Replacing Switches (Caution! Nerdy)
Not satisfied with being hip-deep in projects I am looking into replacing the lamp and water-pump switches in Quicksilver with membrane touch switches. They glow orange with about 1.5 ma current, and ...
Forum Discussion
Membrane switches do poorly when tapped a hundred times a day. Push button lifespan suffers greatly in corrosive environments because they are not sealed. I had to use DeOxit blue on all my cutting edges because left on a table overnight an open window three feet away from the tools deposits a nasty sprinkle of corrosion on them. We have a perpetual sea breeze and water that never cools below 25c - a very trying combination. For my radiator fan on the car, I was replacing one relay every six months. Even in the dry, winter months. Pop the cap off the relay to find a pile of blue-green powder with a dash of iron oxide. That has been lessened with the use of genuine Tyco relays.
Even electric meter bases corrode to shards in a couple of years. Same for the housing. I am going to bring 24 cans of Rust-O-Leum bed liner my next trip north.
But household switches get eaten. I actually -pack- spec grade receptacles with silicone grease to extend their lifespan. I wish I could find "T Rated" house toggle switches. They have disappeared altogether. But Cole-Hersee to Pollack the rocker switches die, silver contact or no.
It's a tough life here in the tropics - but someone's gotta do it.
And you are correct if you guessed that spending seven dollars on a switch used twice drives me ballistic. Can't keep the windows closed as fungus would sprout and grow and no doubt become sentient.
Even electric meter bases corrode to shards in a couple of years. Same for the housing. I am going to bring 24 cans of Rust-O-Leum bed liner my next trip north.
But household switches get eaten. I actually -pack- spec grade receptacles with silicone grease to extend their lifespan. I wish I could find "T Rated" house toggle switches. They have disappeared altogether. But Cole-Hersee to Pollack the rocker switches die, silver contact or no.
It's a tough life here in the tropics - but someone's gotta do it.
And you are correct if you guessed that spending seven dollars on a switch used twice drives me ballistic. Can't keep the windows closed as fungus would sprout and grow and no doubt become sentient.
