Rule float switch failures
Lloyd Sumpter
<guu_...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> FYI;
>
> I known it's a small sample, however I've had 2 of 3 Rule float switches
> fail this year. Both were less than 3 years old. This seems to be way
> too high a failure rate.
>
> Any similar experience? Recommendations for alternates?
>
> --
I've always used Rule switches and bilge pumps. Determination: 5
years, never a problem. Starsend: 8 years, never a problem. Far Cove: 11
years, never a problem.
Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36
Don Ames
I known it's a small sample, however I've had 2 of 3 Rule float switches
fail this year. Both were less than 3 years old. This seems to be way
too high a failure rate.
Any similar experience? Recommendations for alternates?
--
Regards
/Don Ames
Albin 37 "Scholar Gypsy"
GUU Software Inc.
Please visit our web site at...
http://www.mindspring.com/~guu_sftw
w4...@home.com
around in the bilge and now sits in front of the Mercury Sport Jet
banging around in the bilge of my Sea Rayder jetboat at 55. It still
works fine.
Maybe the serene bilge of the Albin is a bit TOO serene and it froze
up??
Larry....
On Wed, 21 Nov 2001 19:39:08 -0500, Don Ames <guu_...@mindspring.com>
wrote:
Steven Shelikoff
>
> FYI;
>
> I known it's a small sample, however I've had 2 of 3 Rule float switches
> fail this year. Both were less than 3 years old. This seems to be way
> too high a failure rate.
>
> Any similar experience? Recommendations for alternates?
Mine just failed about 2 weeks ago, but it's a lot older than 3 years.
I haven't had the time to replace it yet and of course it has me
worried. I'm going to do it this weekend, if the boat's still there.:)
Steve
Rick Morel
wrote:
>FYI;
>
>I known it's a small sample, however I've had 2 of 3 Rule float switches
>fail this year. Both were less than 3 years old. This seems to be way
>too high a failure rate.
>
>Any similar experience? Recommendations for alternates?
While I've never liked float switches, it seems something must be
wrong with your system. Maybe too small a wire dropping the voltage to
the pump, slowing it down so it draws more current? Goop sucked into
the pump, overloading???
I've found an answer, though. One of the Rule fully automatic bilge
pumps: http://www.rule-industries.com/pumps.htm
There are two models. One looks like the normal red and white, the
other is all white and is the "Platinum". These work by cycling on to
check for water. Both turn on every two and a half minutes. If The
Platinum goes through five cycles with no water, it switches to every
ten minutes. If there is water after, it goes back to two minutes. If
your bilge is dry, each uses about a quarter of an Amp Hour per day.
I had the automatic 1100 GPH for about four years with no problem.
Until it got zapped by lightning; a direct hit to the VHF antenna atop
the main mast. Replaced with an 1100 GPH Platinum. This one is a lot
quieter. It checks for water at reduced power.
A good idea is to add the stainless debris strainer to the pump. This
will keep crud out of the impeller. If you do have a lot of crud in
the bilge, I'd visually check every now and then. Automatic pump or
not, the strainer could get stopped up enough to prevent pumping. To
me, this is better than clogging and stalling the pump.
I have no financial or any other interest in Rule other than I really
like the automatic bilge pumps.
Rick Morel
S/V Final Step
http://www.morelr.com/coronado/
Garland Gray II
switch on but sometimes failed to switch off. Rule replaced it.
"Don Ames" <guu_...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:3BFC492B...@mindspring.com...
XPKYS
failure rate for rule switches. Some may last a few years but I can report
many instances of failure after just one year.
There are not a lot of alternatives. I used to use the Ultra Pump Switch
marketed by West Marine which is very reliable but a bit expensive. West have
recently discontinued selling it and I dont know if the manufacturer is still
marketing it independently. These days I use the Rule Premium float switch
which has a two year warranty and hopefully somewhat better reliability.
Peter Kennedy Yacht Services
Marine Electrical Systems
http://www.pkys.com
w4...@home.com
Peter, any ideas why bilge pumps have to be such cheap pieces of crap?
ALL of them are just plastic junk that should be pumping a yard
fountain.....except they'd only last a week in that service!
larry
Lloyd Sumpter
<xp...@aol.com> wrote:
> I am in the marine electrical business and I can report an extremely
> high failure rate for rule switches. Some may last a few years but I
> can report many instances of failure after just one year. There are not
> a lot of alternatives. I used to use the Ultra Pump Switch marketed by
> West Marine which is very reliable but a bit expensive. West have
> recently discontinued selling it and I dont know if the manufacturer is
> still marketing it independently. These days I use the Rule Premium
> float switch which has a two year warranty and hopefully somewhat better
> reliability.
>
As I said, I've used Rule switches for many years without a problem.
I'm wondering if the newer ones are not as well-built as the older ones?
Tom Moore
fall....both new this summer and Rule replaced them both for free.
"Lloyd Sumpter" <lsum...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:qT0L7.57825$Ud.27...@news1.rdc1.bc.home.com...
MichaelO.
at all. The third one worked .. . so far. But to be sure I hauled the boat
out rather than trust the switch while the boat is unattended.
Two questions. What is a better float switch system? Second what is a good
bilge pump that uses a hose for the water intake as well as discharge? I
want one where I can put the intake hose end into the odd spaces, then coil
it up when not in use.
Thanks in advance for your recommendations
Michael
"Lloyd Sumpter" <lsum...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:qT0L7.57825$Ud.27...@news1.rdc1.bc.home.com...
______________________________________________________________________________
Posted Via Binaries.net = SPEED+RETENTION+COMPLETION = http://www.binaries.net
Don Ames
...snip
> While I've never liked float switches, it seems something must be
> wrong with your system. Maybe too small a wire dropping the voltage to
> the pump, slowing it down so it draws more current? Goop sucked into
> the pump, overloading???
... snip
Rick and others;
Thanks for the feedback.
The bilge is clean. The smallest gage wire in the circuit is the wire on the
float switch itself. I did not put an ameter on the pump, but it turns
freely, and two separate pumps were involved.
I guess I should have saved the dead switches and tried to get a free
replacement. At this point I much rather find a new source. Perhaps, Rick's
recommendation on the automatic pump, but that's the same company.
--
Regards
/Don Ames
Cory & Margaret
years ago. zero problems.
Jack/CAST-AWAYS
washing down the bilge, which is about the only time we get water in the
sump. I'd be interested to find out exactly what causes them to fail??
Basically they're just a simple mercury switch. The float portion could
leak, or wiring could corrode...I guess?? -Jack
--
CAST-AWAYS
Used Sail Loft and Marine Surplus
http://www.cast-aways.com
916-487-1481
XPKYS <xp...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011122103646...@mb-cn.aol.com...
Mikedemetz
but it was one of the biggies.
I have made a copy of the switch by using a washing machine water level switch,
some tubing and a 3" PVC cap. I have run in to one of these type in service on
a shrimp boat for 10 years now.
Mike
****************
Doug Dotson
were the only components in the bilge and the switch was solid state.
Worked very well. The pump was a little pricey and had only 5/'8"
ports. Nice thing is that the pump is easy to get at and was also
repairable.
doug
Doug Dotson
switches.
doug
Doug Dotson
position and keeping the pump running. I guess that is better
failure mode than not turning the pump on.
doug
Doug Dotson
just quit a couple of weeks ago. Also have one in my grey water
tank but it clogs occationally when a piece of smeg floats up under
tube.
doug
Keith
know how old they were, some were a couple of years old. They just seem
to have a high failure rate. I just replaced one that had failed a
couple of weeks ago...don't know how old it was.
--
__________________
Keith
"A clown is like aspirin, only he works twice as fast." - Groucho Marx
Steve
buying their switches about 10 years ago after I had 2 switches fail in a
month or so. When you take them in for replacement at WM the salesperson
wants you to buy the premium Hi Amp model, even though the cheaper switch
meets your current requirements. One the ones that I had fail, it was a open
in the wire where it goes into the pivot of the float.
I'm using several other makes of switches, one is the WM Ultra Bilge
Pumpswitch. A little pricey but much better that the Rule crap.
My experience, FWIW
Steve
s/v Good Intentions
Jerrys
on them and have gone back to the Rule automatic. I picked up a copy of the
Rule 1100. This pump will turn on every once in a while, sniff for water,
and pump it out if present. A perfectly satisfactory arrangement for me.
I note in the West Catalog that they had problems testing this particular
item. It would not operate below 12.5 volts. So far mine has been working
fine, tho I check every day or two. If this Rule doesn't work out, I'm off
to another brand.
Jerry
"Steve" <est...@hctc.com> wrote in message
news:u14g6fd...@corp.supernews.com...
Doug Dotson
doug
Henk Meuzelaar
the weather was nearly always nice until last year, believe it or not,
we had TWO WEEKS OF NON-STOP RAIN AND HAIL! All the while, our
friends living just a couple of hundred miles from here were just
playing golf and enjoying a gorgeous Indian summer. Obviously, we had
a crappy deal going here and I decided to move (after 12 years without
problems) when a home came up for sale one block away from our
friend's house. We just finished moving there and guess what happened
the first week? It started raining again..... Well, we will keep a
weather eye on the situation in our new neighborhood but if this ever
happens again we 'll be moving back to our old town!!!
Thought you might feel better after reading this.
Flying Dutchman
"Statistics suck; don't they?"
Don Ames <guu_...@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:<3BFEF6BE...@mindspring.com>...
Traveler
failed about a year ago. Can't say how old but may have been original. Its
replacement, a Rule Automatic, another Mercury switch, has failed as well.
The first one failed electrically. I did not take it apart and don't know
the exact cause. The replacement failed mechanically. To my knowledge,
Rule makes two differrent Automatic Hg switches where the actual float
resides in a plastic housing. The theory is that with a housing, water can
get in, but a hose, or clamp cannot touch the float an prevent it from
rising. This seems like a good idea, and actully is. The smaller of the
two has a "manual switch knob" for testing or pumping out small amounts of
water, and the larger one does not. My recomendation is to NOT PURCHASE THE
ONE WITH THE MANUAL KNOB. IT CAN (and eventully will) FOUL Virtually
anything in your bilge besides water can easily foul this knob. The West
switch is mechanical and has no Hg, (it has a little conductive ball in it)
and looks like it would be very reliable as well, unless the ball or its
contacts were to corode. I like the idea of a mechanical switch. Does
anyone know of "affordable" mechanical sw that are sealed or packed well
enough for for the marine env. for a ~30' boat w/ a fairly small albeit
deep bilge. The primary bilge pump, a Rule 5000 (also came w/ boat) is
doing fine and shows no sign of aging, other than dirt.
Traveler
"Doug Dotson" <ddo...@digidata.com> wrote in message
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