Wiring wizards?

[Got Stripers]

Ok here's my problem, actually I've got several, not the least of which is the worst access to the bildge area ever designed by man. Months ago, my float switch got stuck up by some wires, killed the battery, which is an old story. So I was fixing electricall problem, trailer wiring, trolling motor batteries, connections; all that good stuff associated with owning a boat. So I two gray leads off the float are loose, I run one to the brown off the bildge pump and put the other to the positive of the battery. Note that prior to, I could turn the console bildge switch on and pump as needed.

Now I go and pull the float up and the bildge pump winds up and sounds good, put it down and the bildge pump isn't cranking; but it's still turning. So I take the float out of the equation again and I can run the bildge pump again from the console switch. Ok is the float bad or is it getting just enough power from somewhere else to run the bildge?

I hate boats, wiring, salt water, love fishing thou so it's a problem I'll likely die with.