Float Valves to Solenoid valves

[jason loper]

I am looking to change my 3x10 raised flu small bros evap over to solenoid controls instead of floats any ideas. My floats are a pain in the neck.

Thanks

[maplecrest]

if you contact marcoland the auto draw people ,they have a working set up like that to control the sap flow into the flue pan.

[Haynes Forest Products]

How old are your pans? I have Waterlo Small pans and once the floats are set I love them. Have never had a problem with sticking. The problem with selenoid valves is the electricity and they rely on floats or sensors and I dont think they are as smooth.

[markct]

hmm whats wrong with floats, mine seem to work great, and dead simple, no wiring sensors etc, seems like why fix something that aint broke? are you having a problem with your floats?

[Haynes Forest Products]

MarkCT Im wondering if his floats have liquid them and as the heat levels change floats buoyancy changes causing eradic behavier. I would shake the float and see if it has liquid in them.

[Big maple]

That is an idea I have tossed around for a while but, alas I always seem to spend my extra money putting in taps and tubing. It would be relatively simple, four sensors, a couple of 8pin relays, and a couple of solenoid valves, if you would like I could give you a diagram and grainger part numbers. I have a plc sitting in our shop and I have often thought about how easy it would be to automate the whole operation from start to finish so we could just stand there and drink beer, but that would take all of the fun out of the whole thing and we wouldn't have any near melt downs or pan scorchings to laugh about later on.

[Haynes Forest Products]

How are you gong to get all sensors to talk to each other. Im all for automation and werrlygigs and I think getting things to open and close with sensors is the easy part its getting it to shut down when things dont go right. And I think the key to all we do when it comes to running the evaporator is to recognize when things ARE ABOUT TO GO WRONG. Heck we all have had someone walk in the shack and say "I KNEW THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN"...............Really well then why didnt you tell me BEFORE IT HAPPEND.

1 sensor to shut down burner if flue pan over heats
2)sensor to shut down burner if syrup pan No 1 overheats
3)sensor to shut down burner if syrup pan No 2 overheats
4)foam detector to dispence defoamer at proper time and amount
5)auto drawoff
6)sensor to shut down burner if auto drawoff fails to open and surup pan is starting to boil over
7)head tank sensor to keep it full
8)head tank sensor to shut down burner if head tank fails to fill
9)finished syrup drawoff tank that can hold a set amout of syrup or a sensor to shut off burner if it over fills
10) low fuel sensor to shut of all other sensors if burner quit
11) battery powerd back up to detect power failure and shut down all command and control
12)a whole bunch of sensors to detect what the other sensors are doing just in case a sensor fails to do what their supposed to do
13)sensor to tell you when kegerator is getting dangerously low

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM.......................

[mapleman3]

#12 is at crises level if low!!!

I just rigged up a float switch to fill the feed tank ... I'm already nervous about that not working.
I deal with PLC's for heating and AC and let me tell you.. nothing works like Manual controls.
one surge of power, something gets moisture, it gets bumped or falls on the ground? then there is no way to quickly over ride??

But Also....there will always be that visitor though that takes up your attention and wammo, Manual controls won't do the job either if your hands aren't on them!!

[Haynes Forest Products]

I can speak from athority that Manual controls can fail due to moisture (beer)

[Big maple]

Moisture issues have been at the heart of almost all near catastrophes at our place

[jrthe3]

MAPLEMAN i have had a float switch in my head tank as long as i have had electric in the sugar house and i still find my self watching it every time it kicks on making sure it shuts off but is has never not shut off

[Haynes Forest Products]

I was constantly overfilling my head tank so I put a timer on it still cant get it right 100% I when its getting close I set and become the fail safe.

[KenWP]

I worked for a company that had 150,000 sows and we had lots of automatic stuff when it first opened and went to manual with a lot of things over time. I have spent days cleaning up messes where automatic shut offs never shut off and flooded or spilt gallons,truck loads and tons of stuff all over the place. Automatic works up to a point. I had one gizmo where the guy who could fix it flew in from Korea and another where the only guy in Canada who could fix it retired with nobody to take his place. Look at all the food issues that have happend in the last year to do with manufactures that do not have enough hands on with what they make and put food on the market that is not safe.