High Water Bilge alarm

[Wpnaef]

M2004 MS 4090

Recently disconnected the v]batteries while awaiting winter haul out. Once boat was hauled, reconnected batteries and wanted to connect chargers for them. However, as soon as the batteries were hooked up, the high water bilge alarm sounded. Aft, mid and high water bilge pumps not pumping. Attempted to shut of the alarm by switches at upper and lower helms. No Success. Now have er pump breakers off, ER Main Battery switches off, DC panel pump Breakers off. As soon as batteries are hooked up, alarm sounds. Be\lieve the alarm may be hooked to high water bilge(fwd Pump) under the washing machine. Where is the alarm located? Is it possible to turn it off? Has anybody had a similar problem?

Walter Naef
2004 MS 400 M/V Lady B

 

[AusCan]

Welcome to the forum.

It's tough to say how your high level alarm system is set up. It is likely not factory installed. A previous owners could have wired it direct to a battery busbar, but there should be an inline fuse as a minimum.

The alarm may be tied into one of your bilge pump switches. Are any of the bilge pumps running when the alarm goes off? If so check the associated float switch to see if it stuck or faulty.

The alarm itself should be wherever your bilge pumps switches are.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. I would look starting at the positve battery cable and trace it and see what is coming off the positive cable or hooked directly to the battery. Somewhere it is getting power. It may be right at the battery or down the main positive cable at a bus bar. Then follow those wires and see which one goes to the alarm switch. Good luck.

 

[Bacchus]

Bilge pumps on MS (at least my '08 34HT) are wired always on / bypassing the batty sw. I believe the pumps and alarm were wired to different battys (mine had 2 8D combo house / start battys).
Alarm sounds under 2 conditions... if the high water float is activated or if power is lost to the high water pump (not sure about power to other pumps). I have had alarm temporarily when conne ting one batty before the second was connected.
There have been other threads discussing this same issue on MS 400s... you might find more with a search.
On my 34HT the relays for this system in in the electrical "enclosure" behind 12V & 125V panels and accessible from the ER. The Hi water bilge pump sw at my helm activates the pump alarm and also activates the rest of the bilge pumps.
Go to Marlow-Mainship builders forum and search for "high water alarm" and you will get several related posts... here is one recent one.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52312