Securing the bilge pump float switch

[Gary M]

The last time I went sailing I heard my automatic bilge pump come on. I imagined the worse but found that the switch had turned over on it's side when the boat healed in a gust.

Now I want to secure it and was thinking of a small bead of silicone sealant on the base of the switch.

How do you secure your switch to prevent this.

Gary

[Richard G.]

Mine is mounted on a small block of wood that fits the shape of the bildge. In this way it is wedged into position and does not move about.

What Basin are you in? I am in C Basin just passed the Chart House.

Richard

[Gary M]

Hi Richard,
My CD22 is in SMYC Marina one in from the end tie. Since there is no boat at the end tie you can see it easily from just inside of G Basin.

I'll keep an eye out for a CD27 (a boat I have long admired and almost bought some 20 years ago) while sailing around the harbor.

I've had several boats in MDR, and most of the time they were in G basin.

Hope to meet up with you sometime.

Gary

[drysuit2]

My bilge pump and switch are mounted to a clear block of Lucite. That block has one screw that threads directly into the hull in my keel. This is the way the dealer installed it originally. I have always wondered about this one self tapping screw into the fiberglass. I imagine that he must of sealed the hole with something after he drilled it, because it still seems solid. It made replacing my bilge pump switch very easy this winter.

[rtbates]

I don't deal with bilge float switches anymore and am I happy about that. The best advice I could give you is to get rid of the float switch and get a solid state fully sealed no moving parts bilge switch. I couldn't believe how NOT expensive they are. For $39 I got a solid state switch that uses inductance or maybe capacitance on a metal probe to detect WATER. The real beauty of this puppy, besides the bullet proof nature of the design, is that it can tell the difference between water and diesel or oil. It won't turn on the pump and discharge either diesel or oil. That alone could save a $10k fine for pollution. Available at WM.

[bottomscraper]

I second Randy's comments on the electronic switches with no float. There are several brands out there, here are a few links:

SEEWATER

WATERWITCH

Look for low "standby current" (these are both low). Shop around Defender has the Water Witch for about $35-$40 depending on the model.

On a previous boat we had both the bilge pump and the switch mounted on a plastic board. The board was only attached at the top so it was easy to remove out of the bilge for inspection and cleaning. On Mahalo we have two pumps, a smaller remote mounted diaphragm pump with pickup at the bottom and a larger Rule 3700 mounted about 6" up in the bilge on a frame made out of HDPE plastic.

[Dan & Pat]

One method I've used for attaching a float is using a vertical surface rather than screwing or bolting into the hull or keel.

To make this work, simply fashion an "L" shaped bracket from a piece of galvanized steel, aluminum sheet stock or what-have-you. Fasten the vertical surface to a bulkhead or stringer then attach the switch to the horizontal surface. Its adjustable and eliminates the need to compromise the hull or keel with yet another potential leaker.

[Dean Abramson]

For my 25D, I found an ancient fiberglass cafeteria tray (modern plastic ones would float), cut a decent size piece from it, and mounted the pump and switch to it. Since the whole rig has a wide base, it is unlikely to flip over anyway, plus I was able to slide it under the manual bilge pump's hose and some other stuff down there, so it is secure.

Dean