Level Control

[washregal]

I have had trouble in the past with liquid level on my rinse and HP wash tanks.

Other than the cheap float switches we ll buy .. is there any that is rcomended better, and or is there any other type of level control that will do the job better.

usually when I turn my heaters on the level rises, this in turn allows the liquid to rise above my overflows and I lose water.. water plus sewer =$$$$

Hoping to spend money up front on a better gadget than pay and pay and keep paying down the road. In the last year I have had some heartburn with float valves.. Just wondering if any one has a better product that would solve this issue.

 

[Kevin Reilly]

You can use a solenoid valve at the entrance to each of your tanks on both the hot & cold side and use the float valve along with it. When any of the bays call for either hot or cold, the solenoid valve opens and allows hot & cold water in, but only when it's being used. We did it by looping through our motor contactors and used 24vac solenoids and the tank has a roberts 1" valve with an 8" ball. Very positive. We've never had to change the Roberts valve because that is just controlling flow when customer(s) are using the bay(s). At night the solenoid valve keeps it from overflowing.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Listen to Kevin, he is very wise. I did his set-up several years ago and love it. I also went a little further with it at a couple of my washes. Instead of using the motor contactor we use the timed load to a controller and turn on/off both the air to the Flojets and water to the tank. When any bay has time both valves open and close when the time runs out. It's more complicated, but it's protecting the compressor and drums of chemical also.

 

[mjwalsh]

We use Dole solenoid valves. They have the same diaphragm in them as the Hydrominder & some laundry washing machine valves. it is rare, but sometimes the diaphragm can cause no water at all starving a pump continuously on either the soap(warm) or the cold water selections.

So both Kevin & Pat are for the most part right. I am wondering if anyone ever had that described problem added solenoid can create or if they do if they address it with a low cost reliable sensor?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I don't use diaphragm valves, just the 418P Dema. There is no sensor since the float valve regulates the water level.

 

[mjwalsh]

We have floats too. The point is that if the normally closed valve solenoid fails it could lead to a dry situation. Like I said it rarely occurs & for some may never occur. It seems like it is easier on the pumps to run dry than to cavitate---I am not sure how serious the dry situation might be for some operators.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Actually I have somewhat of an accidental "failsafe" on my tanks. Somewhere along the line I think I had a starvation problem and I plumbed my hot and cold tanks together at the bottom so I would have more capacity. The cold tank has a Hydrominder in it which I have set to open if the tank gets quite low, much lower than the float setting in the hot tank. This way, if the hot fails to open the cold valve will open and help out. In normal mode both tanks will have hot water in them.