potable water actuator shutoff

Tinkerer

does anyone know of something like a Belimo that I can use to shutoff potable water under about 40 lbs pressure? I have an outdoor shower that I need to disconnect in winter and have tried a Belimo 3-way zone valve but it doesn’t have enough strength to close against the water pressure and even if it does, it leaks.



Is there anything for domestic water that would be better suited before I build something out of robot parts to turn a normal water valve??



Thanks!

nicholas bonham-carter

Spring-loaded shower valve?

What about mounting such a valve inside the conditioned space, with a long chain leading outside to the shower. A small irrigation spring loaded drain back valve can allow the piping to drain out when the water pressure drops after use.--NBC

SWEI

Motorized, I take it?

Belimo sells motorized ball valves (their actuators on Apollo bodies) and there's also the Taco GeoSentry.  Both cost roughly ~2x what a similarly-sized CCV does.

hot_rod

3 way zone valve?

there are zone valves available up to 75 psi shut off. I know Caleffi has a 1/2" 2 or 3 way with a 75 psi shut off. It will be a lower Cv.



Is Low Lead an issue?



There are motorized ball valve type also, usually a bit more $$ and not a spring return, they need to be powered open and close.

Tinkerer

thanks

wow fantastic guys, much appreciate the quick responses. I'll see about those motorized ball valves, Caleffi or others. Venders I've used before seem to only have Belimo so I'll keep digging.



Unfortunately plumbing is already in the (exterior) wall in 8" between a tile shower and 500 lb soapstone backslash on exterior of the house . . .wish I could start over and I'd do something like the first suggestion and place shutoff inside.



I thought 8" exterior hose bib faucets would do the job, but they froze solid in the insulated wall .. . in hindsight the wall is too insulated to heat the pipes and keep 'em warm. Live and learn.



Going to place a 3 way in the basement and make the shower into a 'drain back' by using mixing valve and always keeping the shower open up top so when water is switched off it can drain back down to floor drain in basement. Too much fun..

Tinkerer

Calefi 6443

Thanks Hot Rod, just order a Caleffi 3-way that looks like it will do the job nicely.

icesailor

Outside Showers:

If your intent is to easily drain an outside shower for the winter, there are two ways to do it, the cheap and easy way. Or the expensive and hard way that can be very expensive.

Two valves with drain caps. With the valves turned OFF and the caps removed and stored in a plastic baggie so the caps don't fall off in the dirt and/or get carted off by curious rodents. Or ghostly unknown creatures. Then, completely open the outside shower valve and let ALL the water drain out and back. If you do not get all the water out, the valve or pipe will break and the valve might need to be replaced. If you use a Symmons S-96-1 type shower valve and there is any water left in it, and you come back to turn it on, and the handle is hard to turn, you need to replace the valve.

Unless you can come up with some very complicated way to get 3-way valves to accurately shut off and drain themselves. it won't fly.



Well, maybe it might work for you. I've never seen it work for anyone else.

Then, there's always running some 1/2" PEX to a location where you don't have to crawl. That's a lot of work to avoid a crawl.

SWEI

3-way drains

Not exactly certain what you're describing, but we regularly use 3-way valves for combination shutoff/drains on evaporative cooler supply lines.  They work just fine as long as something is open at the top to let the air out (the float valve does this for us on an evap cooler.)