david Terry Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 I haven't really used the livewell but was out last week and noticed water in the livewell and couldnt get it to drain. I realized that I had better get familiar with the operation and Ive looked at the livewell demo vids but i still have some basic questions that I'm hoping i can get some help with. So, to use the livewell i open the ball pump and have the overflow tube in place. Should the livewell fill up on its own? Do i need to turn the pump on or should that happen automatically? I hit the recirc switch which works but the livewell did not fill up. So i'm wondering if the pump is maybe broken. Then to empty the livewell i should leave the ball pump lever open and remove the overflow tube? when i do that should the livewell drain by itself or should a pump come on? and again should there be a switch to turn the pump on? Oh, and where does the water drain to I'm assuming straight out of the boat but is there any situation where it could drain into the bilge? sorry for such basic questions but it didnt hit me until last week that there is a potential safety issue and should def understand the basics better. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 Ok here are the basics water comes in at the sea chest on the starboard side of boat. There should be a ball valve to close and stop water from coming in. If open the pump at the valve will pump water to the live well weather underway or stopped. If the valve is open and the pump is off water will still come in to live well while underway. This water enters the live well at the top on the midship side of the live well. Here Most boats have a fitting that allows you to direct the flow and have a valve to close off water coming in as a secondary control. the recirculating pump is completely independent, it picks up water from the live well and simply puts it back into the live well at the top and agitates the water. the drain with the boat not moving with no plug will allow the water to seek its own level and in the older models this would put a small amount into the live well, but only to the level of the outside. While underway with no plug or extension the water in the live well will be pulled out. A plug and closed ball valve will keep this area dry. The best plug is a 1 1/4 plumbers test plug from lowes. You can change out the bolt and wing nut for stainless fittings. If you have a solid plug in place the ball valve and spray valve must be closed or it will overfill with water underway. a standpipe will allow the water to stay in the live well up to the heigth of the standpipe. Be careful that it does not get clogged by debry or dead bait. a long post but this should cover all the workings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 You should have two switches.......one switch that is labeled live well and one switch that is labeled recirc (recirculating). The livewell switch should turn on the pump connected to the ball valve, that when open, will pump outside water into the well. Like smilemaker said, the recirc switch, when on, will run a separate pump that simply removes water from the tank and pumps it back into the tank (ie, recirculating the water in the tank). Like smilemaker said, if you don't want any water in the livewell, turn all switches off, turn the ball valve to the off position, and plug the drain hole where the standpipe goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Terry Posted March 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 Thanks a lot for the replies and the detail which I really needed. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Terry Posted March 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 Sorry, just reread and for clarification, to empty the livewell do i need to close the ball valve? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 Yes. But like smilemaker said, the water in the well is going to seek the same level as the water outside the boat. It just depends how low your boat sits in the water. But, if you have the ball valve closed, and run the boat, all the water will then be pulled out of the well. At that point, you can plug the drain hole, and the well will stay empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Terry Posted March 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 Thanks again, got it. The boat didn't come with a plug so I will pick one up and I think I'm set. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaskeet Posted March 17, 2017 Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 I like to keep all my livewell valves closed except when I'm using them and I keep plugs in the live wells to keep them dry. There is a lot of plumbing in a Pathfinder and I want to minimize any possible water intrusion issue while fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted March 17, 2017 Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 31 minutes ago, Bamaskeet said: I like to keep all my livewell valves closed except when I'm using them and I keep plugs in the live wells to keep them dry. There is a lot of plumbing in a Pathfinder and I want to minimize any possible water intrusion issue while fishing. Me too. No use carrying out extra weight when you aren't fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awall Posted June 20, 2017 Report Share Posted June 20, 2017 I have another question related to this. I just picked up a 2007 2000v over the weekend. Reading through the manual it says the recirculating pump was an option at purchase. Just by looking in my bilge is there a way to tell if my boat has this option? When I turn the switch on nothing happens. Also my live well 2 or release well isn't working. The switch appears to be working (the light comes on). I checked the fuse and the wiring and it all looks good. Is there anything else that I should check prior to replacing the pump? Thanks Guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted June 20, 2017 Report Share Posted June 20, 2017 3 hours ago, awall said: I have another question related to this. I just picked up a 2007 2000v over the weekend. Reading through the manual it says the recirculating pump was an option at purchase. Just by looking in my bilge is there a way to tell if my boat has this option? When I turn the switch on nothing happens. Also my live well 2 or release well isn't working. The switch appears to be working (the light comes on). I checked the fuse and the wiring and it all looks good. Is there anything else that I should check prior to replacing the pump? Thanks Guys There will be a screened low water pickup inside the release well if it has been plumbed to recirculate, also a third pump mounted on the side of the release well. As to the main release well pump, first make sure it is not turning on dry by listening or feeling for vibration on the motor. There should be a shutoff valve just before the pump, so make sure it's open. If it's not coming on, it's time to start working your way up the wiring checking for power. There may still be a "waterproof" connector in the wiring you can disconnect to check for power without cutting insulation. Those pumps don't last forever, so it is likely it's shot. Having a spare motor unit on board to switch out is never a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awall Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 Thanks Grant, that answers my questions. I have a feeling the pump is gone, as all of the wiring looks good from what I have checked so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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