Water Witch float switch information needed

[Steve500dancer]

I am looking at installing a water witch switch to my shower sump area and trying to get rid of that extra 2 inches of water that sits in the bilge because the pump float switch doesn't turn on until I have two inches of water in it.

From what I understand, the water witch can be set at any height in the bilge and will turn on as soon as the two prongs are submerged in water and remove almost all the water. I have also heard that the only way to accomplish that is to run a vacuum type pump instead of a syntrifical pump. I am a little confused here on what I really need. I did look at a system at the boat show a couple of years ago that went to several areas on the boat and sucked it dry using a vacuum style pump with a manifold. However, the system was almost 3k by the time you added all the accessories. I just can't remember the name of it.

Thanks in advance
Steve Bone

 

[MasterFab]

The Water Witch also does not turn on until there is enough water in the bilge to submerge the probes for a period of time. The advantage to the Water Witch is the "run on" feature - once the switch activates, it runs for, I believe, 7 seconds after the water level drops below the probes. So, it allows the pump to run and extract as much water as the pump is capable of, so typically around 1/2" or 3/4" of water will be left. If you want to get lower than that, you'll need to either clean it manually, or invest in a self priming, vacuum generating pump, such as a diaphragm style like you mentioned.

Dale

 

[dpmulvey]

Steve,

Your shower drains to the bilge?

 

[dpmulvey]

If it's a small amount of water, try Trossen Robotics:

http://www.trossenrobotics.com/

Search pumps. They have very small 6-24 volt pumps that may do what you want.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Could you re-plumb the drainage into a box (sealed) and then have the contents of that box pumped out? Many of the Sundancers have that setup, already, for the shower. For the exact reason you mention - keep water out of a particular bilge and also cuts down on smell and growth. What little bit stays in the "box" does not matter as it is sealed. The box comes pre-assembled with a pump already built in.

Here's an example: http://www.attwoodmarine.com/store/product/Shower-and-Drain-Sump-Pump-System

 

[JV II]

I have one in my sump box. It is a little over an inch in height and will not turn on until the water us above it because the probes are on top. You should definitely plumb into an enclosed sump box. The odor of any standing water in your cabin bilge will permeate your cabin.

 

[Steve500dancer]

I do have a sumo box the handles all three a/c condensation pipes, master and guest head showers and sinks as well as the kitchen sink. However, it also has an over flow drain that drains to the area around the box. This area also has a float switch and pump to remove the overflow from the sumo box. The area around the box often holds clean water and sometimes gray water. So it appeared that gray water was leaking out of the sump box or from the overflow. We lowered the bilge pump switch so that it would come on sooner, I replaced the top and re sealed everything around the incoming hoses and that seamed to help considerably. The water in the sump area around the box then became pretty clear. Pretty sure that the water around the sump box has to be fresh water from the 150 gallon fresh water tank. I have found two very small cracks in the tank that I repaired last year with 5200 and they appear to have held well. The problem is that in order to replace the 150 gallon water tank, I have to cut out a big section of the salon floor. The reason that these tanks leak is over filling and the vent line is not large enough to allow water to drain if they are over filled. Then the tank expands and in time it weakens areas around the ribs and Bobs your uncle.

So my options are pretty limited.
1) I can find the cracks and repair them. This is very difficult if the leaks are on the sides or bottom I will never be able to find them. I am going to fill the tank this weekend and use my Gopro camera and a long stick to see if I can see the leak. I may have to add some food coloring to the water to get a good look at the leak.

2) I can deal with the small leak and add a pump system that will remove the leaking water or use a Water Witch switch to keep the water level very low.

3-tear up the salon floor and replace the tank. This is a huge undertaking. I have received pictures from SeaRay that show what it takes to remove the tank. They said they had lots of warranty issues with the tanks and repaired way more then they ever had to replace. I also spoke with the manufacturer of the tank and they told me that it is very unlikely that the tank is leaking from the sides or bottom. They also can't explain why the tank is leaking and say it should last a life time. When I sent them pictures of where it was cracked last year...they offered me a new tank at $800.00 plus shipping. I also have a friend with the same boat and the exact same issue.

I will post some pictures of the sump box area as well as where the tank I s located. Any ideas on what to do here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Steve

 

[Steve500dancer]

Here are some pictures

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk