[Gerry Zagorski]

Yes, a seperate float switch this way if the switch goes bad all you have to do is replace it and not the entire pump. Most boats are also wired with a manual override switch at the helm. This does 2 things. You can manually turn the pump on if the switch happens to go bad and you can clear water out of your bildge if it's not enough water to trigger the float switch.

If you do decide to go the manual overide switch, it's good idea to get one with an indicator light on it so you don't forget to turn it off.... The light also goes on when the float activates the pump. This is a good safety precaution since you will always notice your pump going off. If it does so fairly often, you'll know you have and issue that needs looking into.