The bilge on a ship or boat is the area that is located at the very bottom of the hull beneath the water line, as seen by the picture. Any water or liquid that is collected on the boat, whether it is rain, urine, oil, or any other material, all drains to this location. Therefore, the area must be safely and routinely drained, and ensuring that the drained material is placed in a regulated location. Throughout history, this action was done manually, with a small draining system, or manual pumps, but today, automated electric bilge pumps controlled by switches. Bilge pumps are used to remove the liquid that is collected in the bilge, which can easily and quickly cause issues for the vessel if not properly taken care of.
Our bracket mounted bilge float switches are able to measure the location and amount of liquid that is present in the bilge or a specific bilge compartments. The float switch is built with resilient seoprene cable, a tough polycarbonate slosh shield, and stainless steel mounting bracket. The float switch rests on the side of the container, and is able to measure the location of the sensor. When the sensor gets to a specific spot, it can be connected with conjunction with relays to control pumps. The pump can then automatically drain the material or direct it to another compartment. Alternatively, it can also be connected to a high level alarm switch, which can in turn sound and alarm in the captain’s deck to alert the crew when the bilge is reaching capacity. It can even be used as an indicator, giving the crew live updates to the level of liquid in any specific compartment.
