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Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / December 2005Need Solenoid For Darkroom Sink
Does anyone use a solenoid to control flow or shut off wash water in their sink? Can you recommend an economical 120v solenoid valve. I want to be able to put the solenoid on my timer and walk away knowing that the water will shut off in the allotted time on the clock. Thx. Maybe you can get a suitable control valve from an old clothes washer machine? > Does anyone use a solenoid to control flow or shut off wash water in their > sink? Can you recommend an economical 120v solenoid valve. I want to be able > to put the solenoid on my timer and walk away knowing that the water will > shut off in the allotted time on the clock. Thx. Ah! Good idea. Or an ice maker valve from a fridge possibly! Many solenoids seem to be 24vdc, probably safer. > Maybe you can get a suitable control valve from an old clothes washer > machine? [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >> knowing that the water will shut off in the allotted time on the >> clock. Thx. > Mike wrote: > > Maybe you can get a suitable control valve from an old clothes washer > > machine? > Ah! Good idea. Or an ice maker valve from a fridge possibly! Many solenoids > seem to be 24vdc, probably safer. Appliance valves will be 120VAC. For safety run the system through a ground fault interrupter [GFI]. GFI's should be installed as outlets in areas where there is a water supply or contact with earth/ground: darkroom, kitchen, bathroom, washing area, outside outlets, garage ... You can also try McMaster-Carr and Grainger for valves. Just looked, they are pretty pricey: ~$50. You can buy an old dishwasher/washing machine for less. Hmmm, wonder if you could modify a washing machine and make it into a print washer ...  SignatureNicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm Re GFCI--AMEN!! The only new designed from the ground up darkroom I ever worked in did not have GFCI, I got "bit" the first day and refused to work in there until the boss spent $24 to buy GFCI's for me to install. Signaturedarkroommike > > Mike wrote: > > > Maybe you can get a suitable control valve from an old clothes washer [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Hmmm, wonder if you could modify a washing machine and make it into > a print washer ... > Re Ground Fault Interrupters --AMEN!! The only new designed from the ground up darkroom I ever > worked in did not have GFCI, I got "bit" the first day and refused to work > in there until the boss spent $24 to buy GFI's for me to install. Proper wiring of the electrical outlets also needs to be checked. It isn't even that unusual to see ground <-> hot swapped; older houses used black wire for everything. Outlet testers are $6 or so at any hardware store, they look like 3-prong adapters with little light-bulbs. -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm >> Re Ground Fault Interrupters --AMEN!! The only new designed from the >> ground [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Outlet testers are $6 or so at any hardware store, they look like 3-prong > adapters with little light-bulbs. You should get the model with a little button on the front. Pressing that button should make the GFI pop. BTW, Mike King should also get whatever it was that pops the GFI fixed. Popping a GFI is a warning that something is leaking. Signature.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 14:35:00 up 15 days, 1:06, 4 users, load average: 4.22, 4.18, 4.13 The place I worked did not have GFCI's until I installed them. When I installed them they worked properly or I wouldn't be here to tell the tale. Signaturedarkroommike > > > >> Re Ground Fault Interrupters --AMEN!! The only new designed from the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > BTW, Mike King should also get whatever it was that pops the GFI fixed. > Popping a GFI is a warning that something is leaking. > The place I worked did not have GFCI's until I installed them. When I > installed them they worked properly or I wouldn't be here to tell the tale. Did you find the leaky device? Or is management risking lawsuits if the GFI is a little slow someday? Signature.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 12:00:00 up 15 days, 22:31, 4 users, load average: 4.15, 4.20, 4.24 I have one (Radio Shack?) and take it with me when I've worked in other people's darkrooms. It's amazing what some people tolerate. Signaturedarkroommike > > > Re Ground Fault Interrupters --AMEN!! The only new designed from the ground [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com > Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm These solenoids are also used in some processors. I know that both Photo-therm and King Concept used them Signaturedarkroommike > Maybe you can get a suitable control valve from an old clothes washer > machine? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > to put the solenoid on my timer and walk away knowing that the water will > > shut off in the allotted time on the clock. Thx. > Does anyone use a solenoid to control flow or shut off wash water in their > sink? Can you recommend an economical 120v solenoid valve. I want to be able > to put the solenoid on my timer and walk away knowing that the water will > shut off in the allotted time on the clock. Thx. Why must it be electric? If this is for washing prints, for example, why not go to Home Despot or some such place and get a low-tech garden hose timer, which is mechanical and does the job, perhaps not accurately, but would allow you to go to bed at night with the prints washing? BTW: I would no longer leave the prints in the washer overnight, but YMMV. Signature.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 14:50:00 up 11 days, 1:20, 5 users, load average: 4.22, 4.19, 4.27 Amen >> Does anyone use a solenoid to control flow or shut off wash water in >> their [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > BTW: I would no longer leave the prints in the washer overnight, but YMMV. I used to have a purely mechanical garden hose timer" that worked on flow. You just wound the dial for the gallons you wanted and a little turbine inside shut the valve after xx gallons. It was cheaper than a battery operated timer. I'd suggest a battery timer as a safer alternative to 120 volt. My darkroom is equipped with outside faucets (petcocks?), so they have garden hose connections. If your sink does not, you should be able to find a thread on replacement for the screen or aerator on your current tap to convert to a gaden hose thread. Them just attach a timer to that. > Amen > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >> BTW: I would no longer leave the prints in the washer overnight, but >> YMMV. Walk into any home depot/lowes and you'll probably be able to find a few solenoid valves used for lawn sprinkler systems. They're usually not so popular around this time of year, so you may have to look online for them. I have seen the mechanical timers used to control lawn sprinklers used with some success, eliminates the need to mix water and 120v. in the sink and plenty accurate since washes go long enough that plus or minus a few minutes is not going to make a difference (unless you a using a "rapid wash" scheme like Ilford's in which case you aren't going very far from the sink anyway). Signaturedarkroommike > Does anyone use a solenoid to control flow or shut off wash water in their > sink? Can you recommend an economical 120v solenoid valve. I want to be able > to put the solenoid on my timer and walk away knowing that the water will > shut off in the allotted time on the clock. Thx. > I have seen the mechanical timers used to control lawn sprinklers used with > some success, eliminates the need to mix water How could a timer of any kind eliminate the need to mix water? If the cold, or hot, water is not the temperature you want, you have little choice but to mix them, perhaps with a Lawlor type valve. But after that you can have a time-controlled valve, be it mechanical or electric, to turn it on and off. If you have a regular laundry-type sink mixing faucet, you will want check valves and a vacuum breaker on it . Check valves so when the timer valve shuts off, the hot water will not be pushed back into the cold. Vacuum breaker so the water from wherever the water is going does not get sucked back into the water system in event of pressure drops. You do not want (and in most municipalities are not allowed) to have any possibility whatever of the stuff in your sink sucked back into the water system. Do you want to drink whatever is in your washer or washing sink? > and 120v. in the sink and > plenty accurate since washes go long enough that plus or minus a few minutes > is not going to make a difference (unless you a using a "rapid wash" scheme > like Ilford's in which case you aren't going very far from the sink anyway). Signature.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 08:15:00 up 14 days, 18:45, 4 users, load average: 4.33, 4.33, 4.28 water + electricity = bad situation What I said was eliminate mixing water and electricity by using a mechanical timer nothing said about thermostatic mixing valves. Signaturedarkroommike > > I have seen the mechanical timers used to control lawn sprinklers used with > > some success, eliminates the need to mix water [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > is not going to make a difference (unless you a using a "rapid wash" scheme > > like Ilford's in which case you aren't going very far from the sink anyway). > water + electricity = bad situation What I said was eliminate mixing water > and electricity by using a mechanical timer nothing said about thermostatic > mixing valves. I thunk you meant mix hot and cold water, not mix any water and electricity. Of course your parse of your sentence is also a valid one. Signature.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 12:05:00 up 15 days, 22:36, 4 users, load average: 4.20, 4.25, 4.26 Again, I said nothing in any post about mixing hot and cold water, I did not at anytime mention thermostatic or other mixing valves, my point was that 120 volt solenoid valves are NOT a safe option for most do-it-yourself designs and that mechanical timers are much safer. Signaturedarkroommike > > water + electricity = bad situation What I said was eliminate mixing water > > and electricity by using a mechanical timer nothing said about thermostatic > > mixing valves. > > > I thunk you meant mix hot and cold water, not mix any water and electricity. > Of course your parse of your sentence is also a valid one. |
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