Swamp cooler - water valve electrical connection.


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Old 09-18-17, 03:01 PM
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Swamp cooler - water valve electrical connection.

Hello! I have question related to controlling the water flow to my Swamp cooler. I’m new to this site, so hopefully I’m in the right forum.

This is a basic swamp cooler that has two switches on the control panel. One switch controls the water pump and the other controls the fan.

I would like to have the existing switch for the swamp cooler pump also control a solenoid valve located at the water source. The goal is to not have any pressurized water in the small ¼ inch line running to the swamp cooler when it is not on. My experience is that even with the best quality equipment, this small line is prone to damage and failure. I’d like to limit these issues by shutting the water off at the source, anytime the unit is off.

Question: Can I just connect the wires from the 110v Swamp Cooler pump to my normally-closed 110v solenoid valve to turn the water on and off?

Thank You!
jbrentpoer
 
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Old 09-18-17, 03:36 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

You'll find your thread now in the evaporative cooler forum.

I'm a little lost.... are you adding a second 120v solenoid to the system ?
If there is one inside the unit.... it should already turn off when the unit is off.
 
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Old 09-18-17, 03:48 PM
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Thank you for moving this to the proper forum.

Yes, I am adding a 120v solenoid valve located away from the swamp cooler at the water source.

jbrentpoer
 
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Old 09-18-17, 03:56 PM
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Ok.... I see no problem having the cooler itself activate the remote valve but the wiring needs to be kept acceptable for 120vac wiring. I would also put an inline fuse inside the cooler to protect the outgoing line. Something around 3A would be ok.
 
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Old 09-18-17, 04:02 PM
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To make wiring to the source of water easier I'd suggest a 24 volt coil and an auxiliary transformer at the cooler. Less code requirements for 24 volt wiring.
 
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Old 09-18-17, 04:35 PM
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I like the idea of a 24V Relay & Transformer. That would really simplify getting the wire to a 24V Solenoid.
Does it still make sense to use the evaporative cooler pump as the power source for the Transformer?

Is a fuse needed in with this scenario? If so, where?

Thank You!

jbrentpoer
 
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Old 09-18-17, 05:01 PM
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If you use a small 120v > 24vac transformer you won't need a fuse.
The transformer is internally protected.
Yes.... you can use the pump circuit.
 
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Old 09-18-17, 05:11 PM
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Thanks All! The folks on this forum are super helpful!

jbrentpoer
 
 

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