Hey. I’m in the process of rebuilding a water fountain for my cats. I originally used a normally closed solenoid valve but trying to keep the power down I was in search of a latching solenoid valve. My search went nowhere and I eventually settled on a motorized ball valve. The ball valve is fine and works as expected but it’s noisy and takes a bit to open and close.
Long story short, does anybody know of where to find an NSF approved latching solenoid valve? Needs to be drinking water safe and preferably with 1/2” NPT threaded connectors.
Yeah I mean I get it. I’ve tried google, amazon, eBay etc. Either you end up with a valve that has no real specs, one that is not recommended for drinking water, or the typical non latching solenoid. I was more looking for someone that had real experience with a drinking water safe valve and where to source one. Sometimes there’s suppliers that are buried in the search results that are harder to come by.
Valves rated for HUMAN drinking water and valves rated for "water" are not equivalent. Humans have been drinking the same water as animals for quite a few years. The valves rated for use by municipal water systems have to fit their requirements and are made expensive on purpose.
How much water can your cats consume in a day? How often do you need to operate the valve? How long is it turned on each time? What size valve do you need? Is the water under pressure?
If the pressure is low, use a peristaltic pump to dispense the water.
Paul
I didn’t list the specs of exactly what the project is because it’s already done and working. I was just looking for an alternative to the ball valve.
This is an actual dedicated cold water line to a small sink with a drain line. I know there are way cheaper options for a small circulating fountain but that’s not what this is.
The water is under pressure. Runs for about two min at a time with a timer about ten times a day at least. It’s battery operated so I was draining the battery every couple days with a standard solenoid valve. With the ball valve the battery needs to be charged every couple weeks. I’m ok with the valve being sort of pricey if it ticks all the boxes.
It sounds crazy, but I’ve looked through and cannot find a latching solenoid that is NSF approved. suitable for potable water. I’d love a direct link if someone has one.
vwyf11:
It sounds crazy, but I’ve looked through and cannot find a latching solenoid that is NSF approved. suitable for potable water. I’d love a direct link if someone has one.
I quickly found "Danfoss" has a complete line of such devices.
Paul
I don’t know. I’ve looked through the danfoss page. Even after finding one that would work I couldn’t find any suppliers with stock. I guess when I posted, I was curious if anyone had seen an online retailer that had one available to purchase.
vwyf11:
I don’t know. I’ve looked through the danfoss page. Even after finding one that would work I couldn’t find any suppliers with stock. I guess when I posted, I was curious if anyone had seen an online retailer that had one available to purchase.
Did you try them directly to find a distributor with stock? Or ask them directly for a sample?
Paul