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Air shutoff solenoid valve for foaming brush

OurTown

OurTown

Well-known member
What solenoid valve do you guys use for shutting off the air coming into your low pressure panel like foam brush? My incoming air fittings are all 1/4" pipe but it seems like the 1/4" valves that I found have 1/8" orifices. Should I step up to a 3/8" or try to find a full 1/4" orifice valve? Since we only have three bays I'm going to control it with relays.
 
I use Dema 401P because I run them at 120V so they can just be plugged in rather than have a common 24V supply just for that. I prefer to avoid having one thing to rely on that will shut everything down if it fails.
 
I use 1/8" kips on both FB and PS for a 4 bay.
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I would have thought that 1/8" didn't flow enough but was just guessing based on that 1/8" has about a fourth of the flow of 1/4".

I use Dema 401P because I run them at 120V so they can just be plugged in rather than have a common 24V supply just for that. I prefer to avoid having one thing to rely on that will shut everything down if it fails
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I didn't think about that if I ran constant 24vac from one bay then the others bays couldn't operate foam brush with that one shut down. Running 115v and not having a transformer does seem like a good idea.
 
I run a separate 24v 40va transformer to power the 2 air solenoids. Each bay has its own transformer and energizes the relay coils...Sorry, the 24v transformer is out of the pictures. It actually powers my blowdown/washer fluid winterizing system. I just tapped into it since there was plenty of capacity. I try to minimize the amount of different solenoids I use at the wash. Makes stocking spares a lot easier.

https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-3911-40-va-transformer.aspx

1/8" is plenty. The regulator pressure gage doesn't drop 2-3 psi while both flojets run. Pressure is very consistent whether one or both flojets are running.
 
I have several of those 40va transformers running at the wash. I converted my vacs to use this transformer to power a mercury relay, Led7 timer, and electronic coin acceptor 7-8 years ago. Not a single failure even in the scorching summer heat and frigid winters here in Southern Ohio...The ones in the Er have an easy life! I think they are pretty robust!
 
I had a 40va running a bank of vending machines. One of the control boards blew and took out the transformer which of course shut down all the vendors on a busy weekend. I added a second transformer after that and put half on each with a 1A fuse in each vendor.
 
When sizing a transformer, you have to add up the load. A 40va transformer can only supply a max load of 40 watts. A bank of vending machines could have possibly overloaded the transformer?
 
Something on the board burned up and caused a direct short. It ran for about five years before that happened.
 
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