: Yes, I looked at these also. The only ones I could find would only take an
: extremely small current, a few milliamps.
: I also looked at the ones used for home security and they were also only able
: to handle small currents under 1 amp.
: Yes, I had thought of these first but I need a minimum 2 amp switch at 12
: volts and these were rated to a few milli-amps at 12 volts.

: I also thought of using a relay to control the pump and a low voltage circuit
: to trigger the relay. This way I could have everything sealed into the
: batterybox and build the reed switch right into the kayak by enbedding it
: in epoxy on the underside of the deck. A little complex but reliable.

The home security ones may be Hall effect devices. The low output current suggests this.

As for the reed switches and reed relays: Take another look at the package on those components. I think you may be reading the triggering side limits, rather than the power that the relay can handle. The devices are usualy used to provide an interface between integrated circuits which cannot handle a lot of power and real world electrical devices (lights, fans, motors, bells and whistles) The little reed relay I got from Radio Shack handled 5 amps on the device being controlled. The coil on that relay was wound with super fine wire and drew about 50 to 70 milliamps. A solid state device would be able to handle such a small current, energizing the coil, and creating a magnetic field that would close the reed relay,which would handle the power of the device being controlled (in this case, up to 5 amps)

The reed switches I've seen would take anywhere from 1 to 15 amps at up to 250 volts. I think I've seen a few in the last month while I was cleaning the house. If I can dig one up I'll be happy to mail it to you to play with. E-mail me if you are interested.

Paul G. Jacobson