Solaria (#906) came equipped with a SureBail float switch from the factory. It is a traditional float, but contains no mercury and is essentially a sealed
system. Late this summer, it appeared to fail. The pump would not come on (as in, hey, that's a lot of water in the bilge!). It would work occasionally if
I shook it just right, but couldn't be trusted. So we replaced it with the equivalent from West Marine, a SureBail E2.
SureBail
While on board last weekend, I noted a humming. The bilge pump was running endlessly. An investigation found that the electronics sealed in the float had burned through the plastic (what a wonderful smell). As we were headed home, and it was late evening, we put the live-aboard neighbor in charge of activating the bilge pump occasionally.
The bilge pump is original, and seems to work fine. I'm inclined to take the switch back to WM and request a replacement. Before doing so, I thought I'd query the list of any similar experiences or opinions.
SureBail
While on board last weekend, I noted a humming. The bilge pump was running endlessly. An investigation found that the electronics sealed in the float had burned through the plastic (what a wonderful smell). As we were headed home, and it was late evening, we put the live-aboard neighbor in charge of activating the bilge pump occasionally.
The bilge pump is original, and seems to work fine. I'm inclined to take the switch back to WM and request a replacement. Before doing so, I thought I'd query the list of any similar experiences or opinions.
