float switch for grey water tank - any ideas?

Phildorset

Phildorset

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My grey water tank has an EBSN15 electronic bilge switch (by Quick) to ensure it pumps the contents overboard before overflowing, however, after ten years of dedicated service it has given up and retired itself... I don't seem to be able to find one here in the UK, has anyone got any suggestions as to a source or perhaps an alternative?
 
Phil, I had the same issue 2 years ago. I replaced it with a Whale electronic float switch. Pretty much a direct replacement. Available from Mailspeed plus others. These are not the most reliable of bits of kit, so I carry a spare.
 
rafiki_ said:
Phil, I had the same issue 2 years ago. I replaced it with a Whale electronic float switch. Pretty much a direct replacement. Available from Mailspeed plus others. These are not the most reliable of bits of kit, so I carry a spare.
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now that sounds good, but how did you fix it? at the 'full' level I guess... and my old switch (poss the same as your old one) is rated for the possible 15amp pump load, will the Whale switch manage that or will I be having to install a relay maybe? I can see that I could find a way to fix it on a bracket very near the top of the tank - is that what you did? P
 
Whatever you do, don't waste your £30 on that POS switch. There is one in the aft grey sump of a standard build squadron 78 and in 6 years of running two of those boats I have replaced it literally 6 times. The last time, I fitted a proper floating float switch and that has been fine. The Whale electronic switch is a total waste of time imho, based on a user review of 6 of them so hardly a one-off.
 
jfm said:
Whatever you do, don't waste your £30 on that POS switch. There is one in the aft grey sump of a standard build squadron 78 and in 6 years of running two of those boats I have replaced it literally 6 times. The last time, I fitted a proper floating float switch and that has been fine. The Whale electronic switch is a total waste of time imho, based on a user review of 6 of them so hardly a one-off.
Click to expand...

I recognise your frustration JFM, mine has done nearly 2 years, but I probably generate considerably less grey water than you. Decent shower but no bath on the Snazi.
The challenge with the mechanical switch is how to fix in the tank. My tank is not so big, maybe 50l. Phil's Snazi is much bigger, but the tank may not be? The moulded shape of mine means the e float switch is easier to fit.
 
our grey tank has this type of floater swich,

floatswitch.jpg


it's in there over 6 years from before we bought the boat, and never failed,

coincidently last week I installed one in the black tank for the "full" alarm,
as the bilge float swicth that was in there failed almoest every year.
 
jfm said:
Is a piece of cake Raf :D
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Challenge is mounting the thing JFM. I guess one could put a screw through the side of the tank to secure the switch, and seal this off.

Phil's easiest route is to buy 2 off Whale float switches. Plumb one in to get him going. Have a look at how to fit a "nodding dog" in the future, with one as a back up if he has a failure on a trip. He will have a bunch of other Quick float switches in the bilge. I tried to source the Quick alternative, but couldn't find one quickly in the UK.
 
jfm said:
Whatever you do, don't waste your £30 on that POS switch. There is one in the aft grey sump of a standard build squadron 78 and in 6 years of running two of those boats I have replaced it literally 6 times. The last time, I fitted a proper floating float switch and that has been fine. The Whale electronic switch is a total waste of time imho, based on a user review of 6 of them so hardly a one-off.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more! I fitted one of these to my grey tank and it lasted less than 12 months.

I dumped the whole grey tank and replaced with an in-line diaphragm pump. Best decision I ever made. Granted it sounds like a randy frog, but i'll get over that knowing that I don't have to go near the grey tank ever again.
 
rafiki_ said:
Challenge is mounting the thing JFM. I guess one could put a screw through the side of the tank to secure the switch, and seal this off.
Click to expand...
Azi have figured out how to fit the defunct one. Surely some nice bracket; surely they didn't drill through the tank side. You just attach the new switch to whatever bracket Azi have made for the old switch. You might have to make a little adaptor plate out of plastic, or drill new screw holes in the bracket, but that's a piece of cake.
It's not like you're trying to fit a float switch to a tank that has never had a float switch before.
 
jfm said:
Azi have figured out how to fit the defunct one. Surely some nice bracket; surely they didn't drill through the tank side. You just attach the new switch to whatever bracket Azi have made for the old switch. You might have to make a little adaptor plate out of plastic, or drill new screw holes in the bracket, but that's a piece of cake.
It's not like you're trying to fit a float switch to a tank that has never had a float switch before.
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You're right jfm, Azimut have a dangly bracket via a long bolt secured through the top face of the tank, so I could modify the vertical plate such that I can mount a mech float switch horiz... am still deciding what to do.
Am tempted to put a relay with a timer onto the circuit, timed such that it empties the tank rather than just stop it overflowing (currently the pump will come on for as long as it takes for the sensor to decide it is high and dry again - so always switching in and out and yet never emptying the tank, seem a silly set up to me, I can throw a separate switch to empty the tank... not that I can ever know it's full, the 'full' sensor light at the bridge only comes on if the pump fails! joy!!) All good fun eh
 
An advantage with the Whale is the version we have has a 30 second overrun. Means that the pump isn't always switching on every time you produce grey water. A nodding dog will trip every time you have waste water of any volume.
 
The same switch is not functioning at my Azi and I have almost given up. I follow the gray water gauge lights and dispose manually. It is a headache...
 
Eren said:
The same switch is not functioning at my Azi and I have almost given up. I follow the gray water gauge lights and dispose manually. It is a headache...
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Hi Eren, I found that Sea Safety had the OE sensor in stock at just under £70... I experimented with what would happen if I just did without and pumped the tank once the light showed it was full, unfortunately the sensor on mine only triggers the warning light when the tank is completely full, at which point I also discovered that the water is backing up in sinks and dribbling out of the inspection hatch and into the bilge (will seal this better), so am going to do a fix one way or another to ensure pump triggers at around 80% full & ditches a good proportion if not all.
 
Phildorset said:
Hi Eren, I found that Sea Safety had the OE sensor in stock at just under £70... I experimented with what would happen if I just did without and pumped the tank once the light showed it was full, unfortunately the sensor on mine only triggers the warning light when the tank is completely full, at which point I also discovered that the water is backing up in sinks and dribbling out of the inspection hatch and into the bilge (will seal this better), so am going to do a fix one way or another to ensure pump triggers at around 80% full & ditches a good proportion if not all.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the valuable info Phil. I will have a look at it.
 
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