Automate the task of getting rid of unwanted water in your basement with this little helper. As water often settles in the lowest spot in the basement, having a pump that will take care of the excess water is a must, and the added convenience of an automated switch can help keep your basement dry.

Electronic Utility Pump Switch

The HC7000 Utility Pump Switch is an "electronic float" switch that is designed to work with utility pumps in ponding or puddling types of applications. Typically water gathers in the lowest spot of the basement, usually from seepage or backed up sewers during heavy rains. This electronic pump switch works by attaching it to the pump and placing it where water is deepest, allowing the pump to pump down to its lowest level until the area is dry.

The Electronic Utility Pump Switch is easy to install and doesn't require any special plumbing or wiring. It has a single sensor and a control module, which means that a low level sensor isn't required for the utility pump switch to do it's job. The control module is plugged into a 120 VAC outlet and the pump gets plugged directly into the control module. The sensor is then strapped to the side of the pump at the level where you want the pump to turn on, keeping in mind that most utility pumps need a minimum depth of water (normally 1/2" to 2") before they should be turned on. The sensor will work at any level you set it at.

Electronic Float Switch #HC7000

Strap the sensor to the side of your pump

The sensors measures resistance between prongs

How does the sensor work?

The sensor is shaped roughly like a fork, and senses water by measuring the resistance between the two prongs. When the water is below the sensor the resistance is very high (figure 1), but when water bridges the two prongs the resistance is relatively low (figure 2). When the sensor detects the low resistance from the water, it triggers the control module to turn the pump on. From this point until the next cycle, the sensor has no affect on the control of the pump.

What does the control module do?

The control module will run the pump until it loses suction. It knows when this happens by monitoring the motor current and looking for the current level to drop when the pump transitions from pumping water to pumping air. To be able to do this reliably every time it turns on, the Utility Pump Switch needs a minimum runtime of 5 seconds. In other words, once the pump turns on, there should be enough water there so that it will take at least five seconds to pump it all out.

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