Wiring additional fill and empty ballast pump

[aztaco]

I am just about done with adding a center ballast bag to a non team 2002 Super Air. The plumbing is completed and now I need to wire both the fill and empty pumps. Anybody know where I can find a wiring diagram for the smart pod. I am interested in wiring the pumps into the two switches I currently don't use (12V acc / shower). I have also contemplated adding a fill / empty rocker switch (Mastercraft style). I am running a two Tsunami pumps one for filling one for emptying.
Thanks in advance.

[alalor1]

RE: Wiring additional fill and empty ballast pump

Behind the board where the relay box is mounted you will find many cables wound up. Most will have a resistor on the end. It is not possible to know which is which by looking. You will have to unplug the resistor out of each one and with a circuit tester see if it has power. I had somebody else pressing the buttons on the pod and when my mulimeter showed 12 v, I knew that cable was connected to that button. They were all the same color (empty, fill, shower). the one that has 4 cables is for the heater, the single yellow one is for 12 volt accs button. If you are using centrifugal pumps, you can use it directly, you are safe if you are using the 1200 gph Tsunami, they only draw 4/5 amps. If you are going to use impeller pumps, those draw much more power, I would use the button to a relay and then use direct power to the pump. You don't want to blow up that expensive box!

[ffmedic74]

If you get it figured out please post pics for the rest of us!!!

[Flux]

I rewired my 02 team and bypassed the black box completely for a couple reasons.

First, I think the wires are undersized, second, it's a complete and utter mess.

I tapped the busbar on the dual battery switches on the kick panel and ran a large gauge ground wire from the engine block through the bilge and up under the dash. I mounted a busbar on the back side under the dash and connected the two large gauge wires. The busbar I used has both pos and neg, it would be best to put a breaker on the pos wire leading to it. I then mounted rocker switches on the panel where the warning label was and put 6 amp push button breakers before them. Then wired to the pumps. Now I have seperate ballast control for the rear bags and belly tank. I got rid of the hard tanks, too small and no storage for trailering.

Most likely you can find the leads from the black box by what alalor described. There should only be a few so it won't take long. I just preferred to stay away and adding an auxiliary bus would let me put amps or lights or more ballast pumps on there with little trouble.

Search Westmarine for the busbars. I got marine wire from a source on ebay, it was quality stuff and half the price of Westmarine, I think I used 2 gauge. I oversized everything to avoid voltage drops, the pumps run fast. I can drain on the fly if the wake is unbalanced.

[aztaco]

I wired an on/off/on rocker switch (protected by a 4 amp fuse) directly to the positve and negative posts on the breaker panel.

[Flux]

A good solution az. Recalling now my nightmare under the dash, that's not a bad way to go and will make it easy and fast for you. Just keep that fuse where you can get at it and on the panel side of the rocker.

IF you add more switches, consider adding an additional panel. I remember thinking the black box had pretty small leads to it, but you should be fine.

Best of luck with your finished product.

[aztaco]

I am thinking about re-wiring the rear tanks to be on separate switches in the future and will look at pulling power straight from the battery at that point. We have never surfed behind this boat but plan on it this year, so I assume separate switches would be much nicer than running both pumps with only one valve open. Also it would make the switch from port to starboard much quicker (fill one tank while emptying the other). Any problems running the current rear pumps dry? I assume not since they are just aerator pumps.

[Flux]

Should not be a problem running them dry for a bit.

I rewired the whole setup and went with 750lb Pro-X sacs in the back. I suggest this because you will want to slam the rear for surfing. Probably only getting 5-600 in them until they start puking out the vent, but it's plenty and there is still enough room for vests and wetsuits on top of them.

Rewiring the ballast on separate switches and adding big sacs to the rear is the best upgrade you can do to the 02's.

Great source for good marine electrical wire at a nice price:

http://www.genuinedealz.com/

I scored some of the 4 conductor jacketed stuff to run the length of the bilge for the rear pumps. Worked very nicely. Also got my power wires and some accessories there too.

[aztaco]

Flux,

How is the surf wake with 600 in one rear locker and the center ballast full? Do you add any additional weight?

[Flux]

Honestly, we never really got it right, I know we can do better. I really can't remember all the configurations we tried, but I do know you want alot of weight in the rear corner. Driver's side will work best with the prop rotation, but you can give it a go on the other side too.

Hit up Wakeworld and search the surfing section, someone will have a better clue than I will. I do know you want to max out to get the best wake.