Stop Switch O-Ring Replacement 

There have been multiple instances reported of water getting into the control box, presumably from around the control switch. The factory-provided O-ring that should make this switch water-tight is rather thin and it might be possible to drag it through the hole in the box during assembly. Or just not tighten it enough. I recommend that you replace it with either... 

• A quality standard garden hose washer. That the washer is pliable is most important, if it is also unused and cleaner than the one I found, that would be nice.

• A ½" ID O-ring with a fat ⅛" cross-section (OD ¾"), made from neoprene (good weather resistance; more easily found/cheaper), or if you can find EPDM, silicone, or Viton rubber, those will last longer. A square profile should work fine but would be more difficult to see if you're squishing it.

Instructions

Please refer to pictures in sections 3.7.2 through 3.7.6 of the assembly guide.  A copy of the assembly guide is linked on the 2023 Assembly page. Owing to limitations of Google Pages (or limitations of the amount of time I was willing to put into it), all photos for this page are gathered at the bottom. 

Partially Disassemble the control box

1. Open the control box. 

   • If you find water, check for damage/corrosion of any of the 8 thin metal connectors inside the RJ45 jacks on the control board and in the cable gland on the bottom of the box. 

   • Some light corrosion might be removable with a cotton swab.  

   • If you find damage (e.g., photo below), repair will be needed. Disconnect from power and please email david_h_brown@uri.edu 

2. Using a #1 Philips screwdriver, remove the two black nylon M4 screws that hold the board in place. (Keep them for reassembly.)

3. Tilt the top of the board down and toward you so that you can unplug the stop switch. Hold the ridged edges of the white plug and pull away from the board; do not pull on the wires.

4. Unscrew the black plastic ring/nut from the stop switch (inside the box) and remove the switch from the box. (Keep the plastic ring nut for reassembly.)

Replace the O-ring

1. Identify and remove the thin black O-ring from around the switch body. (It will not be reused and may be discarded.) You can use the silver metal collar to help push the O-ring. 

2. Slide the thicker O-ring up against the silver metal collar, making sure the narrower end of the metal collar is up against the red “mushroom” button.

A good quality garden hose washer could be used if the thick O-ring were misplaced or unavailable.

Reassemble the control box

1. Slide the switch back into the box through the hole at the top

2. Thread the switch cable through the flat side of the black plastic ring/nut

3. Optionally, check the orientation of the writing on the switch cap (I like to have it right-side up relative to the open front of the box, but this has no relevance to function)

4. Fully hand-tighten the black plastic ring/nut against the inside of the control box (I had a small dent in my fingertip that lasted several seconds). 

   • The O-ring (and most washers) are moderately stiff. You probably will not see any substantial “squishing” as you tighten the ring/nut.

5. Plug the stop switch cable back into the socket on the back side of the board.

6. Tilt the board back into position on top of the M4 stand-offs

7. Using a #1 Philips screwdriver, secure the board with the two black nylon M4 screws

8. Close the box. 

Hopefully that takes care of this issue!

I have not done rigorous testing. I was able to put out a sample with a thick O-ring in time for a severe thunderstorm (Aug 18 '23) that caused two small tornadoes north of us and somehow injected most of a gallon of water into my car's footwell. (Body shop blamed a clogged sunroof drain. I never wanted that sunroof in the first place, but you can't fight trim levels.) Anyway, the box was still perfectly dry inside.