Re: Water activated switch

Mark wrote:
Hi group,

I've been looking (but not extremely hard!) for a switch I can use to trigger the pump I'm using to drain water from a low spot in my yard. On heavy rains I get several inches in an area next to my garage, and on very heavy rains it actually gets deep enough to roll into the garage. I don't want to dig and put in a dry well, I don't know that I have enough space for this without tearing out a lot of driveway and yard.

The problem is my yard is lower than neighbors on each side, and general drainage, downspouts from our garages, etc is the source of the water, and there isn't much I can do with it at the source.

I have the pump I'm going to build into a decorative planter to place at the lowest spot. It can handle a garden hose or a 1" pipe on the discharge, and I can run either inconspicuously out to the alley behind the garage where it can drain away to the storm drains. Problem is most of the switches to I've seen are for pumps in a sump-pit, and aren't designed to turn on and off in a couple inches of water. Does anyone know of such a switch?

Thanks!

Mark
Look at bilge pump switches like this one:

http://tinyurl.com/472xe6
OR
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/263683/377%20710/0/bilge%20switch/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=bilge%20switch&Ntk=Primary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=bilge%20switch&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=11&subdeptNum=75&classNum=213

You may need to use this switch to control a relay or contactor which in turn will operate your pump.
.

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