SVOMike86 said:
So the intake is under the water line obviously, and the drain is above right? A bilge pump will push water uphill right? I don't have any real experience hooking these up, just trying not to mess anything up.
Yes, a bilge pump will push water uphill. The fill needs to be below the water line, the drain can be below the water line or above the water line, depending on whether or not you need to completely drain the live well on the water or not.
1) If the drain is above the water line you will be able to completely drain the live well on the water
2) If the drain is below the water line you will only be able to drain the live well to the level of the water line, but once out of the water you can drain it all out.
The drain termination height is usually dictated by the location of the live well. The drain will not drain properly if it is sloped uphill, over ribs or ran level. So the farther your live well is from the drain termination the higher the live well needs to be to get proper drainage. Generally 1/8" per foot of fall per linear foot is required, more is better, but that's the minimum. Also, with a recirc pump like you have, you could install a Tee and a couple of valves and have a power drain/washer.
The first live well I built/modified left a little water in the well while in the water, about two inches or so, but drained completely when out of the water; the drain was in the bottom of the hull through the bottom of the well. I never had a problem keeping bait alive this way.
