Jumping back in

[Chad Gard]

On 2019-10-22 09:41, James Sentman wrote:

> I think the brass one I was looking at was a 120v solenoid and I didn't realize that while looking. I wonder if the threads on that solenoid are the same as the 24v ones and if  you could replace it with a standard 24v solenoid?

Generally speaking, there are only two common thread types - pipe thread
(fine) and hose thread (coarse). Of course, you can have male or female,
and inside or outside of the pipe...  But the 110v brass ones I saw were
female inside pipe, which would be a drop replacement for my manual ball
valves. 

> In looking around I did notice that one of the dealers on Amazon was having a sale on some on their own website. These normally $155 dollar ones are on sale for $45. I have no idea if they are any good or if they are discontinued or if they simply don't pass enough water but it might be worth picking up one to experiment with, or perhaps a case of them at that price ;)  
> 
> https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/products/lawn-irrigation/valves-valve-boxes/valves/inline-valves/fpt-valve-220-050 
> 
> The $80 version I was looking at on Amazon is here:

Sprinkler warehouse is kinda like the X10 website used to be.  You only
buy if it's on sale :).  Those valves are probably OK in the right
situation, but I don't think mine is it.  That type is popular around
here with folks who have an irrigation shed. Typically a surface jet
pump, and a manifold on the wall with all of their valves and
fertigation injectors right there. Popular with folks with small acreage
and high value perennial crops in a small area. For example, the 2 1/2
acre blackberry farm down the road.  Maintenance is easy, but you have
to drain everything for winter, are limited to a shallow well (or a two
pump system), and you put in a ton more pipe.  

In my case, I have a wide diversity of both annual and perennial crops,
and I also rotationally graze livestock, and so must be able to use it
all winter long. I also have deep well with a submersible pump, so
draining through the pump is out. 

At any rate, the reason I'd be concerned is the adjustable flow
mechanism.  Extra complexity that just leads to potential for extra
maintenance.  They have a diaphragm design that is easily messed up by a
grain of sand or some such in the water.  In my case, I have a lot of
iron and magnesium in the water, so rust and little flakes of magnesium
oxide can do the same thing. There's this little plunger thing you can
push to free the debris, which is easy to use when the valve is on the
wall.  But not when it's buried 4-5' down, with just a 12" diameter
drain tile lined hole to access it...  Just on or off is fine, I can
adjust flow downstream, and it tends to need different adjustments at
different points anyway.

> but again I have no idea if thats any good. For between 45 and 60 bucks or so you can get actuated ball valves which have a better flow rate than the solenoid valves. But they are controlled on or off by sending the power and then reversing the polarity, or powering to separate wires to turn them off again. That is not that big of a deal if you're rolling your own controller ;) But would not be compatible with a commercial irrigation controller without doing some futzing around.

I haven't messed with one of those in ages.  At one point, I had
something that was basically an actuator for a ball valve - back when I
was in Indianapolis.  I used XTension to turn on and off the valve for a
lawn sprinkler, mostly just to see if I could.  It worked for a while,
until the actuator got out of adjustment, and broke the handle off the
ball valve...  Something with the actuator and valve integrated might be
useful, though. 

The big thing is reliability.  To access any of these things, I need to
dig a really big hole.  Big enough to get me (and I'm not small...), a
ladder to climb in and outwith, and room to work.  By hand, because I
don't have a backhoe (I'd rent one to install a system, but not to fix a
single broken valve).  That's a lot of digging.  I had a fitting fail
this spring.  Ground was still frozen to about 18".  Also, very
compacted, because it was crossing a tractor lane.  Took me 2 1/2 days
to dig the hole.  So, something to avoid :)

Something like this looks like a possibility:
https://www.amazon.com/HSH-Flo-Electrical-Position-Feedback-Motorized/dp/B07D9ZL2JT/
[1] 

Though only 1 1/4"... 
  Thanks for spurring me to ponder! 

-- 
Chad

-What's Cookin' at the Farm?  Recipes, menus, and more at
http://twie.holeinthewoodsfarm.com 

Links:
------
[1]
https://www.amazon.com/HSH-Flo-Electrical-Position-Feedback-Motorized/dp/B07D9ZL2JT/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=2%22%2Bactuated%2Bball%2Bvalve&qid=1571757544&sr=8-16&th=1
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