Ever repair a float switch?
- Thread starter Skipper
- Start date
There it is.Guys,
For your own wallet & sanity please:
STOP BUYING RULE FLOAT SWITCHES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cussing:
These are perhaps the #1 most unreliable pieces of crap ever produced for the marine market. 20 years ago they were decent because Mercury rarely failed to work. Today these are mechanical switches and they are pure unadulterated CRAP with reliability often measured in days, not even weeks.
If you want a relaible switch the only one I have found worth its weight (*that is still produced) are the Ultra Safety Systems bilge switches. Yep they cost more, but how much is your boat or battery bank worth....????
*The best switch is no longer made because it was too expensive, you got what you paid for, and no one wanted to pay for it. I did, and bought a spare. I have never had one fail but too late, they are gone....
In the last two years I have seen at least four or five battery banks destroyed by faulty Rule switches, most switches only weeks or months old, and one boat partially sunk and nearly totaled due to a faulty Rule switch...
Don't say I did not warn you.....
Thank you.
Makes me wonder why Rule even bothers. I mean, why build it at all if it's not going to work.
Maine,
What's your opinion on the Water Witch electronic switches? I went with one of these because I figured the kind of technology should be very reliable compared to a mechanical switch and the reviews I read on them looked good. But an earlier comment in this thread suggests they may have problems as well.
Thanks.
I don't know about other people's experience, but mine has worked flawlessly for about 8 years. I had a separate Rule pump and float switch that I replaced when the pump failed about 2 years into ownership. (I should have saved the float switch for a spare). Last year, I replaced the pump when the plastic outlet stub broke but I left the old switch in place. I test it about once a week when I drain the ice box into the bilge. Otherwise, the pump wouldn't get much service except for an occasional cleaning of the bilge and area around the engine compartment with fresh water and a bit of bio-degradable soap. I have noted that the float switch leaves about an inch or so of water that has to be pumped down with the manual switch on. Otherwise it works fine. After hearing these comments, tho, I think I'll buy a spare. It's been a long time since I've felt the insecurity of relying on a bilge pump to keep my boat afloat, though. I thought that the best defense is maintenance of all the components that might let water in ...
Come to think of it, I think that fresh water is easier on a lot of components, thus fewer failures and maintenance requirements.
Come to think of it, I think that fresh water is easier on a lot of components, thus fewer failures and maintenance requirements.
Last summer I installed a Attwood S-3 electronic switch. I have had to clean the sensor twice. Other than that, it has worked perfectly. Unlike the Rule switch I replaced, it runs the pump for a minute after it detects the water level below the sensor, then shuts off. Has completely eliminated bilge pump cycling. Comes with a 5 year warranty and based on the fact that the electronics are completely sealed, it looks like it well made.