Foot valves

[Tpoppa]

Who makes a better foot valve than the blue ones that KR sells? They seems to last 6 months and then start leaking & throw off the mix on my foam brushes.

 

[soapy]

Have you tried the grey foot valves? They are a different O ring material and may last better for you. If you are using 3/8 OD hard plastic tubing you can get some John Guest in line plastic check valves and they hold up very well. They are a push lock design.

 

[rph9168]

Try usplastics.com. They have foot valves, tubing and all kinds of items you use around the wash.

 

[Tpoppa]

I've not tried the gray foot valves. Any chance these will hold up better with foam brush soap?

Has anyone tried the Suttner NPST35R foot valves? I'm going to give these a shot, they have to be better than the ones I'm using now.

 

[Randy]

You want to make sure the foot valve you are using is compatible with the chemical that you’re using. Try using a Gray foot valve. I use a Blue foot valve with the Kleen-Rite Vanilla Cream soap in both the Foam Brush and High pressure gun. I can’t remember when I last changed out a Blue foot valve. In the Wax and Presoak I use the Gray Foot valve, the Blue one will not last in those products.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I have found by trial and error, sometimes gray is better and sometimes Blue. Went to all gray for a while and then when I changed to a new DA it failed in 2 weeks, repeatedly. Went to blue and no issues for many months so far.

 

[MEP001]

I've had the best luck with SMC inline barbed check valves with a strainer slipped over one barb.

 

[Ric]

I've had the best luck with SMC inline barbed check valves with a strainer slipped over one barb.

I'm going to try that. I'll put it upstream of the hydrominder (gray/blue) foot valve. When the hydrominder foot valve fails it will become the strainer for the SMC check valve.

 

[madscientist]

Gray foot valve for high ph products (alkaline)
Blue foot valve for low ph products (acidic)

 

[Jeff_L]

To help prevent messing the mixing up when a foot valve goes bad, I took some advice from this forum a couple years ago. That is on the output side of the hydrominder, cut the hose or at least a large notch in the hose above the highest level of your mixed chemical. That way, when the valve goes bad you won't have any reverse siphoning going on since the siphon would only be getting air.

 

[mjwalsh]

I'm going to try that. I'll put it upstream of the hydrominder (gray/blue) foot valve. When the hydrominder foot valve fails it will become the strainer for the SMC check valve.

Ric,

I wonder if by using 2 devices (like you suggest) both acting as check valves the opening pressure will be increased too much for proper suction?

MJ

 

[JIMT]

I have had trouble with all of those foot valves leaking down on wax. I bought some polypropylene check valves from Dultmeier number SM 683-6 V V and they have worked great.
JIMT