Air Compressor Electric Shut-off Valve

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Our air compressor (Quincy ProAir 15hp) is located in an area that is not always easily accessible to shut off in the evenings. I would like to remove the manual ¾" ball valve at the tank and install an electric valve that we can Control by a switch remotely. Has anyone ever done this, -and was it successful? If so, what/where do I look for a suitable valve? I found electric unloader valves but that is not what I think I want in this application. Thoughts??

TIA!!

 

[pcmeiners]

Search Ebay for solenoid valve (1" or larger) There is a good bit of restriction in solenoid valves (generally), so more than 3/4" would be better. They come in many coil voltages.

 

[Beemer533]

Here is an example;

https://www.zoro.com/redhat-solenoi...kdvNh9VbsIe2B9OkwyMXIaAnQ48P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

This one is rated to 150 psi (might not be enough), but as an example it is normally closed, so if power goes out or something breaks, it closes.

It doesn't list current draw, but I'm sure a standard light switch would work just fine.

Don't search for motorized ball valve, those are quite expensive..

 

[Wood'nMetal]

How about a timer for the compressor power instead of a valve? I've always envisioned the valve or some compressor pipe breaking and the motor just running full tilt!

 

[matt_i]

I was thinking of the same thing today when I had to run to the attic to turn the valve to blow up a tire. (compressor in attic).

I was thinking of a setup similar to having a solenoid valve ("red hat" Asco valve) control something like a Bimba air cylinder to open the existing 3/4" full flow valve.

If the solenoid maintains control air in all positions, it could result in slow leakage over time, because the air cylinder would be pushing or pulling constantly. I was considering a three way selector switch with a "dead" or neutral center position, so the air cylinder is floating at that time, and only gets air when its time to open or close.

Not sure if that makes sense in words a diagram would be better.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

How about a timer for the compressor power instead of a valve? I've always envisioned the valve or some compressor pipe breaking and the motor just running full tilt!

Thanks. The compressor piping is the main reason why we shut it off at the tank outlet on the compressor. With well over 500' of air pipe thru-out the building, your thinking is like mine in that the chance is too great. With a timer though, each morning the compressor would need to (re)fill a 120 gallon tank plus all of the air lines. That is why a solenoid operated valve would be cool. I wonder what the duty-cycle is on those valves? Can they be left on for 8-10 hours a day??

 

[Beemer533]

Is this for a business?

If you are worried about it, you could go for an industrial quality ball valve actuator like the Valworx. Not cheap though...

These are only powered to open or close, so no failsafe but it just operates a standard manual ball valve. If the power goes off it just stays wherever it is set, just like a normal ball valve.

http://www.valworx.com/product/electric-actuator-221-in-lbs-120-vac

Less than .5A so a standard light switch would be all you need. It also has status contacts, so you could set up indicator lights at the switch for open/close status.

 

[csp]

With a timer though, each morning the compressor would need to (re)fill a 120 gallon tank plus all of the air lines.

Why would it have to refill every morning? Do you have leaks that need to be fixed? Do you depressurize it daily?

 

[Cyberbear]

An electric solenoid in a suitable pipe size and voltage is the easiest way to do what you wish. You may wish to hook it up to your light switch and have it turn off the A/C air at the end of the day when the shop is closed, or use a time clock to do the same.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Why would it have to refill every morning? Do you have leaks that need to be fixed? Do you depressurize it daily?

Do I have leaks that need to be fixed? The building size is nearly 30,000 square feet with many air line fittings thru-out the building. Many of them have a slight leak even though they are new. At present, the compressor will cycle around every 3-4 hours to refill due to those leaks. In a 15-16 hour period, I feel certain the entire system would be drained.

I do not "depressurize" the entire system every day. We just shut-off the ball valve at the tank outlet each evening and re-pressurize the lines each morning.



Thanks again everyone, at least I know what to start searching for. The idea of the solenoid connected to a lighting circuit is brilliant!!

 

[bob15]

Go through the building and find the leaks and fix them. Your building size isn't that big, in an industrial setting size, so using that as an excuse isn't good.

Best bet is to set-up a team of people, maybe one or two from each department and have each one of them track and report the leaks. You will save a lot of money when the leaks are fixed.

Adding a shut-off valve at the compressor is just a band-aid.

 

[Binder Barn]

What I do for my compressor shut off at night is to wire in a simple light switch into one of the wires coming from the pressure switch. It can be ran with a light duty extension cord or 14 gauge romex any where in the shop. cost is around $25. I had one wired in with the light switch panel and shut it off with all of the lights at night when I walked out. It was located 75 feet from where the compressor was. This will keep the compressor from coming on if a line or hose breaks, but if you have several leaks the tank will need to recharge to.

 

[Garage Junkie]

Go through the building and find the leaks and fix them. Your building size isn't that big, in an industrial setting size, so using that as an excuse isn't good.

Best bet is to set-up a team of people, maybe one or two from each department and have each one of them track and report the leaks. You will save a lot of money when the leaks are fixed.

Adding a shut-off valve at the compressor is just a band-aid.

X2 At work we realized that it cost us $1,200\year\cfm of leakage to just let them go. We traced miles of piping with an ultrasound gun to find as many as we could.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Fix your leaks. They cost you money during operation, too, not just at night. If you want to shut the lines in the building down, you need a full flow, pilot operated solenoid valve the same size as your existing supply line. Done.
If you're looking to remotely shut the compressor down after hours, tying a remote on/off switch or time clock into the control voltage side of the pressure operator is a good idea. I recommend the time clock. Eventually somebody calls in sick or forgets and it doesn't get turned on in the morning. Using an extension cord or romex to do it is not legal.

Tommy

 

[astroracer]

This is as easy as shutting off the breaker if the breaker box is on your way out...
Mark

 

[jgorm]

http://www.smcusa.com/smc.aspx makes all the cool air fittings and actuaters.

 

[Norcal]

As already said by others, fix the leaks, then add a switch in the magnetic starter control circuit to shut the compressor down, a simple light switch will be sufficient since it's just interrupting the control conductors.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Guys, thank you for the opinions & advice but I don't think you are understanding where the leaks are. It is NOT the piping, it is the damned brass Lisle fittings that the hoses connect in to. The pipe is old and will see small rust particles from time to time go thru and it starts a leak where the small O-ring is. We have already had this discussion here about them, and it is not in the budget to purchase the $30 fittings (X 42!). The breaker is not on the way out of the shop either, this compressor is in the backside of the shop, and when employees leave, it is often overlooked simply because it may not have run for the last hour or so..

AND, shutting the compressor motor off does nothing to preserve the air that is built up in the tank. Remember, this thing only cycles every 3-4 hours due to air leaks now. I doubt spending $1,200 plus labor to save 2 compressor cycles a day would ever see a payout in my lifetime. Installing a $250 air solenoid to an electric switch is a good way to cure the problem now, and be a good "insurance" against a possible line failure when no one is at the shop.

 

[csp]

The recommendations to fix the leaks were given not knowing ANY specifics about the air system in question. You should expect that on this board.

 

[bob15]

You are forgetting that all your leaks happen all the time that there is air in the lines......so you will save that $1200 soner than you think. Also, just find the leaky ones and replace those first. I highly doubt that all 42 (and that is a very small amount of disconnects.....FYI) are leakers and need replacing.

You are saving only the 120 gallon tank worth of air with a shut-off. If you lines are empty each morning, you are having to fill the entire system, each day/morning. How cubic feet is that? Plus all the leakage during the day when the system is pressurized.

 

[eriksalo]

Hi Brent; I did this exact same thing about three years ago. Installed a remote switch with solenoid both for the air and for the compressor motor. The setup has worked great since and I recommend it.

Here's a link to the original thread showing all the parts used, etc.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193219

Erik

 

[jask]

a couple more thoughts.... I have a motor contactor box at my compressor connection, and the relay is switched by the lighting circuit in auto mode and I can also manually turn it on and off....( phase converter is on a similar setup ) I also intend to add a solenoid between the tank and lines at some point.
The reason I added the relay was because of a pressure regulator that went out of spec and caused the pressure relief valve to pop open... I went in on a Saturday morning and found the shop full of smoke, compressor had been running for hours was so hot I could feel the heat just walking up to it, and the oil came out thick and black when I eventually drained it... I got lucky didn't burn down the shop and was able to save the compressor.
At my old job we had a ssytem that cycled every 30-40 min. and after ages of bitching I mixed up some bubble solution in a spray bottle and walked the whole system, sprayed every joint and fitting - only 2 hose connectors leaked, but 2 other stations that had lines that went to a reel ( a couple o rings to repair ) or a coil line ( tossed and replaced ) had leaks on those, and one blow off gun leaked so bad you could hear it when the shop was quite ( I stuck it in a tub of water and it was a fast and steady stream of big bubbles!) all easy fixes!
Turning the compressor off at the panel is a bad idea, unless the breakers are switch duty rated. A used or surplus starter is cheap and allows you a disconnect at the machine location, many are available with low voltage control and that will allow you to run a remote station with illumination to your exit door location next to the lights/alarm etc.

http://www.industrial-electronics.com/ind-mtr-cntrl_018.html

 

[homebuilt burner]

I don't know the location of the compressor in relation to the door or light switches. But at a previous shop I worked in we built a manual linkage to the ball valve. It was just 40 ft of 1/2" pvc conduit with a steel rod inside that connected to the ball valve push in turns the air off pull out air back on.

 

[sberry]

I like that rod idea. I also agree a simple solenoid here is good.

 

[koerbc]

Several people have mention a simple solenoid valve. I also would use an "ASCO" type valve with a 120 volt coil. The current draw on these coils is max of 2 amps so it will work with any type switch. Guessing you could pick up this coil for around $250. Try ebay first then McMaster-Carr

 

[sublimate]

Since you have air, a pneumatic-actuated valve would seem to make sense.

 

[michelevit]

I think it's good practice to kill power to the compressor when not in use. If any of the lines burst, the motor and pump would spin indefinably. I always kill power at my garage subpanel. It takes a second and could save you a couple of hundred in replacement costs if you are out for a weekend or vacation.

 

[gungatim]

just mount a bimba air cylinder onto the valve, run lines down to where you want to shut it off. the air in the lines will be enough to move the valve. probably enough left in the lines to open it again in the morning too.

 

[Hornman]

A full port ball valve with an actuator using an open and a close solenoid valve is the best solution. Two solenoids are used as transitions with the ball valve position limit switches shutting off power to the solenoid after transition.

Using just an Asco solenoid valve will work, but, you have to upsize it to get the full flow required. Plus, the coil on the solenoid valve stays energized the whole time the valve is open. Coils burn out. When the coil burns out, no compressed air until the coil is replaced.

 

[JamFlowMan]

I completely agree with Bob, that you should find the worst leaks and fix them, but as for your proposed solution, I found 2 ball valves that will work:
Here is a link to a very compact electrically actuated ball valve. (about $230)
There is no fail-safe, but it does feature a quick and easy manual override.
A higher quality ball valve is also available for a few bucks more, but probably not necessary for your application. ($about $280)

 

[Falcon67]

Mine is accessible and has a 3/4 gate valve that I only use when we are gone for more than a couple of days. I have considered a solenoid valve tied to the incoming power, so breaker off would equal tank isolated.

I assume there is, but you should - if not already - have overpressure release valves in the piping. A 2nd backup should a compressor run away. Mine is set at 150 PSI. I have some real slow leaks, I don't consider it that big a deal. Fish gotta swim, fittings gotta leak.

 

[Nexussian]

A friend used a servo controlled ball valve for his compressor.

Wired it through a three way switch, one at the compressor, one at the exit.

Grainger has them, but theirs are pricey.

https://www.grainger.com/category/e...chBar=true&searchRedirect=electric+ball+valve