning and when I got on the boat my forward (I have two) shower sump pump was pumping away....and I winterized it, and all other fresh water systems, about 3 weeks ago. I've had this same problem many times and I've replaced both sumps this past summer....the forward one twice since I've owned this boat the winter of 2006.

I've had the sump cycle for no reason.....I've had the non-return-valve fail and let water come back in causing it to cycle....I've had the float stick on (which is my problem right now) ....and.....(this one still has me stumped) I've had a float switch give 'half' voltage to the pump....I still have that failed switch in my garage.

Today...I just pulled the fuse and I'll worry about it in the spring.

Anyway, You may have one of the symptoms above in your sump going on. The cleaners may have poured some water down your head's drain causing the pump to cycle and it just didn't shut off right of way.

BTW....on my 410DA the shower sumps are hot wired to the batteries like the bilge pumps...shutting off the battery switch won't turn off the sumps....Which answers why two months ago when my port batts ran down after leaving the boat unplugged for a week. I don't remember/know if the 330 is wired the same. If so, and if you are having a sump cycling issue, you may want to pull the fuse until you fix the sump issue.
 
I have had a similiar problem with my "system monitor". Once came back into slip and did not cover up with the front bimini canvas, that covers the dash. Started raining before I came back to the boat. Snapped down the canvas and dried things off. Dash got real wet and water worked its way into the monitor panel. After about twenty minutes the monitor started sounding and would not stop. I removed the wires to the actual speaker making the alarm. Thru out the next day or so I kept reconnecting the speaker to see if still sounding. After it finally dried out it stopped. This has happen twice.
Maybe the cleaners got the monitor a little too wet. Just a thought.


Also---my boat doesn't have a forward bilge pump either(as is indicated on my monitor panel)
 
On the boat this weekend. The systems monitor alarm is going off, about 1/2 volume. The 2nd light from the top is lit, but not fully. It's marked Forward
Emergency Bilge.

I removed the dash panel and found a printer looking cable that connected to a strip of screws with wires running to each screw. I removed the cable and the alarm goes off, and of course the systems monitor quits working. Each of the screws in the strip appears to match a red light on the monitor. There is no wire going to the screw marked forward emergency bilge. All bilges are dry.

I thought about the dash getting wet too as I could see signs of water, like the steering wheel and controls had water spots on them. I left the helm canvas cover off all weekend. It was raining this morning and we were rushed to leave. I covered the helm back up and plan to test it again next weekend.
 
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A wet systems monitor panel will cause your problem......leave it apart and let it dry. If it still gives faulty alarms, you need to start looking for a replacement systems monitor panel.......its no longer available from Sea Ray, BTW.
 
I had the exact problem a year ago. I was coming back from a day trip with two other couples and was going through some tough wakes when the alarm sounded. I shut down the engine and tried a few other things before I lifted out the garbage can under the step and "spun" the bilge pump wheel! it was stuck due to wood shavings that got into the bilge pump from production, I guess. When I got back home I carefully vacuumed the area out. Never happened again!

Good Luck
Rich
 
On my '95 330 DA there is a bilge pump behind the shower sump in the salon floor. If/when the shower sump overflows, it fills this area, sounds the same alarm as the engine bilge higher water alarm, and activates the pump. I assume it's other purpose is a "Forward bilge pump"

And my .02: the only complete test of a bilge pump system is to add water and see if it works. Lifting the float switch only tells you that the float switch works. It does not tell you if the pump is clogged, if wasps have built homes in your bilge pump hoses, etc. I do this at least once a year, and I add enough water to be sure ALL the bilge pumps work. It does give you a sense of confidence to see all systems actually pumping water out of your bilge
 
LMBoat, the first time I looked in that area, behind the sump pump, I thought to myself there should be a bilge pump there. I wonder why our boat does not have one?

Do you recall how far back it was as that compartment goes back 2'+ if I recall. Was it immediately behind the sump pump?
 
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