Hall of Shame. Johnson Ultima switch

[poiu]

Bilge pump switches have a hard time. In a dark, damp smelly place, with lots of nasty chemicals and especially, lots of destructive salt water around. So, you'd think they would be really well made to resist all that, but no. They are not usually. I have tried so many and all I have are failures. Rule bilge pump switches rule the roost in failure numbers . I won't have them aboard now.

So I tried the Johnson Ultima switch. 2 years later it failed, so I tried to understand why. I pulled out the grommet holding the wire leads to the body and looked inside expecting a sealed and potted waterproof device. No such thing, just a bare circuit board behind an unsealed grommet and unsealed wire and worse, where the level of the grommet is below the water triggering level. So a leak is guaranteed. Extraordinary and they are not all that cheap at $50.00. The potting would have only added a couple of $. So silly.

Here's a picture of this shameful thing.

[barnakiel]

Arghhhhh. Shame on them.

I mounted a Rule "Heavy Duty Switch" the other day when it suddenly decomposed in my hands.

How can such a critical element ever be designed and built like that?

These companies are doing NO good.

BTW Where was yours built? China? Sweden? Just asking.

b.

[CSY Man]

Try the Ultra switches, they never failed,

[Matt Johnson]

I bought two Aqualarm pump switches for $75 each... One failed the first time power was applied, the second within 2 weeks because the relay they used is faulty. Unfortunately, they were purchased a year before I installed them and they won't warranty it. Stay away from their crap products and support.

Matt

[barnakiel]

Yep. I looked up the Ultra thing. I may try it next time I need a man for the job.

THX

b.

[poiu]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Arghhhhh. Shame on them.

I mounted a Rule "Heavy Duty Switch" the other day when it suddenly decomposed in my hands.

How can such a critical element ever be designed and built like that?

These companies are doing NO good.

BTW Where was yours built? China? Sweden? Just asking.

b.

Assembled in the USA it says. Presumably from foreign parts as it doesn't say made in the USA.

[foufou]

I have had similar failures. so now I have the best ones mentioned and a backup slightly higher in the the bilge plus a bilge alarm higher yet. sinking is not an option.

don't believe everything you think

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

Try the Ultra switches, they never failed,

Second the Ultra. Five years and going strong. Looks very well made, sealed and bulletproof.

[Seighlor]

Ultra switches appear to be well built. Still, they do fail. I've had two of them go bad. I am in agreement on the Rule switches. They will fail faster than any other.

[witzgall]

The best switches I have found are the Water Witch. No moving parts. Does require a negative lead, so not just an in-line switch. They use a very small amount of power.

Chris

[s/v Jedi]

That Ultra switch fails as well... the housing easily fouls with grease, hair etc.

My latest bet is this type without any electronics near the water:

Jabsco Hydro Air Bilge Switch

it seems to perform well so far, which is almost a year.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Seighlor

Ultra switches appear to be well built. Still, they do fail. I've had two of them go bad. I am in agreement on the Rule switches. They will fail faster than any other.

Interesting. What was the failure mode?

[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That Ultra switch fails as well... the housing easily fouls with grease, hair etc.

My latest bet is this type without any electronics near the water:

Jabsco Hydro Air Bilge Switch

it seems to perform well so far, which is almost a year.

Ouch, you are dumping grey water in the bilge?
Never tried that, hence the Ultra Jr. switches lasted 20 years and still going strong.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

Ouch, you are dumping grey water in the bilge?
Never tried that, hence the Ultra Jr. switches lasted 20 years and still going strong.

No, the one that failed aboard Jedi in 2004 was in my grey water tank. When an otherwise dry bilge floods with water, you will have the same amount of debris: plenty hair, grease, dirt etc. and it will foul the inside of that switch.

What you are happy about is that it stays good when it is not used. But that isn't what it's for, you life can depend on it to function correctly when it is needed and that is in a wet configuration with lots of dirt and debris. A switch that survives service in a grey water tank is the best switch for a bilge pump as well

It took me more than 20 years of experimenting to get here and still only 1 year into what I think is a good choice so I've seen many failures. The pressure operated switches have the best papers, also for your bilge, and as time passes with it performing well in my test, it's ranking keeps climbing. I don't think anybody can point to a better switch except the same thing from another brand

[poiu]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That Ultra switch fails as well... the housing easily fouls with grease, hair etc.

My latest bet is this type without any electronics near the water:

Jabsco Hydro Air Bilge Switch

it seems to perform well so far, which is almost a year.

Ah, Jabsco. Part of Xylem, the makers of a potential entrant into the Hall of Shame. The Jabsco macerating leaky, rusty and early failing toilet pumps. And under their Rule brand makers of the worst range of switches. I hope you have luck with it. An on-line search finds people who say it blocks and fails just like every switch out there apparently.

I see a business opportunity in this for someone, and quite an interesting challenge. The never-fail bilge switch.