"Ben Okopnik" wrote: > That's a pretty categorical opinion - and one that's incorrect > without > some serious qualifiers. ----------------------------- Just 25+ years in the business. -------------------------------- > I can certainly think of one > that'll survive anything a boat bilge can throw at it that can be > built > for under $100; the fact that people don't want to spend that kind > of > money (plus profit/shipping/etc.) on a float switch doesn't mean > float > switches are bad as a category. ----------------------- Then that is the product you should use. ----------------------- > Did you look at the one that I mentioned above? It's what the Coast > Guard uses. Gunk wouldn't bother it. ---------------------------- You have tested the device? ---------------------------
> A friend of mine is a process engineer in the petrochemical > industry, > and I've seen the float switches they use (a design somewhat similar > to > the one above, but much larger and with more space around it). You'd > starve to death if you tried to make a living replacing those. :) If > one > of them ever fails, it'll be because somebody dropped bombs on that > refining plant. ------------------------------------ At $500/unit, I don't waste time looking for business, rather customers find us when they get tired of trying to maintain mechanical float switches. ------------------------------ > Perhaps we're thinking of different configurations. The one I've > seen > simply bounced a beam off the surface - no chance for gunk to build > up > on it, since it was never within reach in the first place. ------------------------------ You have obviously never had to go to a job site, climb a tank and chase "ghosts". Typical installation that fails. Transducer face becomes coated with fumes from what ever is in the vessel. ------------------------------ > This is a more reasonable position, but perhaps still incorrect. > There > is no "the market"; there's a range of markets. I'd be willing to > bet > that most people on this list would spend $100 for a no-fail bilge > switch - but the average recreational boater would not. > Long-distance > sailors would; occasional weekenders, probably not. > > The demand may be too low to assure a supply that's commonly > available - > but the good-quality solutions are definitely there. -------------------------- You want to chase that small a market, be my guest. Lew _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://liveaboardonline.com/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardonline.com/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
