Home Automation - Float switch

Hello All,

I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I have kind of unique setup I trying to install. Our water supply is from a spring about 1/4 mile up the hill. We have a tank up there and recently put a 1000 gal. tank in next to the house. I am trying to set up the tank at the house with an automatic fill system. I would like to set this up with a float switch as well as a timer so it will only fill from midnight to 3:00 am.

I have an irrigation control valve (Hunter PGV) in the inlet line. For the controller or timer I have a Hunter SRC plus irrigation controller. The float switch I have is a 5010 type H, pump down (normally open) 15 amp, 20 VAC, made by Connery.

Right now I have the controller hooked up to the inlet valve so it turns on at 11:00 pm and runs for 3 hours. Is there a way to wire in the connery float switch so it will only fill until the float switch shuts it off or the time limit is reached?

Thanks

The float switch would power a separate relay with a 20VAC coil. That relay's normally-closed contacts would be placed in series on the pump's relay coil lines that come from the timer/controller.

When the timer turns on the pump's relay, the system will fill until the float switch activates its relay, at which time the normally-closed contacts will open and the pump will stop.

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the info. I think maybe I have clouded the issue. The tank does not fill via pump. It is a gravity fill system.

Is there a way to set the system up so both parameters have to be met before it will open the valve. The first being the timer which is set to run from 11:00 PM and the second being the tank level being low (float switch). If both these conditions are not met the valve would not open.

Hopefully I explained this correctly.

Thanks for your help

I would still use the float switch to control a relay. The same wires that come from the timer, if interrupted, will stop the valve from opening.

Think of it as two light switches in series. Both have to be on in order for the light to work, but only one has to be off to shut off the light.

Hi Rick,

Thanks for your help. As you may have guessed I am completely electrically challenged. I figured I would need some kind of relay. Do you know if they make a relay that will accept 24 volt DC and 120 VAC? I'm assuming I need to connect the float switch to 120 VAC some how?

Time to do some more google search.

Thanks again for your help.

Was that a typo in your first post? ("The float switch I have is a 5010 type H, pump down (normally open) 15 amp, 20 VAC, made by Connery.")

Should 20VAC be 120VAC?

Was that a typo in your first post? ("The float switch I have is a 5010 type H, pump down (normally open) 15 amp, 20 VAC, made by Connery.")

Should 20VAC be 120VAC?

Yes Rick....That was a typo, oops/ It is a 15 amp 120VAC or 240VAC float switch.

I haven't done much searching yet for a relay. I don't even know if they make such a critter.

Thanks

I believe the irrigation controller has a set of contacts for a rain sensor. You can connect the float switch to the rain sensor (do not power up the float switch). All the rain sensor looks for is that there is continuity between the two terminals. Of course I assume that the floats contacts are normall open (float not floating, there is no continutity between the float wires). If the float trips the rain sensor inputs, it will over ride the time settings in the controller.

Since this tank is gravity fed, what would happen if the float failed and you are opening the valve even after full???? Do you really need to control this?

I believe the irrigation controller has a set of contacts for a rain sensor. You can connect the float switch to the rain sensor (do not power up the float switch). All the rain sensor looks for is that there is continuity between the two terminals. Of course I assume that the floats contacts are normall open (float not floating, there is no continutity between the float wires). If the float trips the rain sensor inputs, it will over ride the time settings in the controller.

What a great idea.Beer 4U2 I'll give this a try. I wish I would have thought about this yesterday when I ordered a different ball float to put in the tank..oops. I can send it back if this works though.

Since this tank is gravity fed, what would happen if the float failed and you are opening the valve even after full???? Do you really need to control this?

The only reason I need to control it is right now the over flow runs down our gravel driveway. This winter we will have a sheet of ice out there!!:thumbdn:

Thanks for the awesome idea. I'll let you know how it works out.

Its right and i am not search in this issue. but the idea is very awesome.
Thanks