Bilge pump, differnt batteries.

[mgarr682]

While making some notes about the electrical work I've done on the boat over the last few weeks it has occured to me that my bilge pump (Rule-Mate 2000 gph) is wired to both batteries. The feed for the auto function is coming off of the cranking battery while the feed for the maunual switch comes from the house battery. Should these be wired to the same battery or does it matter?

 

[potter water]

My boat is set up with the pump auto being off of the starboard engine battery and the manual switch being off the house battery. Because I have twins, I'm not concerned about the Starboard engine battery running down because of a stuck sump pump switch. If I had a single engine, I'd want to run both switches off my house battery. But, in these days of being able to combine house and start for emergency start, it probably matters little what the exact configuration you are using. Because I don't leave my boat in the water for extended time without being on board, I don't really have the stuck bilge pump switch issue either. Most of you who do leave your boats in, stay on dock power as well, so you probably don't have much issue with the configuration either, (relative to running down a battery cuz of a stuck bilge pump switch).