Wonder if the forum had any ideas on controlling a show pump run time to save energy and water particularly when the kids use the shower for seemingly an eternity please?
Here is the background and an idea i had.
So the shower is driven from a booster pump, the pump senses a pressure drop and its own controller causes it to startup. It will only stop when the drop in pressure (the shower valve is closed) is removed and no pressure drop is then sensed.
So my idea here was to fit a solenoid valve in the water supply line between the valve to the pump and have this electrically opened by a timer switch i have. press the switch and it gives you ten minutes before the solenoid is de-energised and closes the water line fooling the pump that there is no longer a pressure drop so it stops. Some considerations...
The solenoid would have to be low voltage for safety (Yes, I have a 24v coil from a double insulated transformer which could be powered from the timer switch)
The switch can be pressed again sadly to restart the timer (thought to locate it outside the bathroom to reduce chance of this happening, but it does not prevent it, really needs some dealy built in before it can energise the solenoid again)
So that was my idea, but are there any simpler ones you can think of electronically i.e could i make a device which starts a timer on seeing current draw by the pump to switch it off after a preset time and stay off for a time, thereby negating any water based valves etc and switches?
Thoughts welcome guys. Cheers
Here is the background and an idea i had.
So the shower is driven from a booster pump, the pump senses a pressure drop and its own controller causes it to startup. It will only stop when the drop in pressure (the shower valve is closed) is removed and no pressure drop is then sensed.
So my idea here was to fit a solenoid valve in the water supply line between the valve to the pump and have this electrically opened by a timer switch i have. press the switch and it gives you ten minutes before the solenoid is de-energised and closes the water line fooling the pump that there is no longer a pressure drop so it stops. Some considerations...
The solenoid would have to be low voltage for safety (Yes, I have a 24v coil from a double insulated transformer which could be powered from the timer switch)
The switch can be pressed again sadly to restart the timer (thought to locate it outside the bathroom to reduce chance of this happening, but it does not prevent it, really needs some dealy built in before it can energise the solenoid again)
So that was my idea, but are there any simpler ones you can think of electronically i.e could i make a device which starts a timer on seeing current draw by the pump to switch it off after a preset time and stay off for a time, thereby negating any water based valves etc and switches?
Thoughts welcome guys. Cheers