bait tank voltage question.
 

i have a stock hobie bait tank , except i installed a wire mesh screen on the intake tube to prevent sea grass from getting sucked into the pump. this screen quickly gets clogged up, and starts restricting water flow. my question is , what would happen if i used a 12 vlt battery instead of the standard 6 vlt . the pump will turn more revolutions , hench create more water flow ? any drawbacks to this mod? accelerate wear on the pump ,i imagine . has anyone done this ? and will the extra water flow be noticeable . keeping the bait more lively . thanks for any input .

The pump was design to run on 12v. Only problem I can see is the return pipe may not be able to handle the extra volume; especially when something clogs the pipe. You'll end up spilling over the top and on to the battery.

thanks for input.
 

i was hoping the extra flow would prevent my macs from getting sleepy. one thing is for sure , doing an on the water cleaning on my intake is easier than trying to open the pump and take a piece of grass out . thanks .

6V vs 12V
 

I got talked into a 12V battery by the guys at West Marine. As I have learned more about this sport (addiction), I have learned that most folks have a bait system that has it's own battery. My 12V is way too powerful for the 5 gal bucket system I use. I have had to reverse polarity AND the boys at OEX put a ball valve on the intake for me, to slow the flow and it's still too much.The water always fills to the top of the bucket and flows over onto my battery. None the less I have made due with what I have and it's working out ok. I know that when I go to upgrade eventually, I will both do away with the 5 gal bucket system (high center of gravity) and my bait system will have it's own 6V battery.

Live and learn
Janine:cheers1:

If you were clogging up too quickly before, a 12v would make it worse too.

Try turning it off and letting it back flush periodically.

Intake
 

Agree that 6 v is prob ur best option. 12 v wiill plug up quicker n burn ur motor out quicker too.

Screen is too small based upon my trial n error. Try using piece of mesh netting - like from a bait net. Bigger holes will let water thru n still keep out kelp n bigger debris. You will still get occasional eel grass but nothing is perfect.

Other thought... Next time my pump dies I'm switching to a pump that has single button release to get pump head off. Those 2 little tabs are hard to pinch n get out when you're twisted round.

thanks for all advice
 

with 12 vlt water is coming in faster than it can leave the drain tube ? timer would be nice . 6 vlt seems barely sufficient .

I have run a 12 volt on this tank numerous times and it drains just fine. It is a bit noisier for sure but otherwise does alright. Definitely notice the extra water flow.

OEX sells a timer, I believe it's called MOJO. You can set it for ON/OFF intervals you want. I think this should preserve battery life, and also take care of your overflow problem. As far as it spilling over the top, you could drill in an adjustable drain tube the spills out lower than your battery, and over the side of your kayak even. That's what I did. I have different size tubes for the inside to adjust the water height (4gal, 6gal, 8gal). I can post a pic later if anyone interested.

make a tank from this ; ) i love mine