Thinking about adding valve actuators to my pad, worth the hassle

Started by plumberdave · · 2 replies
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#1
Look, I've run my pad with plain old handles for 20 years, Jandy never-lube valves on the suction side and they still turn smooth as the day I put them in. Been eyeing those actuator setups so I can flip from pool to spa, uh I mean just the cleaner line and the solar loop, from a panel instead of walking out there every time. My knees aren't what they used to be. Anybody actually running actuators on a straight schedule 40 setup, not some retrofit flex pipe mess somebody else botched? Worried about torque on an old gate valve body versus a true union ball valve, and whether the motor housings hold up outside in Cleveland winters or if I'll be pulling them apart every other season. Not trying to automate the whole pad, just curious if it's worth the money or a solution looking for a problem.

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#2
Dave, honestly for just two valves I'd call that a solution looking for a problem, especially with knees as the stated reason rather than a bigger automation plan. The torque worry you raised is the real one though, gate valve bodies aren't built for repeated motor actuation the way a true union ball valve is, the stem and seat design on a ball valve handles that lateral stress a lot better over thousands of cycles. My whole pad is still manual, true union ball valves throughout, and after a bunch of Georgia summers the only maintenance has been a little silicone on the o-rings once a year. If it's just solar and the cleaner line, I'd price out swapping those two to true union ball valves first before you ever get to the actuator question, because bolting a motor onto a valve body that isn't rated for it is how you end up pulling it apart every other season like you're worried about.
#3
Alan's right about the valve body but I'd push back a little on calling two valves not worth automating, that's thinking about it backwards. It's not about valve count, it's about how often you're cycling them and whether you're out there in weather doing it. Solar loop alone on a timer or temp differential setup gets flipped way more than twice a day in season, that's a lot of trips for a guy with bad knees, actuators earn their keep on frequency not on how many lines you're running.

On the housing question, out in the weather is the real variable, not Cleveland cold specifically, it's freeze thaw cycling and moisture getting into the housing seals over and over that kills them, same failure mode I'd see on outdoor HVAC actuators in the trade. If you go this route get ones rated for outdoor and build or buy a little cover for them, that alone probably doubles the life versus bare to the elements. But yeah, swap to true union ball valves first regardless, don't put a motor on a gate valve body and find out the hard way.