Electricity Powered Water Valve

[JetsetBkk]

Anyone know if they exist? 

 

I'm getting sick and tired of having this cräp coming out of my kitchen tap:

 

 

So I want to automatically switch to tank water during the day, i.e. water that has all the iron cräp settled to the bottom, and will top up the tank overnight from about 2am to 8am.

If it comes with a timer, so much the better, otherwise I'll use a separate timer.

 

[tifino]

something that parallels what a rainwater downpipe  diverter achioeves... 

 

but as far as the actual Switching; what about the HotCold Selection Solenoid devices in a Laundry Washing Machine?

[JetsetBkk]

21 minutes ago, tifino said:

something that parallels what a rainwater downpipe  diverter achioeves... 

 

but as far as the actual Switching; what about the HotCold Selection Solenoid devices in a Laundry Washing Machine?

 

A quick look at AliExpress...  http://bit.ly/3aBNfaD  

 

[Crossy]

12 minutes ago, JetsetBkk said:

A quick look at AliExpress...  http://bit.ly/3aBNfaD  

 

I'd go with a motorised rather than solenoid valve. More expensive but they have a bigger throughput and stay in whatever state you set them to without power.

 

Many types, this is just an example https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33002693948.html

 

[tifino]

14 minutes ago, JetsetBkk said:

 

A quick look at AliExpress...  http://bit.ly/3aBNfaD  

 

yes, and that solenoid connects directly from 240V 

 - so if you want to achieve a defined/adjustablle time delay, then control the solenoid via an aircon time delay relay device...

[JetsetBkk]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

I'd go with a motorised rather than solenoid valve. More expensive but they have a bigger throughput and stay in whatever state you set them to without power.

 

Many types, this is just an example https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33002693948.html

 

 

Thanks for that link. I think the motorised type would be more reliable as I have a gut feeling that a solenoid would be more prone to jamming due to dirt in the supply.

 

On the other hand, if the electricity fails, I'd want the valve to be normally open so I'd get the "city water" (dirty or not) rather than rely on the tank water with no pump to pump it because the electricity is off!  Decisions, decisions...  ???? 

[Crossy]

2 hours ago, JetsetBkk said:

Thanks for that link. I think the motorised type would be more reliable as I have a gut feeling that a solenoid would be more prone to jamming due to dirt in the supply.

 

On the other hand, if the electricity fails, I'd want the valve to be normally open so I'd get the "city water" (dirty or not) rather than rely on the tank water with no pump to pump it because the electricity is off!  Decisions, decisions...  ???? 

 

Go for a 12V control system (safer anyway) and you can have a small battery backup to set the valve(s) as you wish if the juice goes off.

 

EDIT You may be able to use a simple non-return valve between the incoming supply and the output to the house to provide a fully automatic backup supply if the power is off.

[JetsetBkk]

 

4 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Go for a 12V control system (safer anyway) and you can have a small battery backup to set the valve(s) as you wish if the juice goes off.

 

EDIT You may be able to use a simple non-return valve between the incoming supply and the output to the house to provide a fully automatic backup supply if the power is off.

 

Thanks for the edit about the non-return valve! That made me think that maybe I was "over-thinking" the problem. Here is a diagram I made years ago to keep track of what is currently there:

The Tank Valve is open just a little to allow a dribble of water to fill the tank overnight. That's because a few years ago the ball-cock inside the tank failed, City Water gushed in at full flow, blew the lid off the tank and washed away a lot of top-soil.

 

The one-way valve is there to stop the pump pumping water back up the City supply when the City supply is off, which happens occasionally.

 

Until today, the City Water Valve was open full so I got full flow into the house when the City Water pressure was high. It usually IS higher than the pressure that the pump develops, so the pump rarely switches on and I normally use high pressure water from the City.

 

But that's a problem when the city water is filthy. So today I restricted the City Water Valve so that it lets in just a dribble of water. That should still be enough to fill the tank overnight but means that I use mostly Tank water in the house and always use the pump. Clearly, there will also be the "dribble" of City Water mixing in with the Tank water. So now most of my water, maybe >95%, is from the Tank and a little, possibly dirty, water is from the City.

 

The downside of this current arrangement is that I am always using the pump (cost of electric), not getting the really high pressure that the City Water supply produces and always mixing in a little possibly dirty City Water.

 

Using a motorised valve to turn off the City Water during the day would mean that I would always be getting 100% Tank Water, hopefully with all the iron settled out.

 

---------------------------------------

 

Alternative approach: get a filter system:  http://bit.ly/3urSgKK

 

This one looks a bit cheap, but there must be bigger / better ones.

 

[Crossy]

We have a single stage filter on the incoming supply, something like this https://www.homepro.co.th/p/56513 with a simple (cheap) polypropylene cartridge, it takes out the crunchy bits but our water is rarely as mucky as yours. I change the cartridge when it's the colour of stewed tea (or the tank stops filling).

 

Bigger units are available which would probably suit you better (take longer to clog).

 

[JetsetBkk]

13 hours ago, Crossy said:

We have a single stage filter on the incoming supply, something like this https://www.homepro.co.th/p/56513 with a simple (cheap) polypropylene cartridge, it takes out the crunchy bits but our water is rarely as mucky as yours. I change the cartridge when it's the colour of stewed tea (or the tank stops filling).

 

Bigger units are available which would probably suit you better (take longer to clog).

 

 

Thanks for the link - I'll pay them a visit, and Global House too - see what filters they have.

 

I used to have a giant Mazuma filter - looked like a 5 foot stainless steel rocket on 3 legs. It was used to filter the water from a low level well i.e. not deep bore, and the water was pretty filthy. Then we got the city water. The Mazuma had to be back-flushed regularly to get all the muck out.

 

I found a picture - they're still on sale!

Mine had a pressure gauge at the top. Normally it registered about 2 to 2.5 bar. Years ago I had a problem with the City water - burst pipes, my tank overflowing (already mentioned that), the flexible hose under the sink bursting and my washing machine pipe blowing off the outside tap.

 

So I decided to measure the pressure of the City water using the gauge on top of the Mazuma. I could get the City water to go into the Mazuma by opening and closing various valves. The gauge quickly went to 3, 4, 5 bar. When it got to 6 bar, very fine jets of water started to spray out of the rubber seal on the cap at the top. By the time I managed to turn off the City water, the gauge was showing 7 bar.

 

So I called the PWA to ask what was going on with the pressure. They said they were waiting for a new pressure controller from Bangkok. Wonderful. 

 

[Guest StephenB]

I am interested in this too. I decided to go with solenoid valves and a arduinio.

The way it works is, you put some simple code on the arduinio, like a spreadsheet, but a little more advanced, and attach a sensor, maybe in your case a timer or clock. You also attach a relay. The relay can control a 220v solenoid valve (nc - normally closed). If the power goes out the valve would shut.

 

I plan on having one fill up a 6k liter water tank with a sonar sensor and eventually switching it all over to solar power. The arduino's are 200-300 baht, I bet you could do it all for 1,000 baht. (solenoid, relay, arduino, clock)

[Crossy]

22 hours ago, StephenB said:

I am interested in this too. I decided to go with solenoid valves and a arduinio.

The way it works is, you put some simple code on the arduinio, like a spreadsheet, but a little more advanced, and attach a sensor, maybe in your case a timer or clock. You also attach a relay. The relay can control a 220v solenoid valve (nc - normally closed). If the power goes out the valve would shut.

 

I plan on having one fill up a 6k liter water tank with a sonar sensor and eventually switching it all over to solar power. The arduino's are 200-300 baht, I bet you could do it all for 1,000 baht. (solenoid, relay, arduino, clock)

 

If you use an ESP8266 (ESP01 board and a relay board) it's got WiFi built in so you could go for an internet connected clock. The ESP uses the Arduino IDE.

 

 

 

[daveAustin]

Yes, use a zone valve as Crossy says. Can also be used to switch another circuit - motor control for example (enable/disable pump) or fire your teasmade up etc  - when timed open/closed.