Float switch!!!!

[sporsterjoel]

Well on the weekend i opened my hatch to find my engine bay full of water. i did get the leak fixed and all is good now, but i got an idea. I want to put a float switch in and wire it to a dess type of speaker. Has anyone ever done something like this?

 

[Nate Surveyor]

OK, so you want a water alarm?

I think there are already several out there.

Just type "Bilge Alarm" on Google.

Is that what you mean?

Nate

 

[sporsterjoel]

OK, so you want a water alarm?

I think there are already several out there.

Just type "Bilge Alarm" on Google.

Is that what you mean?

Nate

ya i want an alarm to go off, if there to much in the engine bay

 

[seadoosnipe]

Bilge pump?.....

I wanted more info on your set up, so I've been looking into your system. It seems your bilge is a self contained, automatic bilge pump. If so, the question I have is why did it fail?

My system uses an outside water sensor and a stand alone bilge pump. It's had it's pro's and con's, but for the most part, it's trust worthy now. I do use the "on" switch now and then, when leaving it in the water overnight, to make sure it works. I did have to change the original one out this past season.

To do what your asking, seems a real easy way to have some type of alarm to warn you of impending flooding. I think I'd wire it directly to your battery. If you put a float switch in, a 12 vdc beeper in, wire the positive directly to the beeper, the ground to one of the wires of the float switch, then the other to the beeper, I think that would make an excellent alarm. Of course, you'll need to put the float switch a bit higher than your bilge pump, so as not to interfere with it. You may want to mount the alarm inside the engine compartment, to seperate the sounds of the two beepers. I have the depth finder that Karl did in the forum and it beeps on start up and is sometimes confusing, so I would seperate the locations of the two. If you put it in the engine compartment, I believe you could still hear it pretty well. You would only need the warning when the engine is off.

Let me know how it works out. I think I might do this one myself. With a 1997 model boat, that is kept in perfect condition, I'd sure hate to flood my engine bay without knowing it.:cheers:

 

[sporsterjoel]

i did another post about what happend, I was driving around for about 20 or so min can back to the cottage, let the dog out then went to check the oil and the water was about 2in below the computer, so very close to entering the motor. what happend was the bailer pluge line came off and the little zip tie that holds it on jammed the bilge pump.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Idea!.....

Well, I still think it's a great idea. I know I want to look into it.

With our engine compartments sealed, it's not like we can just look into the hull of our boats and see we need to pump the bilge. So, I think I'm going to look into your idea.........:cheers:

 

[sporsterjoel]

i found these switches http://www.fluidswitch.com/, not sure how good they are. Would jumping waves make the float bounch around and triger the alarm? I also like your idea about monthing the speaker in the engine bay, Also i though about wiring 1 Really BRIGHT l.e.d. on the dash near the rpm and speedoo. One pluse to my crappy weekend was i got the engine bay all nice and clean now LOL...

 

[seadoosnipe]

Walmart.......

I already have a float switch that I use in the hull of my floating dock for the jet boat. I bought it from Walmart. The ones your looking at are probably a bit more expensive.

As for jumping the wakes, it may if the wakes bounce the boat really bad. But you could eleminate that by putting an on off switch inline. The only reason I'd need it is when the boat is left at dock or when I'm swimming off the platform with the kids. It seems my boat takes on water when we load the platform down at that time, but the auto pump always comes on.

I live on the river and leave my boat in the water over weekends. Not much longer because I don't have a lift and marine growth is horrible on my hull.

But the idea of a monitor while the boat is at idle is a good idea.

Even if you didn't put a switch on it, if you were jumping waves and you mounted the alarm in the engine compartment, I doubt that you'd hear it over the motor...........:cheers:

 

[sporsterjoel]

Id check you rub rail for leaks near the back i bet the glue or what ever they use to seal the top & bottom part of the boat together has seperated. thats what happend to mine. i found it by leaving in on the trailer when it was on the boat ramp and looked inside and found where it was. leaks around the rub rail is a very common probem with all boats, every boat i have has had that problem. Oh and what section on wal-mart are the float switches??? and i agree about leaving it in i always take mine out when im done but i also have 3 ramps within spitting distance from my cottage that are free for me to use and the big boat gets the lift, it never been in the water for more then a day and still looks the same as it did when new and in the showroom.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Exhaust gasket.

I'm pretty sure it's the exhaust gasket expansion joint, where it passes though the hull. Since most of the time, it's out of the water, I haven't been to worried about it, but when we're swimming, thats when I notice the bilge pump come on......:cheers:

 

[sporsterjoel]

an idea!!!!

I was talking to my dad tillling him about my plan and he gave me a water alarm thats powered by a 9 volt battery, it looks like a smoke alarm. not sure where he got it but im sure home building store like home depot will sell them

 

[seadoosnipe]

I'll look.......

I'll look, but I actually already grabbed a float switch out of my old box of junk. Problem is, it's an old box of junk, so it may be unreliable. :cheers:

 

[vilord]

exhaust gasket at the hull is a fun one, Louis... have to pull the muffler, which doesn't like to come out (took me an hour or two by itself), then remove 6 or 8 bolts that go around it. Of course they aren't captive nut or carriage bolt or anything useful like that, so you need a wrench on both sides.

So ends up you need help to hold the bolts.