Re: Six volt bilge pump

[legendre]

Howdy Billy,

quote Billy J:

Legendre, I looked at eBay item # 171122662244 what does the 15 amp input max mean?

It means exactly what it sounds like.. Regardless of how much power you’re pulling from the output, the input cannot cope with more than 15A continuous input current. If your output load causes the input to exceed 15A, then the boost module will either shut down -or- suffer damage, if it lacks protection measures.

More than likely, it +does+ have protection and will simply limit the output, if that’s what you subject it to.

quote :

my 6 volt battery is hundreds of amps starting power would not the battery just burn this up instantly?

No. Current capacity rating is an upper limit – if you have a supply / battery that’s rated for "100 Amps", that doesn’t mean it will supply 100 Amps all the time. It means that when you load it down, it can supply up to 100 Amps when asked to do so.

quote :

I looked at other converters on eBay there really is not any others that go from 6 to 12. But for the 12 volt there are plenty to go up 18 24 36 volt or from these three down to 12.

That’s just what’s being offered on eBay, there are plenty of other devices on the market. But so long as the input will take 6V, and the output will supply 12V, you will be just fine.

quote :

I am now thinking a 12 volt bilge pump uses about 2 amps to run.

I’ve done a little looking, and it seems that basic bilge pumps (12V types) use between 2 Amps and 5 Amps. 12V @ 5 amps is 60 Watts.

quote :

If maybe a small 12 volt rechargeable battery from say a kids power wheels might do the job powering a bilge pump.

Maybe, but it will discharge pretty quickly.. and need to be recharged right away, from a source on the shore.. unless you’ve got a converter on-board.

quote :

I have run my 6 volt starter on 12 volts in the past and I know it probably does not hurt it (…)

Running a 6V starter from a 12V battery is +brutal abuse+. You’re forcing that starter motor to swallow nearly FOUR TIMES the power it was meant to.. and while it may start your motor fairly quickly, it’s going to cause serious overheating and damage (to the starter) in very short order, if you continue to crank it. That’s a last-ditch dire circumstance option.. don’t do it unless it’s absolutely necessary.