float switch

float switch

[′flōt ‚swich] (engineering) A switch actuated by a float at the surface of a liquid.

float switch

Switches designed to isolate the electrical mechanism from the fuel tank for safety reasons. In a typical arrangement, upward movement of the float brings the armature closer to the magnet. At a predetermined fuel level, the float has sufficient influence to attract the magnet, which results in operation of a microswitch. As the fuel level and the float fall, the combined forces of the counterweight and the microswitch eventually spring to overcome the attraction of the armature, and the counterweight falls, changing the microswitch circuit.