• Please visit and share your knowledge at our sister communities:
  • If you have not, please join our official Homebrewing Facebook Group!

    Homebrewing Facebook Group

electronic valves

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Those wiring diagrams just show a generic switch. Transistor, relay, triac, SSR are just different types of switch. They all work, but a transistor is probably cheapest and easiest to interface with a microcontroller. If you already have an external relay board it will probably work with both 24VDC and 240VAC so it hardly matters.
 
I went rigth to KLD that distributes to OSCSYS. I spend a little under $300 for (3) 3way and (1) 2way valves shipped. Just got them a while ago and they work great.
Plus the customer service was really nice. Although, the time zone differance made communication difficult.

Id recommend them.
 
I went rigth to KLD that distributes to OSCSYS. I spend a little under $300 for (3) 3way and (1) 2way valves shipped. Just got them a while ago and they work great.
Plus the customer service was really nice. Although, the time zone differance made communication difficult.

Id recommend them.

My understanding is OSCSYS no longer buys from KLD, doesn't seem to be too many details as to why....
 
I'm not sure why there don't seem to be 3 way valves that have a shut-off position...seems very useful, and probably not *that* expensive to implement.

Solenoid valves typically have a small pin that shuts off flow...when you energize the solenoid it pulls the pin so that liquid flows. The problem is that they seem to all have very small ports...they may be 1/2 inch valves or whatever, but the hole for liquid to flow through is (at least in the one I ordered) about 1/16". The way this is set up will make this VERY hard to clean as well. I learned this after ordering one as I too just saw the cheap prices. I ended up ordering the electronic ball valves from the link earlier in this thread.

@jpoder, there are 3-way valves that do offer what you need, but they are fairly uncommon. The reason is because you will need a 180 degree 3-position actuator. Most rotary actuators are only 90 degree or "quarter-turn" with only 2 positions. I believe they are available as special order (but not listed) here: https://assuredautomation.com/3-way-ball-valves/ The people there provide great service and have helped me many times.

Also, if you have instrument air running at your place, a great (albeit pricey) option might be a pneumatically actuated angle valve. These are very close to full port, and are available in SS with tri-clamp fittings so removal for cleaning would be very easy. You will have to keep the air connected so you can actuate it and get to all areas both above and below the plug. These are actually used on keg cleaners quite often.
 
Back
Top