Bit of a long shot, but does anybody have experience of using solenoid valves in their brewing setup?
I'm currently planning on building an autosparge system using a float switch to detect the water level in the mash tun and a solenoid valve to interrupt the water flow from the HLT when the level is a few cm above the grain bed. The problem I have is that the solenoid I have (and all the reasonably priced ones I can find) are only rated to 55°C while I usually sparge at 74°C
Given I've ordered the float switch already I'm tempted to run with it and see how long it is before the valve fails, but if anybody has any experience of these kind of parts I'd welcome your thoughts.
The other option is to use the sensor to power on/off the pump using a relay or SSR but that feels like it would put more stress on the pump if it's switching in and out repeatedly (even with a delay-off circuit to overfill the tun after the fill level is reached to prevent rapid power cycling).
What do we think - is this going to work, or am I going to end up in hot water? (pun intended)
I'm currently planning on building an autosparge system using a float switch to detect the water level in the mash tun and a solenoid valve to interrupt the water flow from the HLT when the level is a few cm above the grain bed. The problem I have is that the solenoid I have (and all the reasonably priced ones I can find) are only rated to 55°C while I usually sparge at 74°C
Given I've ordered the float switch already I'm tempted to run with it and see how long it is before the valve fails, but if anybody has any experience of these kind of parts I'd welcome your thoughts.
The other option is to use the sensor to power on/off the pump using a relay or SSR but that feels like it would put more stress on the pump if it's switching in and out repeatedly (even with a delay-off circuit to overfill the tun after the fill level is reached to prevent rapid power cycling).
What do we think - is this going to work, or am I going to end up in hot water? (pun intended)