_____________________________________________________________________________________
After creating a wood heating system, which consists of a stove with two heat exchangers, a heat storage tank and an expansion tank, it was decided to automate the operation of the system. You can automate the system using room thermostats and ball valves with electric drives. The price of store-bought faucets with drives is killer - 2-2.5 thousand UAH for 3/4 or 1 inch of faucet. The idea of creating an electric drive for existing ball valves on the system has been floating around in my head for a long time. And so he began to create it, and even tried to modernize it. But so far the modernization has not been successful. I am posting the first working version of the drive for a 1" crane.
The main part of the electric drive is the window lift motor gearbox of the car 1117, 1118, 1119, 2123 left LSA.
Auxiliary parts for the drive, which also need to be purchased, are two 5-pin automotive relays for 12 volts, 2 automotive limit switches, pipe clamps with a diameter of 3/4. A pair of M8x45 bolts and nuts. The rest is small things that will be visible in the photo during the assembly process.
So, let's start manufacturing the frame housing for the drive and the mechanism that transmits rotation to the ball valve rod. The mechanism must have a break so that the crane can be operated manually. The frame is made of 1 mm thick sheet metal. We attach the window lift motor to the frame using homemade bushings made from a 10 mm diameter tube. We attach the frame to the pipe on which the ball valve is installed through bolts and clamps. We get this design
Next, we make parts for the transmission mechanism. By the way, the length of the bolts to the clamps took into account the dimensions of future parts of the transmission mechanism. Parts are made from a 10x10 square pipe, from a 1/2 inch pipe and from a 4 mm metal strip. A 10 mm washer and a spring were also taken suitable size. Made using a grinder, engraver, drill, files and welding!
We put it together and get the design -
The mechanism has a gear that can be removed by pressing on the parts like this -
The mechanism is working. Now you need to install these limit switches with the ability to adjust their position. To do this, we make fastenings for the end switches from plastic.
When trying to turn on the motor with such limit switches, problems arose - the limit switch lost contact, then contact was restored again, there was a spark at the limit switch, and the motor twitched in place. This won’t work. It was decided to install microswitches that click when opened. Mikriki in a word. We purchase mikriki and begin to attach them.
--- added: 11 Ber 2016 at 23:34 ---
3 amp mics and mic mounts are visible in the photo
Also compiled electrical diagram connecting parts.
We fasten the mics in place and assemble the drive according to the electrical diagram.
The drive has two output connection blocks - PSU - power supply and T - thermostat (can be a room thermostat, or just a water heating thermostat).
For now, instead of a thermostat, I will use a regular toggle switch that opens or closes a contact, and the drive either closes the tap or opens it.
I mount the drive on an already installed 1" tap
I connect a homemade 12 volt power supply and test it - everything works. And in manual mode too. I'm making a video. The drive closes very quickly - 1 second. This is his flaw. The power is enough to close the tap 1". Watch the video.
I had already found the housing for the drive, but did not have time to install it, since I came up with a drive with a different geared motor. To test another motor, I disassembled this drive and used the existing frame. But more on that later. And therefore, for now there is a photo with a nickname with disassembled parts of the drive described above, and on the frame there is another drive.
--- added: 11 Ber 2016 at 23:35 ---
I would like to note that the cost of parts for the drive described above is about 400 UAH! In contrast to ready-made store-bought cranes with drives that cost 2000-2500 UAH, there is a noticeable difference!
Modern industry produces many different taps and valves to regulate the flow of liquid. There is a suitable one for every application. However, the inquisitive minds of home craftsmen do not give up attempts to develop and implement their own designs. Sometimes this is caused by a desire to save money, but more often by a desire to check own strength as a designer, mechanical engineer, mechanic and electrical engineer.
Types of cranes
Trying to replicate the design of a conventional shut-off valve makes no practical or economic sense unless the home workshop is equipped with high-precision milling, turning and drilling machines. The price of industrial designs for mass production is affordable even for the most modest budget. Another thing is technically complex shut-off valves for special applications, such as:
- ball with electric drive;
- needle;
- non-freezing;
- with instantaneous water heater;
Options for doing it yourself will be discussed below.
Ball with electric drive,
The motorized valve can find its application in modern “smart” water supply, heating and air conditioning systems created by home DIYers with minimal use of purchased components. In addition to testing your strength, there will also be a significant monetary benefit - a purchased device with an electric drive costs from 2 to 10 thousand rubles.
For a do-it-yourself ball valve with an installed electric drive, you will need the following materials and components:
- ball valve 3/4″;
- window lift drive for Lada 1117, 2123 left LSA;
Figure 2: Power window - five-pin automobile relays – 2 pcs.;
- limit microswitches - 2 pcs.;
- sheet metal 1 mm thick (for the frame and clamps);
- steel tube 10 mm - trimmings (for bushings);
- square profile 10*10 mm - 10 cm;
- metal strip 4 mm thick - 10*1 cm;
- spring with a diameter of 12 mm;
- M8*45 bolt with nut and washers - 2 pcs.
All electrical equipment is 12 volt. Tools needed:
- drill;
- metal scissors;
- workbench with a vice;
- welding machine;
- manual locksmith tool(hammer, screwdriver, wrenches, pliers, etc.)
The mechanism being created should allow the electric crane to be controlled both using a drive and manually. The manufacturing sequence is as follows:
- Bend a U-shaped frame from a sheet of metal.
- Make bushings from the tube sections for attaching the window lift drive to the frame.
- Secure the drive.
- Secure the frame to the pipes coming out of the ball valve using clamps.
- Cut out an attachment for the gearbox axle from a square profile.
- Weld a strip to it.
- Assemble the lever mechanism of the drive from the strip and the handle, spring-loading it. The spring presses the levers together; if necessary, they can be quickly separated without the use of tools and the crane can be operated manually.
- The strip is hinged to the handle using a bolt and nut. Lock the nut.
- Attach the square profile to the window regulator shaft.
Next, you should test the kinematics by applying voltage to the electric motor. You can use a car battery or a power supply with a power of at least 50 W. The lever transmission should move smoothly, without jerking or distortion. If necessary, correct parts touching each other with a file.
Now comes the turn of the electrical part of the drive.
- Mount limit microswitches in the extreme positions of the handle.
- They should be connected in such a way that they open the control circuit of the relay through which the engine is turned on when the extreme position “Open” or “Closed” is reached.
Such a drive can be connected to the control circuits of the system " smart home" A do-it-yourself electric water faucet will be cost-effective if the window lift drive is inexpensive. A new one costs up to 1 thousand rubles, and can eat up half the savings.
Instead of a window lifter drive, you can use any other electric drive,
Figure 3: Motorized crane similar in power and torque.
Needle
A needle valve with a large adjustment range can be assembled from scrap materials at low cost. To make it you will need:
- Plastic disposable syringe 2 ml.
- Insulin syringe 1 ml.
- Bearing ball – 2 pcs.
- Springs - 2 pcs.
- Nut and adjusting screw.
- Epoxy glue.
- Fasteners
- Plastic ties - 2 pcs.
Figure 4: Valve diagram The diagram shows:
- Syringes - black.
- Balls are blue.
- Springs - green.
- The stock is red.
- The direction of fluid movement is indicated by green arrows.
To make a faucet, you should:
- Select balls by diameter. The large one should be slightly smaller than the internal size of a 2-ml syringe, the small one should be 2 times smaller.
- Select springs according to force. Compression force big spring approximately twice as much as small.
- Drill a hole in a large syringe near the spout equal to the inner diameter of the insulin one. Tighten the insulin syringe by the ears with ties, wrap it with synthetic threads and glue it.
- Insert a small ball and a smaller spring into a large syringe.
- Cut off the piston rod.
- Insert the large spring and the second ball.
- Insert the adjusting screw.
- Tighten the nut with screws to the ears.
Figure 5: Finished design The incoming liquid will tend to press the ball away from the inlet hole, the spring will press it back the more strongly, the tighter the adjusting screw is tightened. If the screw is completely turned out, the flow will flow freely, if it is completely tightened, the flow will be blocked.
Anti-freeze faucet
For those who need to use running water on a site in winter time, are faced with the problem of a frozen street tap. With large temperature changes, the water inside the fittings and pipes turns into ice and can break them.
There are several ways to organize such water supply:
- Installation of a purchased anti-freeze tap. It has a valve disc inside warm circuit walls It is always installed with a slope towards the street. Then, after closing the valve, the remaining water in the pipe flows down and does not freeze in the pipe. The devices are available in different lengths, which allows installation in walls of varying thicknesses.
Figure 6: Anti-freeze valve - A homemade version of such a device is a regular poppet valve mounted on a supply inside a warm wall contour. Its rod is extended by a rod passing through the wall in a tube. A handle is attached to the outside of the rod. The pipe must also be installed with a slope towards the street. This method requires an extra hole in the wall, but is several times cheaper. Of course, you will have to periodically chip off the ice that forms under the spout.
Figure 7: Homemade Anti-Freeze Valve - A faucet installed on an underground insulated water supply system. In this case, it is necessary to have a drainage into which the water remaining after closing the tap in the vertical pipe will be drained. The design uses it installed in an insulated pit.
Figure 8: Three-way valve - The valve is controlled from the street via a stem extension. In the operating position, it turns on the water supply to the vertical pipe, at the end of which the spout is mounted. As soon as water is drawn, the tap is closed, the supply stops, and the remaining water in the pipe is drained through the third hole of the tap into the drain.
Sensory
Full touch tap home handyman It’s unlikely to be possible to make. Main problem will be in the placement and waterproofing of the infrared proximity sensor. A rather interesting design that allows you to turn the water on and off with your hands full can be assembled using
- Solenoid valve from washing machine for 220 v - 2 pcs.
- Fitting 10mm*1/2 external thread - 2 pcs.
- Fittings from ¾ to ½ internal. thread - 2 pcs.
- Bell button for surface mounting.
- Wires.
The installation and configuration procedure is as follows:
- The valves are installed in the hot and cold line break. cold water, directly in front of the mixer.
- Their drive is connected via a foot switch.
- During presetting with open solenoid valves you need to set the required temperature and intensity of water flow and leave the mixer tap in this position.
- If you need to turn on the water, just press the bell button - the valves will work and water will flow from the tap.
When water is no longer needed, simply release the key and the springs will return the valve to the closed state. Special attention Care should be taken to waterproof wires and connections.
Instantaneous water heater for tap
Purchased instantaneous electric water heaters have a compact design and are equipped with a temperature control system, spout and aerator. It is unlikely that you will be able to make such a faucet attachment with your own hands in a home workshop. The main problem is the accuracy of processing parts and ensuring the electrical safety of the device. However, DIYers have developed a simple and quite effective design that allows them to do without complex and expensive components. It works by heating heat exchanger-coil on a gas or electric burner. For production, average metalworking skills are sufficient.
Materials and tools you will need:
- Copper tube with a diameter of 10-12 mm - 1 meter
- Rubber or plastic hoses, heat-resistant - 2 distances from the burner to the sink +1 m
- 2 fittings from the internal diameter of the hoses to ½
- Adapter from tap for Eurocube
- 4 clamps
- Threaded arms and nuts for them - 2 pcs.
- Construction knife, screwdriver, gas wrench
The work is carried out in the following sequence:
- Wind a spiral from the tube according to the shape of the burner. Taper the spiral to make maximum use of the heat from the burner. The straight sections of the inlet and outlet pipes should extend beyond the slab panel by 20-30 cm.
- Attach the spiral to the stove grate. Place the hoses onto the pipes and secure them with clamps.
- Connect one fitting to the cold water supply (pipe or canister tap), the other to the mixer.
- Place the free ends of the hoses onto the fittings and also secure with clamps. Cold water should flow to the bottom pipe of the spiral.
Figure 9: Homemade instantaneous water heater When such a heater is operating, it should not be left unattended for a minute.
I decided to make some distilled water here and, accordingly, I needed to connect the Liebig refrigerator (distiller) to the water supply. I began to think about how to connect the hose to the tap.
Standard solutions in the form of ready-made adapters for a faucet for a hose cost some absolutely unimaginable money (), so I began to think about how to get by with little expense.
In general, the solution turned out to be primitive: the easiest way to connect the hose to the tap is to use an aerator:
The fact is that the thread on the mixer watering can is very specific (diameter 22 mm, pitch 1 mm) and no ready-made plumbing gadgets are suitable for it. Except for the aerator, of course.
We unscrew it and shake out all the insides. We only need the metal shell itself: 
By the way, plastic aerators are completely unsuitable due to their fragility and fragility. It needs to be made of metal.
We go to the nearest market, where they sell all kinds of plumbing fixtures and buy there a fitting of the required diameter (for the hose we have) with internal thread 1/2 inch. I bought for 9 mm: 
We clamp the fitting into the drill, check that there is no beating when rotating: 
We take a grinder with a cutting wheel and separate the excess: 
It should look something like this: 
Then we change the cutting wheel on the grinder to a flap one: 
and carefully sand it down to get a smooth surface: 
Then, using the same petal circle, we turn the hexagon into a circle and reduce its diameter until our modernized fitting begins to fit inside the aerator body. This must be done very slowly and carefully, the main thing is not to miss the moment. Periodically we stop and check whether it is included or not: 
As soon as the fitting begins to pass freely through the thread and rests against the internal narrowing of the aerator body, then our faucet attachment for the hose is considered ready. All that remains is to find a 1/2" silicone gasket (they are everywhere like dirt).
So, here is the answer to the question of how to connect a hose to a mixer: 
Everything is assembled in this order: 
I checked it at work: nothing is leaking anywhere, everything is reliable and aesthetically pleasing. 
In total, our nozzle for a water tap for a hose cost 45 rubles (brass fitting), 5 rubles for the gasket and about 40 minutes of time, including cleaning the room. 
And as a bonus, we will also have a half-inch brass nut left: 
I hope my experience was useful to you and you learned another way to connect a hose to a faucet in the kitchen.
By the way, the aerator will not suffer at all after such use. It can be reassembled and screwed into place. It was as if nothing had happened!
Well, if you don’t have the opportunity to sharpen the fitting, for example, you don’t have a suitable tool, then the adapter for the faucet for the hose can be made even simpler. How? Watch the video!
That's all. Thank you for your attention!
Housing and communal services costs increase several times a year, so it is logical to think about opportunities to save energy resources. Use less water possible using simple savers that are placed directly on the tap. Such devices are sold in plumbing stores and online stores; they are produced mainly in China. However, you can make an aerator to save water with your own hands. Let's take a look at how this device works and whether it really helps reduce costs.
How it works
The saver is a simple device that is a water sprayer. According to the manufacturers, it mixes water with air, which gives higher pressure without additionally opening the tap. There are two types of such devices:
- screen with disk;
- slotted.
A screen aerator is installed in almost every new faucet; it is nothing more than an ordinary mesh. It consists of a housing into which a brass membrane (also known as a screen) is inserted, followed by a disk with holes and a mounting washer. Such a device is inserted directly into the faucet; it is invisible to the naked eye, as it is hidden inside.
Slot savers are hung on the faucet or mixer itself, so they are not very convenient to use if the distance from the sink to the faucet is small. The structure of the device is also quite simple. A water jet diluter with holes is inserted into the outer casing, then an element for adjusting the jet angle, the base of the aerator and the slotted disk itself.
Additional features
In addition to the fact that the saver allows, according to manufacturers, to reduce water costs by up to 60%, it is also endowed with other abilities. Most often, advertisements claim that the flowing stream is disinfected with ions, filtered, and enriched with valuable properties. However, the nozzle is made of low-quality metal, which is not able to make the water either cleaner or healthier. It also contains plastic particles, healing properties which are also not scientifically proven.
However, the device also has one pleasant nuance: by shifting the slot aerator, you can create a regular stream or a spray one.
The device can be in two positions alternately, so washing dishes or brushing your teeth will be twice as fun. There are also more expensive backlit options. The water will be red or blue, depending on whether it is hot or cold. However, this function of the aerator has no effect.
How to do it yourself
You can buy an aerator for approximately 800-1300 rubles. However, its design is quite simple, so making a water saver with your own hands will be quite easy. For this we will need the following materials:
Unscrew the nozzle and remove the brass grille from it. A plastic gasket will be installed in its place. If you managed to find just a piece of plastic, you need to carefully cut it out, observing the dimensions of the previous grid, then draw out the mesh and make holes.
After replacing the elements, we reassemble the nozzle and attach it to the tap. Such a device will perform the same functions as a store-bought aerator, but, unlike it, it will actually help save money.
Advantages of self-production
A store-bought aerator is expensive, but its real price is approximately 50-100 rubles, depending on the design. However, manufacturers promise that their know-how pays off in just a couple of months or even one. This is a false statement, which we will now prove.
Attention! All calculations are approximate and may differ from actual figures.
The average cost of an aerator is 1,300 rubles. We take 2 pieces, since we are immediately offered to buy attachments for all the taps in the house, it turns out to be 2,600 rubles. If the price of 1 cubic meter of cold water is 30 rubles, then you need to use as much as 86 cubic meters per month to get the cost of the nozzles. To understand this figure in more detail, let’s convert it into the number of full baths. One standard bath contains approximately 200 liters of water, which makes 430 baths per month, which is 14 baths per day or every half hour per day.
With such simple calculations, it is clear that it will be unrealistic to “recoup” the cost of economizers in one or even two months. Therefore, if you want to save money, you can make your own aerator.
Imaginary benefit
Water dividers in no way help to really save money, since they are not able to change the composition of the water. All the miraculous properties that advertisers have endowed such devices with are conjecture. In addition, it is worth considering that the main water costs of the average family are using the shower and cistern, bathrooms are filled quite rarely. Savers cannot be physically installed on these plumbing elements, therefore, theoretically, they are capable of reducing the cost of not all water used, but only that which passes through the nozzles.
To reduce water consumption using a principle similar to aerators, you need to do one simple thing - reduce the pressure in the tap. It has been proven that household tasks such as washing dishes or taking a shower are not negatively affected by this method of reducing water use.
Let's sum it up
The Chinese market offers us water-saving aerators that can be made at home without much time and money. If you want to test the theory about reducing water use, it is better to make the device yourself. It will clearly show that you can reduce the cost of housing and communal services only through rational consumption.
Almost everyone knows the situation: due to a damaged faucet or a burst flexible hose, you need to spend a lot of money on repairs both in your apartment and in your neighbors’ apartments flooded with water. But as a result, it was necessary to promptly turn off the ball valves, which are now usually equipped with water supply connections to our apartments.
I would like to tell you about a simple mechanical system I came up with that will automatically turn off the taps at the first sign of a leak and save the apartment from flooding.
Operating principle. Externally, the device for automatically turning off the water somewhat resembles a mousetrap. A spring is attached to its wooden base, held in an extended (cocked) position by a paper tape connected to the spring through an angular lever (photo 1). When wet, the tape breaks under the action of the spring, the spring compresses and pulls the cable, which closes the ball valve.
The system is easy and quick to install and even easier to dismantle. The “mousetrap” itself is installed on the floor in secluded places (in the basement of the sink cabinet or under the bathtub).
The system allows you to shut off the water manually. The handle attached to the ball valve is turned to the side, and the cables remain motionless.
Manufacturing. To do this, you will need the usual tools: a vice, hammer, electric drill, grinder or hacksaw, sharpening machine, screwdriver, pliers.
The materials needed are: small pieces of stainless steel sheets and ordinary steel, a spring, cables, a wooden block, screws, nuts, screws, a piece of paper, pushpins.
I bought the door spring at a hardware store. I cut a strip of stainless steel from the wall of the tank of an old washing machine. I bought the cables at the Moto-velo store, removed the excess part of the braid from them on sharpening machine, and treated the cables themselves with household lubricant.
The base of the device is made of painted wooden block dimensions 360x50x30 mm. One end of the beam should be cut at an angle of 93° to the top edge.
In Fig. 1 shows scans metal parts systems (fold lines are shown in red).
I cut parts No. 1 and 1a from a steel sheet 4 mm thick, 16 from a sheet 3 mm thick. These parts are mounted on ball valves instead of standard handles (photo 2).
Parts No. 2 and 2a (brackets) are installed on the pipe near the ball valve; they serve to fix the cables (photo 3, 9). It must be borne in mind that the brackets can only be screwed to a metal pipe.
Part No. 3 also holds the cable, but it is only attached to the wooden base of the product. To give this piece the desired shape, I used a 150x20x50mm oak block as a template. Having bent the workpiece according to the template, I pulled out the block and made cuts on the part with a grinder for attaching the cable.
Part No. 3 (photo 4, 5) should be made of stainless steel, but for testing it is better to first make it from cardboard.
Moving part No. 4 (angular lever) is connected to a spring and a cable on one side, and a paper tape is attached to it on the other. This lever is also made of stainless steel. When the holding paper tape breaks, the part of the lever that is bent at an angle of 93° slides off the end wooden base, is pulled by a spring through part No. 3 and sets the cable in motion (it is attached to part No. 4 using parts No. 4a and 46). And thanks to the angular lever, the load created by the spring on paper tape decreases by about 10 times (photo 6,7).
Part No. 5 (hook) is used to hook the spring - the narrow tail of the part must be bent for this. Two holes are drilled in part No. 5: the first is for cocking (by inserting a finger into it, it is easier to tension the spring), the second is for fixing it on a block. Any screw screwed into the block can serve as a hook. For this purpose, I used a hook that was sold complete with a door spring.
Installation, adjustment and maintenance. The ball valve and mousetrap can even be located in different rooms. One tap can be connected to cables from two “mousetraps” installed in different rooms. The system will react when one of them is triggered.
The cables must have no more than one bend at an angle of 90° and a length of no more than 2 m.
Ball valves made by powder metallurgy go on sale, but they can cause many problems - their bodies often crack. Such taps cannot be used at all, especially in my system, where they close automatically. I myself only use brass taps. In addition, to prevent taps from sticking, they need to be closed and opened once a month, otherwise over time they begin to close very tightly.
When setting up and adjusting the system, I used a device made from a piece of pipe (just over 20 cm long) with a ball valve screwed onto it. With this device it is easy to check the operation of the entire mechanism before installing it in the apartment. It will also be useful when drilling holes to connect parts No. 2 and 2a. To do this, you need to clamp these parts in a vice with a pipe pre-inserted between them. After this, you can drill holes in two parts at once.
The blank for the base of the device can be taken of a greater length than indicated, and after adjustment, the excess part of the bar can be cut off. In many ways, the length of the bar will depend on the length and elasticity of the selected spring. When stretched, the spring force should be about 10 kg, at the end of actuation - 4.5 kg. The paper tape should be subjected to a constant force of 1 to 1.5 kg (another value can be provided, but then the angle of 93° will have to be changed). To measure the force, I used a household spring scale.
I tested the mechanism in the bathroom. When I wet the paper tape, everything worked properly - the ball valve was automatically closed.
After the mechanism operates, you need to wipe it with a napkin and only then refill the fresh tape.
