Hello Ian - I admire you for coming on the forum and asking questions to improve your product but just be careful, some suppliers might not like people knowing where the equipment comes from!
We've just removed our varistreams and run all pumps off the pressure switches (full speed), I might update them with larger switches later.
Good idea - Might be best to use heavy duty relays to take the strain off the microswitch.
You can run a pump on the pressure switch and operate without a controller. This may work for you but it does not work for everybody for a number of reasons:
1. In running the pump until it hits the pressure switch you are running the pump as hard as it can possibly work. This means that the pressure in the system will be at its absolute maximum. This puts strain on the hoses, on the fittings and on the pump. It therefore increases the chances of split hoses, leaking joints and increases wear on your pump, shortening its life.
2. As the pressure switch cuts out the pump is at maximum, working as hard as it possible can and therefore drawing maximum current from the battery. Hence as the switch opens it too is under great strain. The high current and the fact that the pump is an inductive load (with stored energy) means that the pressure switch contacts are likely to arc and eventually they will fail.
3. Without a controller the pump will not stop until it hits the pressure switch. With a controller with dead end detection properly calibrated the pump will be stopped a long time before this high pressure and high pump load. This means that because the pump is turned off earlier you are saving battery energy and hence increasing both the battery life but also the amount of time you can work on a battery charge.
4. Without any type of flow constrictor then the water will be at full flow. Good for putting out fires, but not so good for cleaning windows. The aim should be to work with only sufficient water to get a good clean. This is a benefit because the aim is to conserve the water and hence increase the amount of work possible from a tank. You also save time because you don't have to make as much pure water and you save resin as well. Working with large amounts of water can also cause a hazard for those around you, especially in cold conditions.
So by all means use the pressure switch, but these are the reasons that many people choose to use a controller.