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Mockery

Sprinkler Solenoid Valve?

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12 Comments
by
Mockery
, 11-12-2010 at 07:36 PM (4620 Views)
So I need an electronic solenoid valves for a tank project and wondering if a sprinkler valve would work in its place, cause a true PVC solenoid is like $200 and a sprinkler is around $20.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but for the valve to be "aquarium safe" it:
  • Can't have any water come in contact to metal
  • Would type of plastic play a role?
Anything I could be missing?
Here is a link to the valve I'm thinking about using.
http://www.homedepot.com/Plumbing-Ir...atalogId=10053

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Categories
‎ Plumbing , ‎ DIY projects

Comments

  1. Alaska_Phil's Avatar
    As long as there's not metal except stainless steel in contact with the water, I don't see why it shouldn't work.

    Now, you going to tell us what you're building?
  2. Mockery's Avatar
    I defiantly will post a build here. And I was reading that stainless will break down in saltwater after a while so I think I'm going to have to go a different route, which is really expensive.
  3. Reefdaddy's Avatar
    I worked for HD plumbing a while back sold many of those irrigation valves. They have stainless steel shaft and are great for freshwater uses, but for salt I doubt, The one thing that I feel that would fail and be a disaster would be the top where the solenoid sets, it is held in with standard screws and is gasketed. the gaskets fail here all the time , so we sell the replacements for it. I wouldnt trust it myself.
  4. T5FL's Avatar
    Everything in the irrigation valve is plastic with a rubber diaphram, the metering rod and spring will be stainless steel. Ive been doing irrigation for 13 years and taken apart and installed hundreds of valves and dont ever remember seeing any one of them with a rusty metering rod or spring. Ill have to put a spring in saltwater as an experiment.
  5. Mockery's Avatar
    @T5FL If you could do a field test that would be amazing!! If not it looks like this project is dead before it even gets going.
  6. B-Rad's Avatar
    The problem with the sprinkler valves is the flow restrictions. You will need a pump that has lots of head pressure for it to work.
  7. Mockery's Avatar
    I've got a genx PC 40X that does about 1200gph and max head is like 26 feet. So pump pressure is not a problem.
  8. T5FL's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by B-Rad
    The problem with the sprinkler valves is the flow restrictions. You will need a pump that has lots of head pressure for it to work.
    He is correct, you would need atleast 20 P.S.I. for the diaphram to even have a chance to shut down, and that may not be enough to work correctly, they typically operate at 40 P.S.I. and higher.
  9. Eric B's Avatar
    @ Mockery call me when you get a chance as I need you to explain to me what you are doing again. I have another type of valve that might work and is saltwater safe.......
  10. Mockery's Avatar
    Phone call incoming Eric! Glad to see you are here!
  11. melev's Avatar
    We need an update to this mysterious project.
  12. Mockery's Avatar
    After consulting with some local DIY gurus it doesn't look like my original idea will work. I need whats called a L port valve. And if they are mechanically controlled they are too expensive. So now I'm on to doing a completely independent control setup.
    I'll be sure to do the build thread when the time is right!