HC8000T Electronic Sump Pump Float Switch – Built-In Alarms, Dry-Sensor Technology, Water Sensor Alarm, Ideal for All Sump Pumps – MADE IN USA

I love everything about the Zoeller M53 sump pump, except for the float switch design. The range of water level is just too low with the fixed switch design and runs the pump way more often than it should. I came across the HydroCheck line of products and experienced with the HC6000, HC8000 (not T), and this one (the timed version of the HC8000) and I can confidently say this is the PERFECT companion to the Zoeller M53 and the easiest/safest to use with that pump. With a few tweaks, this HC8000T allows you to essentially configure whichever water level you want the pump to kick on, but then rely on the Zoeller's float switch to turn off the unit without the pump sucking air, as it does with the HC8000. The trick with this unit is to IGNRORE the instructions that tell you to keep the float switch permanently raised on the pump itself, and instead, configure the timed amount to run just a few seconds longer after the pump's float switch turns the pump off itself. This gives you the perfect blend of an adjustable pump ON time and respect the pump's desire to turn itself off at its desired water level height. This eliminates my main issue with the HC8000 (non-T), which would run too long and the pump would suck air. However, by allowing the pump to turn itself off and not the HC8000T, the HC8000T will sound an audible alarm suggesting the pump stopped working. I thought this was going to be a huge flaw in my thinking, BUT the unit allows for individual alarms to be disabled! After the first alarm for the pump turning off by itself begins to sound, simply hold the "Smart Button" on the HC8000T for about 5 seconds to permanently disable that alarm. Configuring the HC8000T like this with any pump that has a non-adjustable float switch like the Zoeller M53 does solves pretty much all of my issues and gives you the perfect amount of adjustability, reliability, and safety. I couldn't be more happy with this setup.

After my sump (sewage ejection) pump's float/switch failed, the pump still worked fine when plugged-in directly. For a while, I used a timer to turn the pump on, for one minute per day, which was not a great solution. This single-sensor product was perfect for my situation and enabled me to avoid having a plumber come to replace or repair anything. Now the pump comes on and goes off automatically again, whenever needed. My sump pit has a sealed metal "manhole"-type cover, probably because a couple of toilets and a shower and two sinks and a washing machine all drain into it. But there is a small hole in the concrete floor, near the manhole cover, which I noticed fills from below and overflows on the floor, whenever the sump hole gets overfull. The small hole in the floor is something like one inch (2.54 cm) in diameter, with a flared, funnel-like top section that has a somewhat larger diameter that the rest of the hole has. The included sensor unit fit perfectly in the small hole in the floor, next to my sump pit's sealed metal cover. It also stays near the top and doesn't slide all the way down into the hole, which is perfect. The sensing tip is a few inches below floor level. (And I guess I could get it farther down in there, if I really wanted to.) All I had to do was plug this unit into the wall, place the sensor in the top of the small hole, and plug the original pump's power cord into this unit. Done. I'm loving it.

I recently moved to Florida and I have an outdoor sump pit in my courtyard that pumps excess storm water away from my house. The problem I had was the previous owner had a pump in the pit, however; every time it rained I had to go outside, plug the pump into the outlet and stand there until it stopped pumping water. I purchased this controller, plugged the pump into it and set up the sensor. Every time it has rained I don't have to go outside and turn on my pump. It turns on when the pit gets full and off when the pump doesn't pump water. I know its not rated for exterior use but the outlet is protected by a weather cover and the sensor is not exposed. This controller is wonderful and easy to set up.

Bought this and installed it over the weekend. Much nicer than a mechanical float switch. My sump runs a lot due to having a lot of ground water in my area, but the Rigid pump I use is a very solid pump. What always fails is the mechanical switch. So rather than waste $$$ replacing the whole unit, I started replacing just the float switch. Even so, based on the size of the sump well, the float switch wouldn't last or it would get hung up on an obstruction and stop functioning properly. This thing, on the other hand, is nice and compact. Zip tie it to the pipe, plug it in, and you won't believe how much space you just freed up. Using the manual calibration, I have it set for 15 seconds which is just before the pump starts sucking air. So now my pump runs fewer/longer cycles and does it reliably. We'll see how long it lasts. At 3x the cost of a simple float switch, I'm hoping to get at least 10 years out of it.

I've been using this switch for over four years now, and it's simply bullet proof. It incorporates some really smart electronics to anticipate and alert the user about potential pump problems, like over current, short cycling, etc. It learns how long it should run to optimally drain any pit without running the pump dry, and it auto calibrates on a regular basis. Smart. No floats to get stuck, no unreliable pressure switches. After a power outage during a storm last year, I added a battery/inverter to my pump, and I found that when running on inverter power, the switch acted a little weird. I contacted the manufacturer and they told me that they had identified this problem and modified later units to fix this problem. I sent it to them and they updated the switch and replaced the sensor with the new style, all at no charge. Doesn't get any better than that!

I bought this sensor in October of 2016. Installation was simple, it functioned as required, and for the longest time, worked quite well. Summer of 2019, around late May, the sensor stopped working. First, there were a few times where the sensor would turn on the pump, all the water would be pumped out, and the pump would not shut off, which resulted in a cavitating pump and an alarm. A few months later, the sensor started failing to turn the pump on when water reached it. I re-checked the ground connection in the sump with a multimeter, and I checked the sensor for deposits, and everything was the same as it was upon original installation. I ended up having to purchase a mechanical switch instead. The intermittent failures were too much hassle, and the beeping alarm from cavitation was something I started imagining hearing, causing me to rush to the basement to check the pump. I'm bummed, because it seemed like a great product until it failed. I would have trouble suggesting to someone else that they purchase this product, mostly because the indicators which would lead me to diagnose failure aren't very helpful. If I knew better why the pump would stay running once triggered, or knew why the signal wasn't triggering the pump when it's fully submersed, I could fix it. Instead, I was left with fully troubleshooting the installation, which I felt was a waste of my time, compared to buying a $30 float switch. Key takeaway: It worked until it didn't, and could have ruined my pump or flooded my basement if I wasn't paying attention. The price is too much for 2 years to failure. I'm noticing this is a new model, the HC8000T. Apparently there's a timed aspect to this model, something the HC8000 lacks. That would have been nice, because the HC8000 monitored voltage and amp changes in the power supply to determine when the pump should be shut off when a simple timing mechanism would have sufficed.

I use this on a 1/3 hp and 1/4 pump that sucks water very close to the floor. I mounted it on the side of the pump with a zip tie about 1/4 of an inch from the floor. This is a single contact switch so the pump shuts off based on how long you set the pump to run. Factory default is 10 seconds which is what I use. When the water rises again and touches the contact, the pump will turn on again. This switch is the perfect solution to running a sump pump where you don't have high water levels to work a conventional float switch. You must have a good ground wire for the pump to run properly. I took a ground wire, attached it to a metal screw holding the pump screen on...the other end of the wire goes to a metal water pipe or in my case, I attached it to the screw that holds the outlet cover plate on a metal electrical box. The ground wire uses water to complete the circuit to run the pump. Very important for pump to run properly. I have an excellent connection. You must have a good metal ground somewhere near the switch. If you have plastic plumbing or plastic electrical boxes, then you need to get to the copper (bare) ground wire inside the box to complete the circuit or use the screw holding the outlet box cover on because the outlet is grounded. I have to use an extension cord on the switch so my ground wire is as long as the cord. Just buy a small roll of the gauge suggested and some copper wire crimp terminals. AWESOME PRODUCT.

The unit was exactly what I needed but I missed the part about the controller having to be inside away from water. It didn't take long to devise a waterproof housing box with parts from Home Depot. Over 5 years I had tried 3 different versions of float valve switches but all of them often failed to either turn on or turn off. So far this unit is working beautifully. Note: The sensor unit has two wires which I ran through conduit to get to the outdoor sump. That left me needing a ground for the water in the sump to activate the sensor. I solved that by driving a 3/8" x 36" threaded rod into the dirt next to the sump and then feeding an uninsulated solid copper wire from the rod into the water in the bottom of the sump.

Not great. Now it does not work only after 8 months. Tried resetting and nothing works