Thread: Auto bilge switch

Have float switch Works great and probably cheapest fix.

They are nice in the fact that you don't have to worry about turning it on. At the same time if you leave your boat on the water all the time they can run down your battery, also with the mechanical floats they can also burn up a pump if say some debris in your bilge causes them to run continuously. not very common but has been known to happen so just make sure you keep the bilge clean and the switch unobstructed.

I have used both. Rule float switch is the best. the non-float kind don`t last as long and tend to stay no or not come on till water gets higher the you want. If you leave your boat in the water it`s a must. make sure to check the bilge for trash. A few leaves can hang it and kill the battery.

Agree with the Captan on this one! Had two on my 26 footer. Both were float models. One in the aft, and one mid cabin. A couple times a year, we would use simple green in the bottom of the boat (fiberglass). Pour in a little bit before we run out on Lake Michigan. This ensured that it would clean any stagnant water that sat down in the belly of the boat below the floats. Always made sure the water was clean. Had a sludge issue one time that stuck a float in the closed position due to weight on the float arm.

Hello: I also added the float switch to the boats I've owned . Have never had any problems. I also added a switch to the float so I could turn it off when not wanted or during storage . Good Luck. O - R