Automating stuff

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Willl

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Hello all,

I got a system right know where I water the lawn with hose sprinklers connected to hydrants and turn off the pump manually. I also have a big pool that needs to be filled up regularly and some other things etc. I would like to automate everything. I don't know if they even make this but I was thinking about something that could automate some valves that are located on the hydrants and on the hoses leading to the pools of water. Maybe like a main control board that I can set the time each valve turns on and off. If each valve could turn on and off by 12v would be nice so I wouldn't have to run 120v wires all over the place. Thanks
 
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Jadnashua

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Someone mentioned an automatic pool filler valve recently. I think it operates sort of like a big toilet filler valve with a float that opens the valve when the pool level gets below a certain point. No power, only mechanical. You would need to install the requisite vacuum breaker and/or a backflow preventer to protect from polluting the potable water from the pool. same thing for the sprinkler system.

There are all sorts of automatic valves for sprinkler systems, probably not a practical job to design one from scratch.
 

Verdeboy

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robj said:
Hello all,

I got a system right know where I water the lawn with hose sprinklers connected to hydrants and turn off the pump manually. I also have a big pool that needs to be filled up regularly and some other things etc. I would like to automate everything. I don’t know if they even make this but I was thinking about something that could automate some valves that are located on the hydrants and on the hoses leading to the pools of water. Maybe like a main control board that I can set the time each valve turns on and off. If each valve could turn on and off by 12v would be nice so I wouldn’t have to run 120v wires all over the place. Thanks

Sounds like you are trying to re-invent the wheel. That's why someone came up with underground irrigation systems with automatic timers decades ago.
 

Willl

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Well, this application is alittle different from a sprinkler system. To be honest I was looking at them but wasn't sure if it would work. I am completely confused as to how I would hook it up though. I need 6 places where automated valves would be. There all spaced around too. Thanks.
 

Jadnashua

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The biggest hassle would be getting power to all of the hydrants spread around. But, if you could do that, you could use a separate controller for each, and to spread the load, adjust the timers on each so you didn't have them all on at once. I'm not sure if they things use low-voltage a/c or d/c. If a/c, it might not be too bad to run control leads, but for d/c, the line losses would be prohibitive, and you'd need power at each location. Depending on how the supply piping is run, you may have branches that start at one location, and if so, you could control the flow to each branch separately from that one location.
 
R

Rancher

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I seem to remember separate controls that attached to single hose bibs, ran off of a couple of D cells, that would eliminate the wire runs, but unless it is an automatic well-pressure tank set up it would not turn on the pump.

Most sprinkler controllers come with a separate terminal that is used to switch a pump relay on when a zone come on. That is what you really need... and since you have to dig to run wires to each valve, I would just co-locate the valves with the controller and run new PVC instead.

Rancher
 

Willl

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I tried using one of these
17786990.jpg
But they just break on you.

I guess I really didn't explain to well but I have 3 hydrants each with a water hose leading to a sprinkler. This isn't underground. I also have a pond that I would like to automatically dump out water at a certain time and fill water back in at a certain time.

The only thing I can think of that will work for this would be as verdeboy noted would be a sprinker system. Those valves that they use are AC and run off 24 volts right. Becuase they are 24 volts I could run them only about 4 inches below ground level. The wire run might be 250 feet. I could just put a valve at each hydrant, screw it on the threads there or get a connection that would allow it too. Then do the same for each of the other 3 hoses that lead to the pond. Big pond there. I need 3 hoses. One hoses adds water all the time to keep the pond up. The other 2 hoses are there to allow me to dump the water and fill it fast. In order to water the lawn and fill the pond everything has to be done at its certain time. I would need a very good automatic main control that would a good amount of different timing throughout the week. Thanks:D
 

Bob NH

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A toilet tank valve will keep a pool full. A float valve can be hooked up with an air gap to fill a pool without a vacuum breaker. Put the discharge of the pipe a couple of inches above the edge of the pool. There are also tank valves. Look at the Hudson valve. It is anti-siphon. They are often sold at places that sell farm supplies. http://www.hudsonvalve.com/

If you use irrigation valves they are inexpensive and most run on 24 Volts from a transformer. Other solenoid valves are usually much more expensive.
 

Willl

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Thanks for the reply,

Gotta have the irrigation valves on the pool. It is kinda hard to explain but inorder to keep the pond/pool relatively clean I add more water continually that is needed and there is a overflow drain the leads to an area where it is dumped.

What valves would you or others recommend I get for this. I would need something to turn each one on and off at its appropriate time as well. Thanks
 
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