Orlando Utilities Commission

Subject: Oil Smart Pump Switch

I would like to express my sincere thanks for the recommendation of the See Water Oil Smart Pump Switch for our application. Orlando Utilities Commission is a municipal electric and water utility in Orlando, Florida and had been looking for a device to differentiate between oil and water to apply in our substations. We have high-voltage transformers which are surrounded by an oil containment pit in case of a leak. These pits are equipped with sump pumps to keep them dry and the pumps are wired to shutdown when a low oil level alarm is detected on the transformer.

Recently we had experienced a ruptured transformer radiator due to gunfire at one of our remote sites. The low oil level alarm did not come in and therefore when the oil hit the sump, it was pumped out into the station. This was a very costly cleanup and we believe it could have been avoided had we known of the Oil Smart Switch at that time. Following this event, we contacted Nutec and were told of the Oil Smart Switch. A decision was made to test the unit and once satisfied, we purchased one for every one of our transformer containment pits.

Unfortunately, we had the opportunity to see if the Oil Smart Switch would really operate under true problem conditions. We experienced another radiator rupture and this time the oil remained in the pit. The Oil Smart Switch had performed as it was designed and OUC was very pleased with the results.

We are very impressed and pleased with the Oil Smart Switch. The cost was very reasonable and the ease of installation made it a project which was quite simple to complete. We will continue to use the Oil Smart Switch for all of our future installations and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for this type of application.

Sincerely,


Jeffrey E. Short
Operations Engineer
Orlando Utilities Commission

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"SEE WHAT?"
Dockside Magazine,
October 1996
by John Barr

See Dick. See Jane. See Spot. Well, if you don't know the rest of the lesson, then you've been living in a cave. We've all had this reading exercise drilled into us since we were little tots, but now there's a new addition to this classic refrain: See Water.

If you've read my project reports over the last few years, you've probably come to the conclusion that I absolutely despise that black hole I call "the dreaded bilge." One of my most distasteful bilge duties is to unclog the bilge pump switch. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about a solid-state switch that eliminates that neck-breaking and life-threatening job.

You may say to yourself, 'How can cleaning out a pump switch be life threatening?" Well, let me tell you a tale. To get to my bilge pump switch I have to hang upside down through the hatch and reach under my engine. I did just that, (keep in mind that I'm a fairly husky person) and I got my new khaki shorts caught on a engine hose clamp.

The Rescue

To make a long story short, I could not move up or down. After what seemed to be hours of hanging upside down, yelling, cursing, struggling and whimpering, my better half happened to wander by and heard my expletives deleted. I had to endure 20 minutes of embarrassing laughter, tugging at my extremities, and questions form my family and neighbors who supposedly came to rescue me. It should be noted that I had to wait for my so-called best friend to go home for his video camera before anyone would attempt to extricate me. He stated that it was his duty to record the incident for the 5 o'clock news. You can imagine my comments on what he could do with his duty and his video camera.

When we heard about a new solid-state switch that would end my upside down adventures, take care of burned-out bilge pumps , prevent sunken vessels and be environmentally friendly to boot, we just had to look into it.

Nuts & Bolts

The Dockside test team visited the offices of See Water to see what all the commotion was about. We came away scratching our balding heads in amazement. This switch works as advertised. In fact, it performs tasks that I thought were impossible. Not only does it switch your bilge pump on at a high water mark, but it's also an environmental breakthrough. This switch will only allow the pump to pump water. Get this: if the switch senses oil or fuel, it turns the pump off. How's that for trick!

The See Water Oil Smart Bilge Switch has patented sensors that differentiate between water and oil or any hydrocarbons that might be floating on the surface of the water. it will not allow the bilge pump to pump out these contaminants, but instead it will shut off the pump when it senses them.

Sensing is accomplished by measuring the dielectric constant of the medium, in this case water, at the sensor. To prevent cycling the pump off and on, the sensor has two sensing points - one to control the water level to turn the pump on and one to shut the pump off. The separation of these two points is controlled by two independent sensors. The circuit works as follows: When the water level reaches the top sensor, the pump will turn on and pump until the lower sensor is uncovered. At this time, the pump will turn off and stay off until the tip sensor is again covered by water. Because the See Water Oil Smart Bilge Switch does not have any moving parts, there are some distinct advantages over conventional switches. In addition to its oil/fuel sensing ability, it has a well defined trip point and has solid state Marine UL approved circuitry. It has superior reliability, is completely encapsulated making it water tight, is clog proof, and is constructed on top quality materials impervious to substances commonly found in boat bilges.

Environmentally Sound

One sure way to ruin a relaxing day on your vessel is to be notified by some authority that you have just created an oil spill. To add insult to your embarrassment, you will most likely have to pay a costly fine and cleanup charges. Boat owners can expect harbor police, marina operators, and the U.S. Coast Guard to be increasingly vigilant in attempts to make polluters pay for their own spills. Fines and charges are likely to increase as budgets tighten. The See Water Oil Smart Bilge Switch prevents accidentally pumping oil contaminated bilge waste over the side.

The Long Arm of the Law

U.S. Coast Guard compliance officers in San Diego report that "surface oil sheens have become our most common and most frequently reported problem. Automatic bilge pumping systems and careless operators account for most of these spills that, in the aggregate, cause a high percentage of our oil pollution. We are increasing our efforts to identify the culprits and require them to bear the costs rather than pass it on to the taxpayer."

The Installation

We were so impressed with the See Water Oil Smart Bilge Switch that we had to install one on our test boat. our vessel was equipped with a mechanical switch that had given us nightmares for years. We had experienced problems with the switch clogging and burning out of pumps from constantly running dry. By following the simple and detailed instructions, installation was completed in about half and hour without any problems whatsoever.

The See Water Oil Smart Bilge Switch is compatible with all bilge pump circuitry and is available in most operating voltages.

If you're tired of your clogged bilge pump switch and want to take a positive step to help keep our marine environment pollution free, take a close look at the See Water Oil Smart Bilge Switch.

The See Water Oil Smart Bilge Switch is available at most marine chandlers or directly here.

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Hotline Construction, Inc.

Subject: See Water Oil Switch

Hot Line Construction Inc. performs many underground utility operations for Public Works, as well as Utility Companies. These include, but not limited to: high voltage cable installations, equipment inspections located in vaults. This work requires that we have dry access to said locations. Many times, we are required to pump water out of the vaults. Regularly, the situation we encounter is oil contaminated water. As we all know, this presents a list of problems: removal, transportation, disposal costs. Hot Line Construction recently purchased 3 of your Oil Smart Switches to aid in the disposition of the oil and water combination. Hot Line Construction is currently in the process of vault, and equipment inspections for a major Southern California utility company. During this inspection period, we estimate the cost saving of over $10,000.00 a day. The See Water Switch has allowed us to pump only the clear water out, leaving only a slight sheen in the wet-well sump at the bottom of the vault. Let it be known that the units have far exceeded our expectations. Additionally, the costs of the units is minor compared to the dividend it affords. Hot Line Construction solidly endorses the See Water Switch to anyone involved in comparable situations.

Sincerely,
HOTLINE CONSTRUCTION INC

Carol Bade
President

P.O. Box 400 - 3510 Camino Diablo Road - Byron, CA 94514 - (510) 634-9333 FAX (510) 634-4535
84-770 Kill Drive #1039 - Walanae, Hi - 96792 - Phone/FAX (808) 695-8181

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