Float level switches are useful in many contexts. In wastewater treatment plants, the amount of water in a purification system is usually measured by some kind of float level sensor or switch. Level control switches are also used in the agriculture industry, pharmaceutical products development, a variety of manufacturing processes and in an extensive variety of other applications. Many sump pump varieties also require float level switches in order to function correctly.
Float level switches offer many attractive qualities to their users. They are generally simple in design, which makes them easy to operate and can make them inexpensive. Electrical interference does not affect float level switches. Depending on their intended use, float level switches can be constructed from materials that allow them to function in high-temperature and high-pressure environments.
Different level switches function in different ways. A level management tool can be used for the measurement of material levels in a system, or it can be used for both measurement and control. The simplest float level switch would consist of a hollow, buoyant bulb that would, upon contact with rising liquid levels, become raised, which would trigger a mechanism within the equipment to which the bulb is attached.
Such systems transmit level data based on whether or not their internal circuitry is open or closed. When a level switch bulb is descended, for example, the internal circuitry to which it is attached is usually open. When it rises enough, the circuit becomes closed, sending a signal to monitoring equipment.
In some cases, that monitoring equipment doubles as control equipment, allowing for the automatic adjustment of level control apparatus. Such devices are very helpful in preventing overfilling of storage tanks and other similar equipment; when material levels reach a certain level in an enclosure, the float level switch registers the level and sends signals to equipment that can prevent the level from rising any higher.