Automatic Electric Valve at The City Water Connection
Automatic Electric Valve at The City Water Connection
Here is another project for you to consider for your coach.
This is a project that I have thought about for a while after meeting a Provost owner who showed me how his fresh water tank had water added when the water level reached a low level sensor and stopped when it reached the high level sensor. It not only opened the fill valve to fill the tank but opened an electric valve to allow city water into the coach.
We have been avid pump only fresh water from the tank users as long as we have owned the coach. And that works well. The only time we are connected to city water is to fill the tank and that filling process stops automatically based on project #1 below. No overflows. You still have to go out and turn off the city water connection.
The objective of using the pump only is to minimize the risk of a water system failure somewhere and the resulting flood damage to the coach. You have to remember to turn off the water pump for this strategy to work especially if you leave the coach. We addressed this problem (project #2 below) by adding a user settable time delay pump shut off. The timer resets any time the pump gets turned on so it is not a burden in any way and ensures we do not forget to turn off the pump.
We save water by recirculating hot water to mat waste water waiting for hot water to get to where we want it. See project #3 below.
We made the toilet flush switch turn on the water if it was not already on in project# 4.
So we though that if we are somewhere for an extended time and we want the benefits of a city water hookup, the protections of a pump only strategy (assuming you remember to turn off the pump), and (for some) no pump noise, and maybe saving some pump run time then this is what we did.
The goal was to add an electric valve at the city water end of the hook up that would open when we were using water and close when we were not with no user action. I didn't want to use a solenoid valve, these use power all the time they are open.
Parts
Motorized ball valve, available is brass or stainless steel, 1/2" or 3/4" NPT, 2 or 5 wire versions.
Motorized Ball Valve- 3/4" Stainless Steel Ball Valve with Full Port, 9-24V...
Some connection wire, I used a duplex tinned marine 18 ga cable.
An NPT to female hose thread connector and an NPT to male hose thread connector, Stainless, brass or PVC.
A couple of diodes.
For the five wire version of the motorized ball valve you need a couple Bosch style automotive relays and a couple LED indicator lights.
We wanted the valve to operate when we were ready to fill the tank or use water. The valves use a small amount of power to actuate. The five wire version uses power to open and the a very small amount of power to illuminate the open status light. it also uses power to close and then a small amount of power to illuminate the closed status light.
In this case the Bosch relays are wired to create an double pole double throw reversing switch triggered by the indicator lamp on the fill valve or water pump switch located in the wet bay. Diodes prevent feedback between the indicator lamps.
This is more complicated than I wanted so I selected the two wire ball valve. It uses a simple +12v trigger to open. this is supplied again by either of the indicator lamps on the fill valve or water pump switch located in the wet bay. While the valve is opening it uses a small amount of power and charges a capacitor at the same time. it then uses virtually no power but monitors the circuit. When the circuit is opened (pump switch or fill switch indicators lamps turn off, the capacitor powers the valve to close. No power for any reason and the valve closes.
I added the motorized ball valve after our particulate filter and pressure regulator and before the two additional filters and water softener. These actually add additional capacity to the accumulator. So even with the valve closed there is quite a bit of water available. I will probably try it after the water softener and before the incoming water hose to see how that works.
It Works! When you turn on the water pump switch the latching relay provides power to the switch indicator lamps and the water pump. That triggers the motorized valve to open and provide pressure and water to the water system. The water pump might come on for a second or two if a water faucet is open and pressure in the system is below the pump pressure switch. And then the pump stays off. When the water pump switch timer runs out the latching relay is opened, power to the pump and the pump switch indicator lamp is off and the motorized ball valve closes. Or just press the water pump switch and the power is off and the valve closes.
I hope this little bit of tech magic inspires you to try it out and imagine up some of your own for your coach.
1. Fill Valve Automatic Shutoff
Water Fill Valve Auto Shut-off
2. Water Pump Automatic Shutoff
Water Pump Timer Automatically Switches Pump Off
3. Hot Water Recirculation Switch interface to Toilet Flush Switch
Hot Water Recirculation
4. Water Pump Switch interface to Toilet Flush Switch
Toilet Flush Switch Interface to Water Pump
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Topic: Automatic Electric Valve at The City Water Connection (Read 693 times)
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