Moisture Trap

[jetdoc]

Has anyone built a moisture trap with a float switch to shut off your vacuum pump? I have a whole house filter housing hooked up with the racket ball in it but would like to have a switch installed to shut the pump off. I'm running a delaval 76 pump on a three horse motor with 1 1/2" line. I would like to know what parts you are using and how you hooked it all up to make it shut the vacuum pump off.

[Bricklayer]

I just finished building a homemade releaser using a 12v water level sensor and a countdown timer. Both items I got on eBay for super cheap.
I'm going to build a moisture/ sap trap using the same components.
Basically all you'd need to do is have a short section of schedule 40 pvc or ABS pipe and a sanitary t and some fittings.
My idea was to use sanitary t with line from vac pump comming in from top and line to releaser going out the side part of tee. Short section of 4" pvc maybe 8-12" then a threaded adaptor a 90 degrees fitting and a check valve. The check valve will empty the system when it loses vac or the pump shuts off.
The reason a timer is needed is because when the float triggers and the pump shuts off it will drain and the float will fall breaking connection. Some engines need to be grounded out for a couple seconds to shut off. Mine does anyways. So when float trips it sets off timer and holds the ground out switch for let's say 10 seconds and lets the pump shut off
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[wiam]

Has anyone built a moisture trap with a float switch to shut off your vacuum pump? I have a whole house filter housing hooked up with the racket ball in it but would like to have a switch installed to shut the pump off. I'm running a delaval 76 pump on a three horse motor with 1 1/2" line. I would like to know what parts you are using and how you hooked it all up to make it shut the vacuum pump off.

Electric or gas

[Bricklayer]

I just assumed it was gas powered. If it's electric that makes it a little easier.

[jetdoc]

Its a 3 hp electric vacuum pump.

[Shaun]

One method may be to use a contactor with a 120V coil voltage and wire the float switch in series like the one pictured. When the float is triggered coil voltage is lost and pump will shut off. Components are fairly inexpensive. May try a search for 50 amp contactor and a simple switch that would be used to start/stop the motor.

[Bricklayer]

With an electric motor you will need a circuit with a relay. I used a similar one on my RO to cut power to motor and keep it from turning back on
I used a 40 amp motor contactor with a 120v coil And a 120v dpdt relay. It has a 120 v coil also
-Main power 220v goes directly to the motor contactor and to the electric motor.
-120v to a momentary switch then to the dpdt relay coil. Same 120v feed can be connected to 1 common on the relay with the normally open side going to the 220v contactor. This circuit will turn on your motor as long as your pushing down your momentary switch.
- bring the same 120v feed to one side of a float switch and connect the other side to the other common screw on the relay. The float will have to be in the NC position in the moisture trap to work. When sap lifts it it will interrupt the common
- Run a wire from the NO screw on relay to the coil.
Basically this is a latching relay circuit that will keep pump on until the float trips and kills power to the relay coil. Pump won't start until momentary switch is pressed again


There might be an easier way to do this maybe using the contactor alone instead of a separate relay but

[wiam]

Its a 3 hp electric vacuum pump.

What are you using for a switch?

[jetdoc]

I'm using a breaker for the switch.