What's Your Favorite Float Switch?

Rule seems to rule the market on float switches but after a couple failures of Rule A Matic switches, I want to make a change. Suggestions?

Only ones I use in most cases are:

TEF-GEL - Ultra safety systems - Home page

Oops, sorry. Didn't read the whole title...

Ha!!

Capt.Bill11 said:

Only ones I use in most cases are:

TEF-GEL - Ultra safety systems - Home page

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Used these on our last boat. Great when they work which is most of the time. Terrible company/owner to deal with if there is a problem.
The new boat comes with Rule switches I believe, I welcome not having to call the guy at Tefgel ever again!!!
Bruce

Thanks for the info on that brand, Bruce.

I had exactly the opposite experience from Bruce with the guy at TefGel, who was always very helpful with advice and spare parts. I ended up using 7 of the UltraSwitches on my old Hatteras, with nary a failure (nor have I ever met someone first hand who had a failure) over the course of several years. This included a few bilges and sumps where they got a pretty good workout and in the latter case exposed to all sorts of soap and gunk.

I wouldn't consider using anything else. Mine replaced a few Rules, a couple of SureBails and an Aquaalarm.

I'd like to know a little more of Bruce's story, since it is such an outlier in my direct and indirect experience.

Maybe two different guys......good cop, bad cop??

For the record then. I've used the Ultra Safety Switch made by Tefgel on two boats over the course of 20 years now.
The switch used in the first boat worked as advertised for 9 years.
As a result of the good results we had with that switch I specified one in the build of our next boat. That switch failed in 24 months while on a cruise. I replaced it at my own cost in order to simply get on with the cruise. That switch failed in less than a year. I contacted the manufacturer/owner who told me that his switches don't fail! End of story!!!
He was arrogant and rude and unbelievably condescending! All I was trying to do was order a switch when I mentioned that I'd had two failures and he went off.

I'm glad your switches are working. I will never use one again as a result of the way he treated me.

Be forewarned...
Bruce

Ken E. said:

Maybe two different guys......good cop, bad cop??

Click to expand...

When I called I got the owner of the company.
He is happy to tell you how bright he is, how good his product is, how many people/companies have tried to steal the idea etc.
I should have recognized the pattern...
Bruce

My favourite float switch is a backup system. They all fail at the worst time.

Besides the float switch failing there are too many other things that can go wrong; - a wiring short, blown fuse, debris stuck in the impeller, blocked pump intake, a kinked hose, the skin fitting broken, pump under sized.
A second independent system installed slightly higher and stays dry 99.9% of the time is cheap insurance on any component failing.

All I can say is, I've never had to deal with the guy at TefGel, because after using his switches for 20 plus years on many, many boats, I've only had one go bad.

And that was after years of service.

Capt.Bill11 said:

All I can say is, I've never had to deal with the guy at TefGel, because after using his switches for 20 plus years on many, many boats, I've only had one go bad.

And that was after years of service.

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I tried to convey the thought that the product is a good one...
I believe the basic design is very good.

It's funny how a bad experience can impact you thoughts though.
2 of the 4 I've owned failed too quickly. Both should have been replaced under the "lifetime warranty". From what I've seen there is no warranty...
For the price of my 4 Ultra Safety Switch Jr models I can purchase 12 Rule switches...
Having no experience with the Rule switches beyond helping friends on their boats...I think I'll give them a try!
In another 20 years I can report back and share what I've learned...
Bruce

In 1977 Rule was the only choice. On my next boat, in 1988, Rule was still in full control of the market. In 1994, there were a few other choices, so, due to several failures, I switched. None of the others that I tried lasted more than a season. Rule at least usually lasted a couple of seasons. So I went back to Rule. The switches on my main and backup bilge pumps are at least 10 yrs old now, and I have had no failures. They finally got it sorted out.

I did away with external gloat switch. All my bilge pumps have internal sendor that activates pump periodically and tests for resistance. No float switch trouble since i made this change.

MVDarlin said:

I did away with external gloat switch. All my bilge pumps have internal sendor that activates pump periodically and tests for resistance. No float switch trouble since i made this change.

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Are you referring to the Rule automatic pump type?
I've always wondered if the noise they make every couple of minutes is annoying...
Bruce

Johnson Ultra. Flipper type switches have too many issues, no matter who makes them.

Two naked wires, when water comes in contact with both the switch is closed. No any way of failure.

Of course I am joking, please do not mind me

Last time this came up, or maybe the time before, there was a simple switch which involved water rising in a tube,it was almost DIY, though I think it was commercially marketed in USA. But not here, so I decided not to risk upsetting insurers with some device unknown here. I don`t recall the detail, but it seemed a sensible device. Now, what was it....

I have not had good experiences with Rule switches lately.
I purchased two packages of a Rule 800 bilge pump and a switch (the cheaper Rule switch) from Amazon. I have the same switch in my trawler which was installed by the PO and has worked for over 10 years.

The first switch failed after one summer of use in my skiff. It just quit turning the pump on. Rule sent me a warranty replacement (2yr warranty). To be safer, I installed both the replacement and the other new switch in parallel. Tested both switches in the boat at home, all good.

I took the skiff to the marina, and had a rain. One of the new switches stuck in the 'on' position, could have drained the battery if I had not caught it in time.

So, two out of three new Rule switches failed. One after three months of use, the other after one day.

I think I will try a Johnson brand switch as I have lost faith in Rule, a long time standard in the bilge pump industry.

Lou_tribal said:

Two naked wires, when water comes in contact with both the switch is closed. No any way of failure.

Of course I am joking, please do not mind me

Click to expand...

Not sure if its joking or not, but ive had failure on my rule float switch and got tired of the basic design. Had both types of failure, stuck on or wont turn on. Anyway found a new type that has no moving parts, 2 metal disk on a 45 degree angle when water covers both metal disk closes the circuit and turns on the pump.

So sounds a lot like hour 2 wire idea..just installed it on my dingy-runabout and it of course works. However i wont have a real opinion for quite a while. The boat is open and on the west coast so it gets a good workout but i wont be sure for a several of years

Perhaps others have longer exposure to them, would be interesting to hear reports on longevity.

Did not know this was existing for real. Damned I am a genius!

Rule switch used to use a mercury bulb, and was very reliable. Eventually the wires would corrode and break. I think they have gone to using rolling steel ball, or a mechanical switch and they are not as reliable. They still should last for several years, I seem to get 5 years. I had bought 2 chinese cheap switches for 10$ each, and they worked ok for about 2 years. One completely failed due to rust from a leak, the other still works electrically but is stiffened up so that if it lifts, it wont fall back down.

I still plan to hook up a very cheap Ebay reed switch uses a donut shaped magnet and a 40 amp cube relay when I make the time for it.

I find the Tef-Gel website hard to navigate, breaking all the web building guidelines and hard to read with the font over a blue background... Looks like one of their kids did them a "favor" making their websites...

Thanks for all the responses. One moral from these comments is to regularly test whatever switch you have. Just assuming the switch will turn the pump on can lead to disastrous results.

__________________
Ken

stubones99 said:

I find the Tef-Gel website hard to navigate, breaking all the web building guidelines and hard to read with the font over a blue background... Looks like one of their kids did them a "favor" making their websites...

Click to expand...

Really? It's basically 2 clicks to go anywhere.

And the white lettering over the blue seems to stand out well. At least as I look at it on my phone.

Johnson Ultras have 2 moulded circles to press, using 2 fingers, to test operation.
I`ve made avoiding Rule switches a rule. One just failed in my gray water sump. Yuk!

Yes. Never had a problem with float switches since then.

AusCan said:

My favourite float switch is a backup system. They all fail at the worst time.

Besides the float switch failing there are too many other things that can go wrong; - a wiring short, blown fuse, debris stuck in the impeller, blocked pump intake, a kinked hose, the skin fitting broken, pump under sized.
A second independent system installed slightly higher and stays dry 99.9% of the time is cheap insurance on any component failing.

Click to expand...

Exactly right - what I've always heard is the "proper yacht" way.

Thinking about all the little things that can overwhelm an automatic bilge pump system makes it hard to sleep peacefully.

I have had all 3 of my rule sw fail. The failed in the on postion and overheated and killed the pump. No more rule parts for me. Johnson sw are ok so far