Replies

1. 
   John_D | Dec 13, 2005 10:47am | #1

   Someone else pointed me to this supplier for fireproof cans, and I'll return the favor to you.  Go to http://www.mcmaster.com, then under "Process Control and Instrumentation" click "Solenoid Valves", taking you to Page 398.  Then at the top of the page, click direct-acting solenoid valves.  Basically, you can choose normally open or normally closed.  If you choose normally closed and slave it off your compressor power, the valve will automatically close whenever you power off your compressor, preserving your tanked air.

   The 8077K42 is only $42.10, handles up to 750 psi, has a 1/8" pipe size, and draws about 16 watts.  There's a whole range though.

   There you go.

   My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
1. 
   Telemike | Dec 14, 2005 08:57am | #2

   Thanks John. This'll save a few buck when I can finally get back into the shop to get it done!Sometimes it seems like everything in my life breaks at once and needs to be fixed! And - My wife sets the order they're repaired in!

2. 
   highfigh | Jan 01, 2006 07:38pm | #3

   Have you tried a ball valve? Common plumbing part, in plastic or brass, seals great, cheap part. I have one on my outlet hose and it works fine.

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
1. 
   tinkerer2 | Jan 04, 2006 07:34am | #5

   I like those ball valves. Why is it that until quite recently that I have not noticed them?

1. 
   highfigh | Jan 04, 2006 07:51am | #6

   Hard for me to say. Where have you been looking?
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

2. 
   mudman | Jan 06, 2006 03:15am | #7

   It is odd, but you are right. You still seldom see them in residential settings. I know that localy our code still specifies "gate valves" for shut offs on water heaters, sprinklers and secondary shut off valves. But that is nuts because gate valves ALWAYS get full of minerals and then refuse to shut all the way (Our water has a lot of minerials). I have not seen a ball valve fail yet, but I havent seen more than a couple (other than the ones I installed). The inspectors here have never said anything when we used ball valves instead  of gate valves. I guess plummers stick with what they know.

   Mike

1. 
   Telemike | Jan 06, 2006 09:38am | #8

   Our well produced lots of sand until I made a 10', six arm, 6" PVC "clarifier". All the 1 1/4" PVC ball valves all around the property failed due to the ball being scratched by sand and had to be replaced. The gate valves mostly functioned OK, but a few had to be dismantled and the seals replaced. The ball valves were toast once the ball was scratched and had to be tossed. That's why plumbers are required to use gate valves instead of ball valves, especially for valves that are used pretty often. For an air system, I don't see drawbacks to ball valves vs. gate valves or plain washer/seat valves and I like the 90 degree on/off nature of the ball valves.

1. 
   Jeffrey | Jan 06, 2006 04:54pm | #9

   Hi

   A quick question.

   I have a silt problem with my well.

   Can you tell me more about your "clarifier" and do you think it would work on silt?

   Jeff

    

2. 
   Telemike | Jan 07, 2006 09:58am | #10

   The clarifier traps some of the silt and all the coarser stuff. We have a pleated paper filter at the house and the connection to the orchard drip lines. Both filters fill up partially with silt over a year or so and need to be cleaned. I could make pottery from the very fine stuff in the filters.The clarifier itself is made from about 10' of 6" PVC pipe. It has six evenly spaced tees with 18" long drops on them. Each drop has a cap with a threaded one inch plug to drain the drop once a year.I use 1 1/4" pipe from the well and all over the property. It feeds into the clarifier through a "stilling" inlet. The 1 1/4 pipe sticks about 8" through the end cap and is capped itself. The sides are drilled with 1/4" holes so that the water exits the pile at 90 degrees to the axis evenly all around the inlet pipe. Then, it flows more slowly down the 6" pipe and the solids drop out into the 18" long drops.I made the inlet by using a 6" cap with a 1 1/4" bushing that would normally accept the end of a 1 1/4" pipe. I filed it out until the 1 1/4" pipe would go through the bushing and glued it in place.Normally, sand and other dirt is separated from well water by a centrifugal separator. However, these separators operate over very narrow ranges of flow rate. My flow rate varies widely as the water table drops over the summer and rises again in the winter.We've been quite pleased with the clarifier. Since we put it in, we haven't lost any of our ball valves to grit and the drip emitters don't plug up.

3. 
   mudman | Jan 09, 2006 07:53pm | #11

   I can see how that would be a problem. What do you think about brass valves with chromed balls?

   MIke

4. 
   Telemike | Jan 14, 2006 09:16am | #12

   I threaten them with the toe of my boot!No, we only have gate valves upstream from the clarifier and the silt doesn't seem to harm the PVC ball valves, at least not as quickly as coarse sand. The gate valves seem to be a little more tolerant of sediment from the well.

3. 
   mike4244 | Jan 01, 2006 08:02pm | #4

   Install a valve inside the shop on the other side of the closet wall. Then the pressure loss is only from the valve back to the tank.A simple lever gas or water valve will do.

   mike