Hey. I want to install a pump to fill my livewells. When we got the boat, it didn’t have a bilge pump… well, it had one, but it was connected to the livewells… so I connected it to the outside to empty the boat, and then got me another bilge pump to fill the livewells…. But after I connected it, I discovered that the bilge pump wont move water unless its submerged…. If the bilge is full of water, I can fill the livewells ok, but if its empty, it wont push water…. So basically I want to know the proper way to conect the hoses and fill the livewells…. I see this pump:

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_12669_-1?N=876431623

Its called aerator pump, I guess that’s the one I need?? Or is this one more like a recirculating pump??

Right now I have the bigger bilge pump on the bilge, with a hose that goes to the side of the boat…. And the other bilge pump, which I modified to accept a hose on the inlet… this hose goes to the lower hole in the bilge, and the outlet hose goes to the livewells…. Since the "livewell" pump is also on the bilge, as long as there is water there, it will fill the livewells… in fact, it only needs to be submerged at the beginning, once it starts pumping, it will suck water from the outside… if I just remove that one and replace it with the one of the link, will it work even when the bilge is empty?? I wish I could look at another bass boat, but where im from, they are few and far between, I only know of another person who has one, and its not close enough to go and take a look…. Besides, english is my second language, so if I didn’t explain something correctly, please let me know and ill do my best to explain it again…

thanx!!

by the way, the livewell is well above the waterline... it has a drain hole below the waterline, and another one above it... so it will get about 4 inches of water through the lower drain hole, but thats all, it will never fill by itself....

Check out this site: http://www.flow-rite.com/marine/livewell-builder

It can answer most, if not all your questions. I would not use water from my bilge to fill my livewells. You want to have fresh water coming from outside the boat.

I'd never fill a live well with bilgewater. It can contain many harmful contaminants, and may have very low oxygen levels.

You need a screened intake (through hull fitting) connected to a pump which draws water from the lake/pond/river for the live well. It's the same water in which the fish have been living. The intake is a through hull fitting so be very carefull to get everything connected properly, with two clamps at every connection below the water line. Double clamp any others that are not readily accessible.

I'd double clamp them all. But that's just me. If you have a problem with one that's readily accessible, you can fix it, should problems arise. All stainless steel aren't that expensive.

Make sure you get all stainless. On some, the band is stainless, but the screw which tightens or loosens is ferrous metal and will rust badly enough that you cannot turn it with a screwdriver. Been there, done that.

thanx!!

i dont plan on filling the livewell with bilge water.... the problem is that right now i have a bilge pump to fill the livewells, and in order for the bilge pump to work, i t has to be submerged... i modified it to accept a hose that goes to the through-hull intake, screened and witha nut on both sides of te boat... after the pump begins pumping bilge water, it will start taking clean water from the intake.... but, i would prefer for all of the water to come from the outside... thats why i need to know, can i just replace the bilge pump im using, with the one on the link i provided?? i mean, will it suck water from the outside without being submerged?? because thats the problem with the bilge pump, it need to be submerged to create enough vacuum to start pumping, once it starts, you can take it out of the water and it will continue pumping through the hose...

so, basically, is this a fill pump that will take water from the outside through the hull and fill the livewells??

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_12669_-1?N=876431623

if so, i just need a hose to the outside, a hose to the livewells, and wires to the switch??

thanx!!

Take out the bilge pump you are using for the live well and put it in your parts box in your garage as a spare.

Buy a proper live well aerator pump and hook it up according to the instructions.Double SS clamp as Rhino suggested. In time, cheap clamps rust out. You want this work to last as long as possible. Some live well systems have a valve to allow for recirculating the well water while underway.If you don't have one, you may want to invest in one.

Just my .02

The livewell pump is below the water level, as is the intake, except when up on plane. A livewell pump, and a bilge pump are basically the same. The only difference is the base. A bilge pump base acts as a strainer, and some even have a secondary strainer within the base.

A livewell pump does not have a slotted or perforated base. Because it is below the water level, it does not need priming. There will be water around the impeller when the boat is at rest, or idling along. You can readily see the difference in the two types of pumps, made by the same company.

Bilge pump

Live well or wash down pump

thanx!!

but, why is the livewell pump below the water level?? why will there be water around the impeller?? i mean, if the bilge is dry, will it still suck water from the outside??

the only reasoning i can think of is that the pump is inside the bilge, at a position lower than the water line... so water pressure would force water inside the pump, even with an empty bilge.... is that right?? so i need to remove the hose i have going to the water inlet, and connect the pump directly?? i had thought i could raise the pump but that didnt make sense to me... am i right??

so, will the pump i liked in the original post work?? or can you recommend me one from Academy?? its the closest store i have, without buying online??

thanx!!!

"the only reasoning i can think of is that the pump is inside the bilge, at a position lower than the water line... so water pressure would force water inside the pump, even with an empty bilge.... is that right?? so i need to remove the hose i have going to the water inlet, and connect the pump directly?? i had thought i could raise the pump but that didnt make sense to me... am i right??"

Yes, you are correct.

Understand there can be several configurations to fill, recirculate and aerate, depending on the system in your boat. Some have two pumps, one to fill, and another for recirculating and aerating. I searched for some diagrams to show how they are plumbed but didn't find anything satisfactory.

It might be better to have a pro do the job. The time and aggravation of getting the plumbing correctly set up might have you tearing your hair out.

thanx Rhino. now that i understand that, i think i will be able to connect the pumps correctly. im a do-it-yourself person, i just dont have any experience with bass boats... i have never even seen one besides mine. but now that i understand how everything should be, i think i will have no problems... i already modified my second bilge pump to accept a hose instead of the normal sloted base, so maybe i will be able to make that one work until i can come to the US and get me the aerator pump from Academy.... im in Mexico, where we have to make things work one way or the other, specially on projects like this, where there are no dealers or parts suppliers anywhere near me... i have to drive 3 hours to get to Texas.... on my last trip i picked up this second bilge pump, so i will see if i can use it until my next trip across the border....

when we got the boat, the only bilge pump was conected to feed the livewells, so we had no real bilge pump and no idea how it should be... now it is conected as it should, to the side hole (which was sealed by the PO).... after 6 months, everything its beginning to take shape....

on another note, im already almost bald @ 26 years old, so, there is barely any hair to tear now hehe

thanx again!!!

thanx!!

but, why is the livewell pump below the water level?? why will there be water around the impeller?? i mean, if the bilge is dry, will it still suck water from the outside??

the only reasoning i can think of is that the pump is inside the bilge, at a position lower than the water line... so water pressure would force water inside the pump, even with an empty bilge.... is that right??

Yes. A pump needs to be "primed" or "prefilled" for it to work. If there is air in a pump, it will not pump properly.

ok... i just finished wiring my modified bilge pump... it will seat under the water line, connected to the inlet with a 3/4 hose, so i believe it will be primed because of the water pressure.... if the wind stops blowing today ill go for a test ride later...

thanx!!