SSSRodeo
06-24-2007, 12:22 PM
I have a friend who sells commercial air conditioning and heating equioment.
He comes out to the shop from time to time to fix his junk or help me with mine.
The other day at while we were at lunch he offered to get me an electric remote ball valve for my air compressor. I said "Uh, OK!"
He brought it to me Friday and I thought "this is cool".
Plummed it in the air lines next to my compressor yesterday.
Right now it's running on an extension cord I strung across the shop to an outlet next to my shop light switches. I can now turn off my air lines when I leave the shop for the night with out walking all the way over to the compressor. I'll wire it into a light switch in a few days so all I have to do is turn on one of the strings of shop lights and it will open the valve for me.
I burned up my last compressor because one of my hoses blew out while I was out of town and the thing ran for two days. So this will give me some peace of mind.
Course, I understand some of you may think a remote air valve is overkill. But, understand my shop is a little bigger than most and it usually has a lot of junk on the floor I have to manuver through to get to the compressor. I put the compressor next to the electrical breaker box to keep the voltage drop to a mininum and the noise out of my face.
Here's the compressor as it sets in the far corner of the shop. As far away as I can get it from my work area.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/Curtis-J/DSC00110.jpg
Here's a close up of the 120 V electric valve. The yellow arrow shows it it open. Turn on the power and it will open
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/Curtis-J/DSC00111.jpg
Here's the valve closed. All it needs to close is turn off the power and it closes by spring.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/Curtis-J/DSC00113.jpg
The best part of it is it opens slow enough it doesn't shock load the airlines and hoses. I think he said it cost a little over a hundred dollars.
Next I'm going to install a 24 volt transformer and 3 phase contact switches for the overhead fans. That way, everything, including the stereo, will be control by the switch panel next to the personal shop door.
And yea, I know PVC is not the best air line for shop but, I've been using it for years and never had an issue with it. Besides the air lines go every where in my shop. It would be a plumbers nightmare to do it all in galvinized.
Just thought I'd share as I bang on the outside of the box a little.
Curtis
He comes out to the shop from time to time to fix his junk or help me with mine.
The other day at while we were at lunch he offered to get me an electric remote ball valve for my air compressor. I said "Uh, OK!"
He brought it to me Friday and I thought "this is cool".
Plummed it in the air lines next to my compressor yesterday.
Right now it's running on an extension cord I strung across the shop to an outlet next to my shop light switches. I can now turn off my air lines when I leave the shop for the night with out walking all the way over to the compressor. I'll wire it into a light switch in a few days so all I have to do is turn on one of the strings of shop lights and it will open the valve for me.
I burned up my last compressor because one of my hoses blew out while I was out of town and the thing ran for two days. So this will give me some peace of mind.
Course, I understand some of you may think a remote air valve is overkill. But, understand my shop is a little bigger than most and it usually has a lot of junk on the floor I have to manuver through to get to the compressor. I put the compressor next to the electrical breaker box to keep the voltage drop to a mininum and the noise out of my face.
Here's the compressor as it sets in the far corner of the shop. As far away as I can get it from my work area.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/Curtis-J/DSC00110.jpg
Here's a close up of the 120 V electric valve. The yellow arrow shows it it open. Turn on the power and it will open
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/Curtis-J/DSC00111.jpg
Here's the valve closed. All it needs to close is turn off the power and it closes by spring.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/Curtis-J/DSC00113.jpg
The best part of it is it opens slow enough it doesn't shock load the airlines and hoses. I think he said it cost a little over a hundred dollars.
Next I'm going to install a 24 volt transformer and 3 phase contact switches for the overhead fans. That way, everything, including the stereo, will be control by the switch panel next to the personal shop door.
And yea, I know PVC is not the best air line for shop but, I've been using it for years and never had an issue with it. Besides the air lines go every where in my shop. It would be a plumbers nightmare to do it all in galvinized.
Just thought I'd share as I bang on the outside of the box a little.
Curtis