This weekend I made a run with my livewells in the AUTO position. I got to the next spot a few miles away and decided to add some Rejuvinade while I was idleing in to the cove and the wells were empty. ...Do the pumps have to be on to use it in the auto position? I was using them on timers...Also, does anyone else have the issue that the overflow drain is the same height as the aerators and it fills so high before it drains, that the aerators can not spray a stream into the water?
I always ran with mine in the recirc. position. Had same problem with auto.
With the livewells on Auto you should not lose any water, other than what flows out of the overflow on your holeshot. I made a 35 mile run on Saturday with the wells full and they were still full when I got to my next stop. You may have to adjust your cables a bit, I did the same as you did in a tourney and found that I just wasn't turning the know quite far enough. I leave mine on Auto all the time when I have fish in them, which seems to be a rare occurance lately....
AB, If you run them in Auto, it pulls from the lake all the time, correct?...Do you use any chemicals like Rejuvinade in yours?..If so, doesn't it just wash all the chemical out into the lake thru the overflow?
When you are sitting still, it allows lake water to flow in and out at free will. I also keep both main and aux pumps in timed mode all day. I don't use any chemicals and have yet to lose a fish, ever, in the Stratos. Most of the time they are so lively I got to pump the livewells dry in order to gab ahold of them and get them in the weigh-in bag.
On auto, there is a checkball in the valve. When you take off, the ball moves back and seals off the pipe so the water stays in the wells. When you stop and water is able to push on the backside of the ball, it moves it forward and lets the pipe be basically an open shot. Water can move back and forth through it, but only goes out the overflow if you pump excess water into the wells.
Does yours fill to the point that the aerators are not spraying anymore because the water is all the way up to the bottom of the nozzles? Mine fills to the top and then just recirc's the water without any forced spray to aerate.
Mine do the same thing, fill above the nozzle when the pumps are running and the water drains out when I run in auto. I know my valve are leaking because when I take the boat out of the water, water slowly runs out the back at the intakes.
Yeah, mine fills that full. But by the aux pump pumping fresh water in every few minutes, I don't really consider the lack of "spray" a huge issue.
Valves on "auto" allow outside fill while sitting still, recirculate (pumps within the livewell) when you are on plane. The well should not leak (other than the bit of water that will drain out when you go on plane), if it does, look into cleaning out the drain valves. Sometimes just backwashing the drain with a garden hose while someone plays with the drain switches will clean out any scales or fishing line that may get in the drain valve.
The livewells regenerate oxygen just by having current in there from the spray heads. If you want to hear the spray sound you can turn the spray heads to the side or slightly up so that it hits the wall or ceiling of the livewell. We always used the main pump on constant on (never trusted the timers). The second pump is a backup and handy for a quick fill when both are used together for the initial fill, but we found out that having all four livewell pumps going at the same time will drain the batterry (so much for more is better!).
Also, the pumps are (I believe) 800gph each. That means the entire livewell will get replaced by new outside water within 10 minutes - so much for rejuvenate, it won't last. Use the recirculate switch if you need the treatment to stay in the wells. I think replenishing the entire well constantly with constant on works well unless you have a fish that needs to be treated.
JohnS
Thanks John... I had not tried working with the livewells until I was in the BFL Saturday and then it was kinda late to take the time to make sure I was doing it right...I could not get the upper livewell switches to work on timers so I used them on full time and did run the battery down... I found out today there was a blown fuse behind the power console...
I met the guy that bought your boat at the IBF tournament and had to take a short trip in it to go get mine that had floated off the shore at weigh-in Sunday...Both of those boats are very clean...
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