Whale BE9003 / BE9006 Near Field Water Sensors

[girlofwight]

Whale BE9003 / BE9006 Electric Field Water Sensors

Has anyone else experienced these failing repeadtly? Our heads grey water system has one, and we've now had four fail, three in situ, one doa.

My email to Whale today:

We have a 2 1/2 year old motor boat, build new, by Windboats Hardy, with one of your grey water tanks installed. I can't see a part number on the grey water tank, but visually it seems to be a GWO810.

It has the AK1001b style lid with a BE9003 sensor on rods.

The vessel has 24v electrics, and the waste water system was installed at new by Hardy.

We have now got through no less than 4 of the BE9003 sensors!

Two in the first season, 2015, one survived the whole of 2016 and failed this weekend, and a new unopened spare (9006) failed out of the packet - ran continuously when immersed or dry.

I am wondering why these are so unreliable?

I have the 9003 which failed this weekend, and the 9006 (which I understand to be the same product expect for the delay) which failed out of the packet, and would like to return them to you for testing please.

I have ordered new sensors and spares directly to arrive this week.

Please can you provide a return reference, and address? Clearly depending on the results of your testing I would be looking for a refund or goodwill gesture as the failure rate is unacceptable.

I would welcome any suggestions for alternative solutions.

The vessel has a gulper pump working alongside the grey tank - we can switch the pump manually via breaker - and I believe that running dry - as opposed responding to the sensor - will not harm it.

I would recap that the use age is grey water from sink and shower only.

I look forward to hearing from you.

It would be helpful to know if others have had similar problems, and/or any thoughts on causes or alternatives that could go in the Whale grey tank.

 

[rafiki_]

Re: Whale BE9003 / BE9006 Electric Field Water Sensors

I replaced a Quick version with a Whale 2 years ago for my grey tank, and to date it has been fine. JFM is not a big fan, and had changed the Whale sensor for the nodding on/off sensors on Match 2. I have not done so on my Azi as I like the duty cycle that the Whale generates for the pump. With an on/off, pretty much every time you use the sink in the heads, the pump will run. With the Whale, the pump runs on for 30 or so seconds, after switching on. Means the pump will run less often.

 

[jfm]

Re: Whale BE9003 / BE9006 Electric Field Water Sensors

Girlifwight, I have had about 6 of them fail. Same story as you. They are junk imho. You can fit a normal nodding float switch if you just cut a 100mm sq bit of sheet plastic and screw it on horizontal plane to the two black legs inside the whale tank. I'll get you a photo. I believe "water witch" switches are also good and I have some in stock so far unused, but I won't be using the whale switch again.

 

[alt]

Re: Whale BE9003 / BE9006 Electric Field Water Sensors

Pieces of junk, I fitted one previously and it failed within a season.

Chucked the whole sump and replaced with a 'gulper' (aka. randy frog) diaphragm pump - never looked back

 

[girlofwight]

Re: Whale BE9003 / BE9006 Electric Field Water Sensors

Thanks all. I'll update if / when I hear from whale, and, yes, JFM, a picture would be useful as I was mulling over options for something else.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Found one of these in ship's stores and was thinking to use it to replace the Osculati float switch that has failed after 5 years.

After reading this thread, I think I shall now use this cheap float switch I found on AliExpress instead:

 

[vas]

nice thread revival

fwiw, I'm on my second near field sensor, after replacing the first with a water witch that JFM mentions above.
That's in 9 seasons, so 3yrs per sensor

I have an unconfirmed theory that these things are not too happy receiving extreme voltages (like when you do a desulphate on a led-acid battery) I was doing that often. 3yrs ago I fitted a LifePO4 bank and I've not done a de-sulphation session again. Hope the third one is happy and keeps on working.
fwiw boat is 24V and the process would take the battery almost up to 30V for half an hour...

cheers

V.