Bilge pump switch replacement

[Megabyte]

Several years ago I upgraded my single 1500 gph Rule bilge pump, to a pair of 2000 gph Rule "5 year" premium bilge pumps.
http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=64

I also replaced my old mercury float switch with a set of MSC solid state 'SensaSwitches' which I figured would last about forever... :|

Well... while doing maintenance a couple of weeks ago, I was flushing the 'storage yard dust and dirt' from the bilge when I realized that the rear bilge pump that was evacuating all of the water was the backup pump, NOT the primary! :shock:

That's not good...

So, after doing some diagnostics, I realized that the 'solid state' switch that I thought would last almost forever had failed me.
Time to buy a new switch.

I ordered one of the new Water Witch Model 101 solid state switches and installed it today.
http://www.waterwitchinc.com/miniWW.html

The primary pump is the one aft. The backup is the one forward.
Before...

The old switch was removed, the screw holes filled with 3M 5200, and the new switch was wired.
This caused me a bit of 'pondering' as the old switch simply had two wires which switched the positive side of the circuit. The new switch has three wires...

Add into the equation that the primary bilge pump has a helm mounted override of the float switch, and you can see that there was much pondering to be done.

Thank goodness for a continuity test light, because I finally figured out where everything was supposed to go.
The best part is... it works!

The Water Witch switch is captured by the AWAB clamp on the discharge hose, which makes installation and positioning a breeze.

Had a thunderstorm approaching, so I couldn't run the hose in the bilge to test the positioning, but I did use a wet rag (as outlined in the installation directions) to test the switch. It works!

I intend to monitor this switch for the season, and if all is well, I'll replace my other two MSC switches with Water Witch 101's. :wink:

 

[cbigma]

Nice Job Kevin!

They must have come out with this new Model 101 float switch replacement recently, because when I did mine last year, all they had was the Model 217.

Making the bracket to hold it in the correct bilge position was the toughest part of the install.

Looks like they came up with a different approach to mounting the switch. This new Model 101 appears to be a lot more adjustable than the Model 217. Sweet!

"Float Switch 101" .....Sounds like a mini-course at ClassicParker University!

 

[Megabyte]

They did indeed change the design, though the 217 is still being made.
http://www.waterwitchinc.com/product_sh ... sheet.html

Notice how your switch has a pair of discs to sense the water?
The new design uses the mounting post as one of the sensors.

The other thing that mounting post does is allow the switch to be captured by the screw clamp, or by attaching the switch to the pump with a nylon zip-tie.

I chose the screw clamp option, but I know that I'll be 'tweeking' the install in the next few weeks to get it where I want it to be. :wink:

 

[cbigma]

They did indeed change the design,......Notice how your switch has a pair of discs to sense the water?
The new design uses the mounting post as one of the sensors.

So,,, by eliminating the second sensor disk, and using the bracket as the second sensor, they 1.) made the switch smaller 2.) allowed the "activate" button to be mounted lower in the bilge 3.) made the switch easier to install and adjust as required 4.) made the switch less expensive to produce. Now -that's- my kind of product improvement.

I hope the design engineer who came up with the idea was given a healthy bonus and some time off. 8) 8)

What do you want to bet it was a DIY boat owner who made the suggestion.

He probably owned a Parker. 8)


(I hope that Phillips screw in the mouting bracket is SS, not just Chrome Plated)

 

[Parker23]

Just admit it that that boat never sees water! That bilge is sickening :lol:

 

[Parker]

Kevin - I have the water witch switch. It is now 9 seasons old and has not failed. (knock wood). By the way, that bilge is just not right. Everytime you post a picture of the Megabyte - i am forced to spend the next 20 hours cleaning my boat.

Brad