Basic electronics question - Duh, what am I doing wrong?

[daepp]

Just a w.a.g. - ac vs. dc?

[TerryH]

hmm... did I read the pump pulls 8 amps and to use a 15 amp fuse?

Isn't the pump designed to run on 12v marine battery as a bilge pump?

[aigel]

Originally Posted by daepp

Just a w.a.g. - ac vs. dc?

+1

The boat pump likely runs DC. The light transformer has no reason to be DC, unless I am missing something on outdoor lighting?

The low vibration you hear is likely 60 Hz.

George

[slodave]

I'm with daepp (and aigel) as well. The pump requires 12V DC and the Malibu transformer puts out 12V AC.

[dhoward]

Man, those MIT guys...

Why a timer? Use a float switch on the bilge pump.
Will you get enough head pressure with that pump?
edit: just read the specs. 4 feet of lift? Is that enough? Specs are always optomistic...

Oh and yeah, DC pump AC xformer...

[porsche4life]

Just go buy a 120v sump pump with a float switch. toss it down there and hook a garden hose up to it. Plug it in and forget about it. check occasionally for water in event of pump death.

[dhoward]

Best advice, right there. You'll get better lift and a purpose-built system.

Edit: Spec on the site is 4 feet of lift. That ain't much if your in the deep end of the pool.
A sump pump is probably less expensive too....It doesn't say 'marine' on it.

[porsche4life]

Lol. Just plug and play. At my grandmothers house there has to be a sump pump in the basement or the place floods quickly. I think they built her house in the water table no joke. We just put a pump in the sump hole hook it up to the adapter for pvc and then leave it and she checks it regularly and when the pump breaks she calls my dad and he goes and replaces it. She usually makes a pump last about 1.5yrs. but i doubt yours would run that long.

[porsche4life]

Hmm I'm not sure about that. Not a problem in our application. It should if it is sitting flat suck down to just almost dry. I wouldn't think that it would leave enough room for mosquitoes to breed

[porsche4life]

asketh and thou shall receive. Now you still will have to do the float switch thing but that will inherently leave some water, there is no way to make a float switch work and suck it plum dry.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FloTec-Heavy-Duty-Water-Pump-AC-powered_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66 Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp328 6Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem160297025503QQitemZ16029702 5503QQptZBoatQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear#ht_500w t_0

[aigel]

You can always chisel a shallow sump in the low spot that fits the sump pump. No question will the pool need a refresh anyway once you fill it with water in a few years ...

George

[turbo6bar]

The 4ft of lift refers to suction lift. If it could only pump against 4 ft of head, it'd be a pathetic pump with no flow.

The sump pump from Lowe's looks ideal. Not only does it have internal controls and use 120VAC, it probably will pass some solids. The Water Puppy pump is not designed for small debris.

[Ned, NYNA11]

Wayne,

I used whats called a condensate pump to get rid of the water from my dehumidifier in the basement. It consists of a small sump with a built in float valve.

Its about shoebox size, cost about $40.

[304065]

Wayne glad to hear you have RECTIFIED the problem. . . I'm here all week. . .

[Porsche_monkey]

Yes, the condensate pump should be ideal. They are used with the 'split' type A/C units. Should be what you want.

[JeremyD]

Do the sump - no need to reinvent the wheel. I'm pretty sure the one you are looking at will fit in the drain hole. If not there is one out there that will (I have an all black one that I use - it was pretty inexpensive.

[dad911]

Wayne, most pools are built with plugs at the bottom. My drains actually have a fitting at the bottom of the drain housing. You remove them so the pool won't float when emptied. Assuming you have have good drainage, opening the plugs should drain pool naturally.

[dad911]

Also, I would use a 110 pump without a float switch, and an electronic switch like this so you can pump to a lower level: http://www.plumbingsupply.com/sumpwatcher.html

[sammyg2]

Hopefully you didn't let the magic smoke out .......

[vinny c]

Put a check valve on the discharge side if the pump doesn't have one.

Vince