what specs to look for in a solenoid
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Much of what you need is going to depend on what priorities you have for your setup.
Looks important? You may want to stick to stainless or shiny. Operation? Most any will pass enough gas to do the bubble count we want so the oricie size is not a big concern. But then we do often have preferences when it comes to how we want to wire or power them. Got a 110 outlet nearby and want to use a standard type cord with plug, you will want to go with a 110 solenoid. On those you will need to watch for power consumption (current rating). If you get up into the 6-7 watt ratings, heat can become a problem that shortens the life. Four watt is not bad for the 110 users. Also check that they are rated for continous duty. Many are not. But then if you get into the smaller sizes that use 5,12,18, or maybe 24 volt DC, you can get into solenoids using .67 watt. I live in an area where heat is a major problem. I don't want a 4 watt heater running under my tank if I can use a .67 watt! I have to run AC to cool the darn thing. I love the Clippard (ET,EC,EV) models but if you are buying them, you need to shop carefully. They are often selling for $20 but that is not a good price if you buy the wrong one. I like using small wiring to go from the solenoid to the power supply. Much easier to route and hide. But before buying, make sure you can find a power supply to match the voltage you buy. A 24VDC solenoid at $20 is not going to be cheap if you have to spend $30 to power it. I stick to 12VDC as I find salvage 12VDC power supplies at Goodwill, etc, for $2. Other than that, fittings for ports (in/out) are a personal preference. I like 10-32 fittings for small size when I run them inline on tubing. If you want solid piping, 1/8 inch may work far better.
Nothing like a bewildering bunch of info to sort through?? Hope that's a start.
Looks important? You may want to stick to stainless or shiny. Operation? Most any will pass enough gas to do the bubble count we want so the oricie size is not a big concern. But then we do often have preferences when it comes to how we want to wire or power them. Got a 110 outlet nearby and want to use a standard type cord with plug, you will want to go with a 110 solenoid. On those you will need to watch for power consumption (current rating). If you get up into the 6-7 watt ratings, heat can become a problem that shortens the life. Four watt is not bad for the 110 users. Also check that they are rated for continous duty. Many are not. But then if you get into the smaller sizes that use 5,12,18, or maybe 24 volt DC, you can get into solenoids using .67 watt. I live in an area where heat is a major problem. I don't want a 4 watt heater running under my tank if I can use a .67 watt! I have to run AC to cool the darn thing. I love the Clippard (ET,EC,EV) models but if you are buying them, you need to shop carefully. They are often selling for $20 but that is not a good price if you buy the wrong one. I like using small wiring to go from the solenoid to the power supply. Much easier to route and hide. But before buying, make sure you can find a power supply to match the voltage you buy. A 24VDC solenoid at $20 is not going to be cheap if you have to spend $30 to power it. I stick to 12VDC as I find salvage 12VDC power supplies at Goodwill, etc, for $2. Other than that, fittings for ports (in/out) are a personal preference. I like 10-32 fittings for small size when I run them inline on tubing. If you want solid piping, 1/8 inch may work far better.
Nothing like a bewildering bunch of info to sort through?? Hope that's a start.
Joined
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12,428 Posts
I like this solenoid but it does fall under the following restrictions for me. The dash three indicates three ports. In/out and exhaust so I watch where that exhaust goes. I get the "fully ported" so that there is a threaded pipe sticking out the top. I can easily seal this port with a common 10-32 screw from the hardware. If I don't get the type with the threaded pipe, the exhaust is just blown out the plastic top through holes that look like a salt shaker. Most of us don't want to exhaust excess CO2 out the top! Part of the need to shop carefully.
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