Aeration

[Buckrub]

Just a thought in back of my head......not anything I NEED to do......

Boat has two livewells. Both have a separate lid for bait bucket (same livewell, not separated). That's neat for crappie fishermen.

Both operate on the same aeration system.......no setting, just on or off. It pumps new water in about every 4 minutes (tell the truth, I never timed it!!!), and old water out the back. Not TRUE aeration, just new water. That's good.

BUT, I'd like to add aeration, on a switch I could turn on and off. One switch to turn on/off BOTH aeration things.

I can see easily how to build a livewell out of a minnow bucket. Cappy has a cool one he carries from pond to pond. I get that. But in a boat where the wiring is all 'hidden' and impossible to get to, and done as part of the boat building process, how would I get true aeration into each livewell?????? Is it possible as an after the fact deal??

Maybe one of these??? But I can't figure out how to install it......

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=699706&categoryId=0&parentCategoryId=0&subCategoryId=0&indexId=0&productVariantId=1189262&quantity=1&itemGUID=&WTz_l=Header%253BSearch-All+Products&destination=/user/wishlist.jsp

[BarryBobPosthole]

For some reason that link isn't working for me. Most of those units have a variable time on them so you can increase or decrease the amount of time the pump stays on and a switch that will allow you to change it from automatic, which is what it sounds like you have now, to a manual setting that you want it to be. The actual mechanical part is simply a water pump, and the actual air part is just added by the spray head you have on it. You can probably change out the controls on your existing unit to make it adjustable and if you're not getting enough air, you can probably switch out the spray head for one that makes more bubbles. There should be a valve on your livewell somewhere that allows you to choose whether to pump new water in or to run it as a closed system and just recirculate the same water over and over. I close that valve whenever I'm taking fish home and the aerator continues to run and keeps my fish alive until I get home. then you can just open the valve and let it drain when you get home. If your's doesn't have that, it could probably be added but I couldn't tell you how to DIY without actually seeing it. that's probably the handiest feature on my livewell. If you change out the sprayer nozzle deal look for one that's a venturi operated one. Neither one of those changes should be too much of a hill to climb for a mountain man!

Okay, got your link to work finally and I don't think you need all of that. the way I understand it is you want to just add air to your existing system. You can do that with a venturi type spray head where your current one flows 'out' into your livewell. A venturi just means that it'll have a little rubber air hose that'll go from the spray head to above the surface of the water in the livewell where it'll suck in air and mix it with the water that's flowing into your tank. that's pretty much how all the systems work. there's no reason to add a standalone air flow to your system as it's just something else that'll break. If you want to add a variable timer and man/auto switch to it, then you can easily find a faceplate and switches already premade that you simply wire the power leads from the current unit to. The only real tricky part is finding room on the surface you want to mount it as it is probably bigger than what you have.

BKB

[Buckrub]

Well, I think (??) that you probably have a more sophisticated livewell system than I do...............

The head that pumps water into the livewell is above the water level. So it doesn't matter how much air it does or doesn't pump, or bubbles, etc.

The timing of my on/off is ok...........no problem with that really, although I can't change it or set it. I would have to wire in a different switch that has variable time settings on it, in order to do that. I could I guess............but don't see the need to on the CURRENT SETUP........

It's the comment about the 'valve' that I am curious about. I don't know where such a valve would be. It's certainly not apparent to me. I honestly don't think I have one. I can't switch to 'recirculate' at all...........In fact........if I'm in boat and I drive it on the trailer, and my partner pulls the boat out of the water, and I forget to turn OFF the livewell pump, I can hear it kick on and do nothing........there's no water for it to pump in so it just hums. That makes me remember to turn it off, lest it burn up. But there's sure no way to change it to recirculate. In fact, it couldn't-------since the valve in the livewell is above the water line!

The link is there because that's in my Wish List.......for when I (if ever) get the little aluminum boat project done..........that device is going into a big cooler to make a portable livewell in that boat.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Boats with a 'recirc' valve just have a valve the when its opened one way leads to the outside which allows water to be pumped out. When it's opened the other way, it leads to the INTAKE pipe and shuts off the intake pipe to the outside as well, so that the water just recirculates. I'm sure it'd be fairly easy to install, it just depends on how accessable the plumbing is in your boat. that and running the wire you use to open and close the valve with. I hate drilling holes in boats and you'll prolly have to do that.

But to just add air to your livewell using your current setup, all you need to add is this part. Should be easy peasy japanesy.

https://www.thmarine.com/products/Aeration-and-Plumbing/Aeration-and-Livewell-Systems/Aerator-Heads-and-Spray-Heads/Max-Air-Livewell-Venturi-Aerator

BKB

[BarryBobPosthole]

and I just thought of this. when you close the valve to keep your livewell from draining when you take it out of the water, what happenes when you turn your livewell on? You may already have a 'recirc' valve and just don't know it.

BKB

[Buckrub]

Do you see that in that picture, the valve pumping water in is BELOW the water line? Mine is always, always......above the water line. What good does it do to pump air into air????
Like I said, when the boat is not in the water, turning this on (with water in the livewell), does nothing.....just hums.............

[Captain]

So what you are saying is you cannot "fill" the livewells and transport fish in it? Right. Cause when you cut off the pump all the water runs out right? Or is there a plug in the well that will allow you to fill the tank for fish transport?

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[Buckrub]

Neither.

The livewells have a manual plug in the bottom. You can open it and drain them, or stick plug in and then fill them with the pump. Either.

IF you fill them and pull boat out of water, the water stays in livewell so long as you don't take out the plugs.

IF the livewell is full of water and the plug is IN, the water stays there. Turning on the pump switch does nothing but make the pump hum..........there's no outside water to pump in, so it doesn't pump any in, and it also doesn't pump any out. Period. The water goes out two ways only, A) through the drainhole with plug in bottom of each livewell, or B) being pumped out as new water is pumped in. If boat is out of water, it just hums (and probably burns up for all I know....I don't leave it on out of the water).

There is no recirculating valve. That is why I posted this, to ask how to get and install one, or something similar.

[Captain]

OK I understand a bit better now, and I certainly see where you would want aeration for fish transport. At least you can plug and retain water in the livewells, so you are halfway there. You might ask the dealer how hard it would be to run power wires to the livewells. If that can be done it would be easy to install the pumps. They do make self contained battery type aerators that have suction cups that would hold them in place. You could put those in and out as needed?

But it does look to me there has got to be a way to run wires back there somehow? I mean what would they do if current wiring to the fill pumps needed to be replaced?

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[Buckrub]

Well, that's why I asked. My ignorance is in these bigger boats. I have never owned one like this. I always had basic jon type boats that I did the wiring myself, and it wasn't hidden, and professional. Plus, this boat has wiring for this, that, and the other..... I know how to tap into a wire....and I did that up front to install a depthfinder on the bow, with transducer on the trolling motor. But that is easy, all I needed was a power wire to tap to, and it was accessible under the bow decking. So, I wondered if someone that has had a big boat knew how to add stuff like this, maybe.

And it is fish transport, yes. But more than that...........I've done well in last few years in HOT summer......and it'd be nice to actually aerate the livewells, both for bait and fish.........on a timetable I choose......not just pump and repump water.

As to the suction cup things that you mentioned, that's sort of the device I posted link to originally. But the problem is the same. Whether it's suction cups and temporary, or whether it's 'bolted in' and permanent, it goes inside livewell and needs power. Ain't no power connection in there (it's in water, too), or close to it, that I can see. If I was building the boat from scratch, I'd put one in and run power down SIDE of boat, side of livewell, under decking.........but after the fact, don't see how. Got to be some way, I know folks add stuff to livewells, surely.

My answer to your last question is..........I do not know.

[Captain]

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/13365/Engel-Aerator-Pump.html?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PriceGrabber/

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[Buckrub]

Thanks. I've got several very similar devices already, mostly for minnow buckets and vats, etc.

But I have 2 livewells, one front and one aft. And 3 batteries, all in the very back. And these that run on throwaway batteries are not what I was looking for. Yeah, I could use them and aerate a little bit. They don't do enough in two 23 gallon livewells to matter much, though. I need a 12v system that blows some more air than that. But thanks for looking. It is an option to use on occasion.............

[Captain]

I'm certain there has got to be a way to run a wire. I mean if something happened to the existing wire would you have to grow the boat away? It could be repaired. Surly....
And if it is just IMPOSSIBLE to run a wire you could always cut the wire that is powering the current pump and wire that into a A/B switch at the tank and send power to which ever pump you wanted to run....

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[Buckrub]

Well, the current 'pump' is in back of boat, not near the livewells. Only the plumbing/pvc goes to the livewells.

Yeah, I realize it's not impossible to do..............a dealer would do it for me, I'm sure. I guess I may have to take it to one to get this done, not sure. Just wondered if anyone else had done it in such a set up, or not, and if so, how.

[Captain]

Well, the current 'pump' is in back of boat, not near the livewells. Only the plumbing/pvc goes to the livewells

Damn!!!! I did not know that. I thought you had a pump in each livewell that filled them. This could be a horse of a different color. I Can certainly see your problem.
You are going to have to drill into your livewells to put the wire in for the aerator. This could get fun...

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[Buckrub]

Project just cancelled!

:toothy

[BarryBobPosthole]

Just wondering but are your fish dying or something? If you have a spray type head I'd bet you're getting plenty of oxygen. Just change out thatnon adjustable switch with an adjustable one. It's all DC power so its easy peasy. Either that or just close the live well before you load e boat and throw a bag of ice in their on your way home. They'll be fresh as a daisy. You can buy a lot of ice for 50 bucks.

BKB

[Buckrub]

It wasn't transporting that I was interested in. Most places I fish have a fish cleaning station. I go home with filets. Some don't, so transport would be good.

It's needing aeration to keep fish AND bait alive in hot temps, IN the boat.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I wonder if you just upped the jizz in your pump by just replacing it with one that has more GPM? That might an easy deal to replace and no new wires or anything.

BKB