Livewell pump voltage drop

[snapshotmd]

I'm having some issues with the live well pump. It seems in cold weather it cuts off because of the 0.6V voltage drop it puts on the BP2000, and capacity/power output of a cold batteries is less than a warm one. For instance, the voltage at the battery is 12.4V, the voltage at the BP2000 panel is 12.1V, with the aerator pump on, it drops to 11.5V. When the pump runs for more than 5 mins, the BP2000 cuts the pump power off, then I would have to start the engine to charge the battery to get the pump going again. I've asked this question before and the consensus is the pump needed to be changed.

I have a 2000 Pantera Classic and I understand that pre-2008 models were equipped with the Johnson 750 gph pump, and the pump is located beneath the fuel tank. The previous owner of my boat had replaced this pump with another brand; looks like a Tsunami, GPH is unknown at this point. I am intending on changing this pump back to the Johnson. I want to know if I upgrade to the 1000 gph pump, will it draw more current/voltage to the point that I'm back to this problem I'm having? What is the expected voltage drop for a new pump?

The other thought would be to get a bigger battery, but wouldn't the voltage drop be the same?

[Jonestrollingmotor]

At 12.4 you're starting with a nearly dead battery. Battery should read around 12.7 if fully charged. for comparison, 12.25 on most batteries is dead.
John

[snapshotmd]

Understood. My battery settles about 12.6V after taken off the charger for a few hours. The 12.4V is after fishing a couple hours with graphs on.

[D-wayne]

If you are changing the pump is it possible to change to hosing to possition the pump in a more accessible area?
A little motor like that should not draw the battery down.
I would be interested in seeing the current draw of a new pump compared to the one you have on there.
Good luck

[Bass Cat Boats]

12.8 volts is a fully charged battery, after sitting static for 30 minutes then testing. The panel drop out could be corrosion on grounds at the terminal block, which is located on the right upper transom area. This is common on older rigs and the grounds are the usual fault area. The panel shuts down the pumps at a low voltage and it has to be below a 10.5 volt output for a few seconds. Thus we are focusing on the battery and a good charge with a free standing charger is suggested. This year model may have the original Cull-M-Rite chargers and they were pretty good.

[snapshotmd]

12.8 volts is a fully charged battery, after sitting static for 30 minutes then testing. The panel drop out could be corrosion on grounds at the terminal block, which is located on the right upper transom area. This is common on older rigs and the grounds are the usual fault area. The panel shuts down the pumps at a low voltage and it has to be below a 10.5 volt output for a few seconds. Thus we are focusing on the battery and a good charge with a free standing charger is suggested. This year model may have the original Cull-M-Rite chargers and they were pretty good.

I will try to clean the terminals; they definitely aren't sparkling. My charger is a 25 Amp Guest.

[tanker4lyfe]

12.8 volts is a fully charged battery, after sitting static for 30 minutes then testing. The panel drop out could be corrosion on grounds at the terminal block, which is located on the right upper transom area. This is common on older rigs and the grounds are the usual fault area. The panel shuts down the pumps at a low voltage and it has to be below a 10.5 volt output for a few seconds. Thus we are focusing on the battery and a good charge with a free standing charger is suggested. This year model may have the original Cull-M-Rite chargers and they were pretty good.

How should they be cleaned?

[Bass Cat Boats]

There are methods dependent on their condition. Most disassemble, check connections and ring terminals, then reassembly after cleaning each one individually. A good lubricant or terminal protection should be applied.

[FastBird]

Most likely a bad ground. If your boat has a buss bar in the bilge, starboard side, check voltage on it.

[tdt91]

sounds like bad wires or connections. The Tsunami pumps are good pumps so changing that would be last resort. Maybe you could get a test pump and see if it still does it. I'd cut the terminals off the existing pump first and put new ones on to fresher wire. Then see what happens.
How old is the battery? Are the wires powering the GPS units direct to the battery?

[snapshotmd]

I did some cleaning of the terminals back at the buss bar. Had some corrosion going on there, but cleaning them did not make any difference. BTW, working with your head in the bilge upside down will give you an intense headache! Then I went to the panel itself. I found that the panel was displaying the exact voltage that the multi-meter was reading at the "switched voltage" pin. I suspect that I have a bad switch. The switched voltage was reading about 0.2 volts less than the BP2000 input voltage. Sound about right?