Automatic bilge pump switch - yes or no?

Marco_l87

Marco_l87

Location
Camogli, Italy
Hey guys,
I was thinking about placing a second bilge pump in my ski and so it came up in my mind the idea of placing an automatic float switch to start them.
Will it work fine? Does anyone have one of those? (Rule-A-Matic or so)
Or will it start randomly due to jumps, surfing etc even if there's no water inside?
Also a little OT: my manual bilge pump switch has 3 positions, which would it be the best setup for dual pumps?
1- off, 1 pump automatic, 2 pumps manual
2- off, 2 pumps manual, 2 pumps automatic
3- off, 1 pump manual, 2 pumps manual (no float switch then)
4- any other combination you might suggest?
Thank you so much!
Cheers,
Marco
 
subhard

subhard

TITS OR GTFO
Location
anchorage ak
I like my rule o matic a lot more than my old manual switched pumps. It doesn't turn on when it gets splashed as far as I can tell and hasn't let me down yet. I'll never run a switch again.
 
sjetrider

sjetrider

615 Freeriders are addicted to T1 madness.
Location
in the 615 (Nashville)
there is one that searches every 2 mins and if it finds a load will run it on out but it is like $69 I used it for a season or more before braket broke abd I chewed it up in the coupler. I wired it to my TL so it came on when I had the TL on , if I needed it before the 2 min search I just flipped the switch off then on and it searches on startup for a load and pumps till its dry. You do have to have it on a switch or a plug though as you dont want it searching in your garage all the time. You can plug it in and use it all day and unplug it when you put it up though. It was nice on the TL as it reminded me if I left the tl on.

I would not do the flapper switch deal in a ski.
 
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subhard

subhard

TITS OR GTFO
Location
anchorage ak
Marco_l87 said:
subhard where have you placed the rule-o-matic?
and drifter yep it's a 2006 KTM 625 SMC, my fisrt little baby :) the second is the ski xD
Click to expand...

I wedged mine underneath the rubber exhaust hose with a zip tie also running around the hose clamped in between the pump and base. You can see the white zip tie in this pic.
py8yhy8a.jpg
 
CRJ

CRJ

Hibernating
Location
Toronto
ive always said no to auto float bilges, they will kick off and on and burn the motor out. a simple switch and you set.
 
subhard

subhard

TITS OR GTFO
Location
anchorage ak
CRJ said:
ive always said no to auto float bilges, they will kick off and on and burn the motor out. a simple switch and you set.
Click to expand...

No they won't. Plus switches fail too. I'd rather only have one piece of equipment to reply on and maintain versus two.
 
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Jrod

Jrod

Location
San Jose
I had an auto bilge setup fail, they are convenient to install as wiring is simple however the bilge pump itself is more complex therefore having more parts to fail. The good thing was when my auto bilge failed it just wouldn't shut off so it turned in to a normal bilge pump that I wired it to a switch.
 
Marco_l87

Marco_l87

Location
Camogli, Italy
subhard said:
Proof.

https://vimeo.com/m/46853698
Click to expand...

from this vid you can see that it correctly starts when there's water and stop when there isn't but... he didn't film how it acts in the surf with all the up and downs and jumps and so on... if the switch inside the rule-matic "box" is like this: https://www.whitworths.com.au/products/84744_lg.jpg it will go up and down because of the ski's movements and not because of water in the bilge... so it will start and stop the bilge continuously and burn the motor... this is what CRJ was telling I guess, and also what I am asking here xD :)
 
Poizen

Poizen

Mical
Site Supporter
Location
South Africa
Just get the water witch switches thats the best

Used by all us coast guards and will only switch on when in contact with water
 
speedysprocket

speedysprocket

Alex
Location
Chesapeake, VA
I used a diode and had my three position switch set up for off, one pump, or both pumps. I'd generally leave it on one when riding, and switch to two is I had or expected a lot of water in the hull.
 
subhard

subhard

TITS OR GTFO
Location
anchorage ak
Marco_l87 said:
from this vid you can see that it correctly starts when there's water and stop when there isn't but... he didn't film how it acts in the surf with all the up and downs and jumps and so on... if the switch inside the rule-matic "box" is like this it will go up and down because of the ski's movements and not because of water in the bilge... so it will start and stop the bilge continuously and burn the motor... this is what CRJ was telling I guess, and also what I am asking here xD :)
Click to expand...

It's not. From their website: "The sensor's unique "field effect" technology is programmed to recognize the dielectric constant of water only."

They only turn on when it senses constant water for a couple seconds. Splashes and jumping DO NOT activate the pump
 
SuperDrifter

SuperDrifter

Prototyper
Site Supporter
Location
Floridapunk
Marco_l87 said:
from this vid you can see that it correctly starts when there's water and stop when there isn't but... he didn't film how it acts in the surf with all the up and downs and jumps and so on... if the switch inside the rule-matic "box" is like this: https://www.whitworths.com.au/products/84744_lg.jpg it will go up and down because of the ski's movements and not because of water in the bilge... so it will start and stop the bilge continuously and burn the motor... this is what CRJ was telling I guess, and also what I am asking here xD :)
Click to expand...

Good point, time for a simple test. Simulation commence.

Test:

Connected pump (Rule-Auto 1100 sp?) to batt.
placed pump in bucket
Filled a bucket ~3" deep - waited, but no bilge action
Added another 1"- bilge kicked in.

Shaking unit did not activate pump.
" " in bucket (sloshing) did not activate.

My conclusion:

I won't use this pump for one reason, the engine compartment must have a substantial amount of water, for the unit to kick in.
Not being able to mount it @ lowest point, compounds the problem.
 
Marco_l87

Marco_l87

Location
Camogli, Italy
SuperDrifter said:
Good point, time for a simple test. Simulation commence.

Test:

Connected pump (Rule-Auto 1100 sp?) to batt.
placed pump in bucket
Filled a bucket ~3" deep - waited, but no bilge action
Added another 1"- bilge kicked in.

Shaking unit did not activate pump.
" " in bucket (sloshing) did not activate.

My conclusion:

I won't use this pump for one reason, the engine compartment must have a substantial amount of water, for the unit to kick in.
Not being able to mount it @ lowest point, compounds the problem.
Click to expand...

subhard said:
It's not. From their website: "The sensor's unique "field effect" technology is programmed to recognize the dielectric constant of water only."

They only turn on when it senses constant water for a couple seconds. Splashes and jumping DO NOT activate the pump
Click to expand...
these are the answers I was looking for :) tested and clear :) thank you... now that I understood it actually works like it should, I just have to decide whether to use an auto switch or not ahahahaha
 
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