Leaving bilge pumps on for winter storage?

[scttp]

2015 g23 with two batteries and the integrated battery charger. Boat is kept on a lift at a dock with a roof that’s slightly too short at rear. So some water builds on cover and makes its way into bilge. Not a crazy amount, but enough to be annoying.

I have the batteries plugged in. Can I leave the bilge on automatic mode for a month or two? (For some reason I’m thinking it’s worse for the battery/charger than the benefit?)

Thanks,


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[charlesml3]

Why not just leave the plug out and let the water just drain on its own?

[scttp]

Why not just leave the plug out and let the water just drain on its own?

Thanks I might. (It’s a floating lift and my previous lift used to fail all the time...now I’m probably good to do so tho)


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[MLA]

I would not leave the plug out on a boat on a lift, thats just me. id rather have the bilge run occasionally.

[ScooterMcgavin]

Floating lift and your other one used to fail... If this one fails and plug is not in you would have a way bigger issues. I'd rethink that approach, would a hang-tie work to keep water from pooling ?

[Wake.BC]

I’d spray the cover with 303, make sure it won’t pool and leave the plug in. I’m assuming the water is probably coming in tower cutouts? Wrap the tower legs with pallet wrap to seal it off.


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[scttp]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Yes I think the bottom line is I need to determine how the water is getting in...you’d think it’d be straightforward. I may be due for a good coating of 303, the cover may have become kind of porous.


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[charlesml3]

Well if your lift isn't reliable then leaving the plug in is no solution. That's just treating the symptoms. If I was even slightly worried about my lift I'd have Doozie out there sorting it out. That's a problem easily prevented.

-Charles

[Phil8uga]

I am about to purchase a brand new floating lift. Even with a brand new lift, why would anyone leave the plug open. Seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen.


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[jkallen21]

I left my bilge pumps on and had the main power switch set to both batteries. Both batteries were dead in the spring. The bilge pumps in mine (I think Nautique is all the same) don't use a float switch - they just come on every once in a while to check for water and then turn off. One thing you could do is go buy a float switch pump that comes on when the water level flips it on. I'd permanently mount the new pump next to the existing one and add a connector to your wire so you can easily switch between the pumps when winter is over. If you want to get really fancy, add a switch to the pump wires.

[Evening Shade]

I am about to purchase a brand new floating lift. Even with a brand new lift, why would anyone leave the plug open. Seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen.


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I agree. My lift isn’t a floating lift, it is cable lift. Fact is, any lift could fail for various reasons. I wouldn’t want my boat to sink if the lift failed.

[scttp]

The fact that nautique doesn’t use float-switch bilge pumps answers my original question and I should have realized. Since they run every minute or few, that’s a lot of wear on the pumps over the few months of winter. Probably wouldn’t matter to the batteries if I have the charger plugged in tho. So, I’m going to treat the cover and periodically pull the plug. Thanks again everyone.


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[Infinity]

I have used the 303 and the Starbright waterproofing on my cover and both worked well. You want to clean/wash the cover well before you treat it for best results. It makes a big difference treating the cover, will shed water much better, but also adding a Hang-Tyte system for $50 and wrapping tower legs like suggested is also an excellent way to prevent water intrusion....if you have power at the dock, having a small fan inside the boat set on low to move the air also helps to prevent mildew smell, along with a damp rid pail or two.

[charlesml3]

I am about to purchase a brand new floating lift. Even with a brand new lift, why would anyone leave the plug open. Seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen.


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Well you should ask my neighbor with the Prostar 190. He thought the same thing. "Why would anyone leave the plug out?" He was away from the lake for several weeks and the roof to his boathouse leaked. By the time anyone noticed, the water was up to the bottom of the instrument panel. It was so heavy that the bolts holding the lift had started to pull through the wood posts.

Starter was ruined. All of the interior had to be replaced. All the carpet was ruined. A couple of the gauges were bad. The motor survived fairly well. There was some water in the oil but a few oil changes got rid of that.

So which catastrophe would you prefer?

-Charles

[DealsGapCobra]

I’ll bet on the one I see as more probable. A seal failing on a floating boat lift seems more likely thank a roof leak. If the seal fails, the boat WILL sink, if the roof leaks, the boat could flood. This all points to leaving the plug in to me, but everyone has to make their own call.

I am sorry about your friends problem and, on the flip side, I have a friend who’s floating lift sank and the boat floated away...with the plug in place. Now he adds a dock line while on the lift.


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