Leak detector switches

T

thefu

New member
I have searched and searched, and I cannot find any info on what leak detector switches offer the most bang for the buck and will work with the Apex.

Also, can someone point me to the exact connector online. I do not need a breakout box, I can manage on my own if I just know the exact connector plug necessary.
 
The Water Bug is the one I've seen people using the most and it works with all the Neptune controllers including the Apex.
 
This is the one that I have used for a while. It is cheaper than the waterbug, but it does take a little electronics know how and some extra parts (power supply, relay)
It is originally was made to interface with alarm systems, but it comes with a little circuit diagram, so it is very easy to set it up.

It works great though!
If you click on the Manuals Tab it shows the circuit diagram. The zone terminals would go to the Apex/break-out box.
 
The GRI-2800 seems to be a simple switch, and with the instructions in the Apex manual one should be able to connect each of these switches in parallel for monitoring water alerts individually(one for bottom of stand, one glued inside sump to detect when pump goes out and water rises in sump, one in the top of the tank for blocked overflow) or in parallel just to alert when any water switch triggers -- am I missing something here.

Here is a quote from the Apex manual:

Any dry contact switch can be connected to any of the AquaController's digital inputs. No external voltage
source is required. One wire from the mechanical switch should connect to the ground pin (pin 8), and the other
wire from the switch should connect to one of the six digital inputs (pin 1-6).
 
I always thought a sensor that detects water is just that; a sensor, not a switch. The switch is contained in the electronics of the systems?

I am not familiar with the GRI-2800, but it appears to require 5 volts DC to operate. Am I wrong? Does the Apex supply the necessary voltage for this or similar sensors to trigger when exposed to conductive liquid?

LL
 
You may be right, in that case you would need to have a relay and 12v power supply. I have an electronics background and I still do not really see how this switch operates...I wish I had a schematic of its internals...maybe its impedance increases.
 
Oh, bonus! I just looked at an older unused security system in my basement and discovered an unused waterbug! Hooray!
 
I found the connector, its a mini-din 8 (i missed it but it said in the manual what it was). I was able to obtain a 10' cable with a male connector on each end. I can cut it in half and ship the extra half to someone if they want it. $7 including shipping is a fair price i think.

Once I cut it in half, I just have to use a meter to map the wires to the pins and then connect the right two to my waterbug.

Any takers on the other half? Don't PM me, instead email (or paypal) to tbfu2000 AT gmail.com
 
i thought i read that it was normally open...thats why i couldnt understand how it worked. If it was normally closed, then it would make sense with the water somehow breaking the circuit in some way and the external relay then losing power and closing the switch of the relay.
 
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