2.0 Sun Pump FAQs
Will a 2.0 Sun Pump work in salt water?
The Sun Pump is designed to pump rainwater from open fresh and saltwater based boats. While it has not been officially tested in high humidity, high moisture conditions, it is fabricated from marine components, stainless steel fasteners and all electrical contacts have been treated with dielectric grease and Corrosion XD.
Where should my 2.0 Sun Pump be placed in my boat?
The Sun Pump should be placed at the rear of your boat, next to the transom. The outlet hose is connected to the pump, which draws rainwater through the bottom of the Sun Pump chassis. The pump end of the box should be situated perpendicular or parallel to the transom, flat in the bottom of the boat, with the hose extending up and over the transom. The end of the hose can be affixed to the lift handle with the releaseable nylon zip tie.
How long can a 2.0 Sun Pump pump?
The battery is rated for 7 amp hours and the Sahara 2 bilge pump consumes an amp per hour so theoretically, it could pump for 7 hours. We test pumped it for 5 hours of continuously pumping and it was still going strong. Just how much water is that? Well, lets say a 16' aluminum boat has a surface area of 16' x roughly 4' = 64' square feet or 9,216 sq. in. 500 gallons is equivalent to 231 cubic in. x 500 = 115,500 cubic in. of water divided by 9,216 sq. in. = 12" of rain per hour, for 5 hours. This would be a substantial amount of rain!
How to verify that your 2.0 Sun Pump is working properly?
Simply depress either the rubber booted push button or flip up the rubber booted toggle switch. Both actions should result in the activation of the bilge pump. With the toggle switch down, grasp the 2.0 Sun Pump by the handle and rotate upside down. You should hear a "click" and the bilge pump should activate. This is confirmation that the float switch is turning the bilge pump on. Re-rotation right side up should also result in a "click" sound and the bilge pump should shut off. The 2.0 Sun Pump activates automatically in 2 1/2" of water. It will shut off in 1 1/4" of water. The push button or toggle switch is used to remove the remaining rainwater down to 1/4".
How do I service the 2.0 Sun Pump?
We have a Service Kit that can be purchased on our Products Page. A detailed service procedure can be downloaded here:
2.0 Sun Pump Service Procedure
Where can I get a replacement battery?
Replacement 12 volt 7 amp/hour gel cel batteries with F1 connectors are available at the following locations:
On our website - 12 volt replacement battery - or
For Canadian customers - Canadian Tire - batteries or
For American customers - Home Depot - batteries.
How high can a 2.0 Sun Pump pump?
The maximum height a Sun Pump can pump is 10' high. At this height, there isn't much flow so I generally recommend that 3' is the maximum as that is the length of the hose that is included with the pump. If you want to pump out to a higher level, you will need an extra long piece of 3/4" bilge hose.
When you are finished with your 2.0 Sun Pump.
If your trusty Sun Pump no longer has a boat to sit in and you haven't been able to give it away, Contact Us and we will find a home for it. The pumps can be refurbished and re-issued to other boaters. We are working on a bilge pump program for one of our local summer camps and they would appreciate the donation.