Using a Floating Switch to control a Water Pump Objectives of the project To control the water level in a tank.

. To reduce energy wastage especially motors running without doing work. Significance The float switch controls the water level when connected to a pump. When refilling the tank, the switch turns off the motor when the level has reached the set level hence avoiding overflow. When emptying, the switch turns off the motor when the liquid in the tank has reduced to its base thereby preventing the motor from running without pumping any liquid. Literature Review Magnetic Contactor A contactor is an electrically controlled switch used for switching a power circuit, similar to a relay except with higher current ratings. A contactor is controlled by a circuit which has a much lower power level than the switched circuit. Contactors come in many forms with varying capacities and features. Unlike a circuit breaker, a contactor is not intended to interrupt a short circuit current. Contactors are used to control electric motors, lighting, heating, capacitor banks, and other electrical loads. They are usually designed for both normally closed and normally open applications. The magnetic contactor is used as a magnetic starter to provide power to electric motors directly online. AC Motor An AC motor is an electric motor driven by an alternating current. It commonly consists of two basic parts, an outside stationary stator having coils supplied with alternating current to produce a rotating magnetic field, and an inside rotor attached to the output shaft that is given a torque by the rotating field. Where speed stability is important, some AC motors have the stator on the inside and the rotor on the outside to optimize inertia and cooling. The AC motor is used to rum the water pump. Floating Switch Description and Features A float switch is a device used to detect the level of liquid within a tank. The switch may be used in a pump, an indicator, an alarm, or other devices. This item can automatically adjust on-off, easily operation and installation, environmental protection, convenient even no any maintenance. "On" and "off" switch action may be adjusted to any desired liquid level by moving the cord fixation in up or down direction. waterproof floating switch. The Float Switch basically operates on a principle that as the fluid level rises the rubber float will rise, causing the ball to roll and generate a signal that can be used to operate a motor starter, open or close a valve or actuate indicator alarms as required. The Tilt Float Switch's 3-lead cable allows operation on increasing level or decreasing level. One lead is common, one is normally open, the other is normally closed. Pump A pump is an electronic device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries. A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into five major groups: direct lift, displacement, velocity, buoyancy and gravity pumps. Their names are given depending on the method of moving a fluid.

Applications Pumps are used in watermills to pump water. Today, a pump is used for water supply, air conditioning systems, irrigation, gasoline supply, chemical movement, sewage movement etc. Pump usages have a characteristic of shapes and sizes: from very large to very small, from handling gas to handling liquid, from high pressure to low pressure, and from high volume to low volume. Specifications Pumps are commonly rated by horsepower, flow rate, outlet pressure in feet of head, inlet suction in suction feet (or metres) of head. The head can be simplified as the number of feet or metres the pump can raise or lower a column of water at atmospheric pressure. From an initial design point of view, engineers often use a quantity termed the specific speed to identify the most suitable pump type for a particular combination of flow rate and head. Design and Implementation L1 L2 L3

Start T1 T2 T3

Stop Float Switch Water Pump

Fig 1: Circuit diagram of a floating switch as a control to a water pump

Performance The Float Switch basically operates on a principle that as the fluid level rises the rubber float will rise, causing the ball to roll and generate a signal that can be used to operate a motor starter, open or close a valve or actuate indicator alarms as required. The Float Switch's 3-lead cable allows operation on increasing level or decreasing level. One lead is common, one is normally open, the other is normally closed During emptying the brown lead is connected to the phase line and black lead as common is connected to the neutral line and during refilling the brown lead is replaced by the blue lead.

Testing The bucket was filled with water, the pump dipped in and the float switch placed on the surface of the water. The magnetic contactor was energized by pushing the start button which closed the contacts to power the motor to run the pump. When the level of the water reduced appreciably the motor was turned off. On changing the leads; blue to replace the brown, when the bucket got filled up, the motor was turned off. Discussion Float Switch Installation The Float Switch's lead cable should be supported in an enclosed tank. Additionally, in an open tank, sump, or pond, it is advantageous to clip the Float Switch's lead cable to the side, especially if excessive turbulence is experienced. To alleviate the effects of rapid switching conditions if such turbulence is expected, it is recommended that a maintaining circuit be used to both safeguard the Float Switch's micro-switch and cut out any chatter from the starters of associated equipment, such as pumps. An optional stabilizing weight and rubber "O" ring are included with the Float Switch. This may be installed at any point on the Float Switch's lead cable. Recommendations By installing an alarm within the circuit, it helps operators detect failures of the floating switch to automatically switch between operations and also helps correctly detect the variations of the water levels.

References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump http://www.rainwaterharvesting.co.uk/downloads/Float-switch-instructions.pdf, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contactor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Float_switch