Are water solenoids all the same volts & current? -Or close?

[Doug3004]

I have a washing machine that I have replaced the water solenoid on once already. The original unit lasted about twelve years, but this one is getting weak (not opening completely) in only about three years. Aside from being a bother to change, the replacement unit was somewhat expensive as well.

The part number that references online give for this washer model is for a pretty expensive valve that every place local must special-order. The same part number on Amazon does not link to the same valve; different sellers link to different valves that have the same number of water connections, but obviously aren't like the original one.

Are all these water solenoid valves operated by roughly the same voltage and current? The generic ones I see sold online are all spec'd as 12 volts and a couple hundred mA (if they give a current rating at all?) and the coils on all of them look to be about the same overall size. The "official" one costs me about $30+ and there's lots of generic ones for $10 with the same types of water connections. And there is enough physical room inside the washer to mount something different....? The valve itself is a simple style with just hot & cold entry connections, and one outlet that continues on to the washer.

 

[73's de Edd]

Sir Doug3004 . . . . .

Are you looking at just the solenoid coil being replaced. For that low price, bought as a whole assembly, is being bigggggger bux.
Also, have you torn down the unit to. inspect and clean ?
Since there is a neophrene disc, solenoid plunger with its needle valve end and a compression spring involved in the units construction and operation.
POSSIBILITIES . . . after 12 years . . .. are a deformation or split in the neophrene disc.
Micro sand build up in the unit.
Caustic . alkaline scale build up, in the brass tube, impeding free plunger movement. That would account for less than normal plunger action.

73's de Edd . . . . .

I am becoming increasingly worried and concerned that there isn't enough anxiety in my life.

 

[Doug3004]

I don't mean "just replacing the coil". I mean replace the entire water valve assembly, which has 2 solenoids (for cold + hot water inlets) and a third water outlet.

The first one I tossed out when I put the second one in, several years ago. For a while the OEM one would click on and off rapidly instead of just staying open, and then one day it wouldn't open at all anymore. The second one stays open but water just barely flows through it.

Because of where the washer & dryer are installed, there's not any good way to work on either of them, and there is nowhere close-by to move them that would be better. If it did have calcium build-up and the normal actuation was 12 volts then I could try hitting it with 15 volts for a moment, and maybe that would break it loose again... but just getting the cover off of the washer is a sizeable task.

I don't remember for sure if I kept notes about the first replacement... As I recall, the whole valve assembly (for the entire part) was made of several polyethylene parts, with them all heat-welded together. The only metal exposed parts was the blade connectors for each of the solenoid coils. There wasn't really any way to disassemble it non-destructively.

 

[73's de Edd]

Alright, . . . . fine with that additional forthcoming info.
Can we also assume that these are not clogged up ?
Particularly and specifically, if the areas / streets water mains have been worked upon. ( Maybe even unbeknowingst to you. )



73's de Edd . . . .


Computers can make VERY fast, VERY accurate mistakes.

 

[Doug3004]

Update: it wasn't the solenoids at all.

Back in August I took the hose off of the washer and found some junk in the inlet filter screen of the solenoid, but not really enough to clog it up much. It appeared to have improved the flow slightly, but not much. After that I hadn't done anything with the issue, as the washer was still working. The hoses were ~6 years old however and I normally did try to replace them every 5 years. When I finally got around to putting the new hoses on, the cold water line flowed like normal again.

After pondering this matter about a day I remembered that the elbow on the cold water line appeared to have some corrosion on it that the hot water line did not have.... So I cut it open, and...

A page link in case the photos don't show: http://beevilletrainwreck.com/assorted/hose/was_clogged.html

Ummm, yea, that might have been it.

I've bought these kinds of hoses for years (with the brass elbow on one end) and never had this happen before. <

I know that you get corrosion if you have two different kinds of metal fittings that touch in a water line, but that didn't happen here. The water solenoid body is plastic, and the washer hose is rubber. Whatever corroded was inside that elbow fitting???

 

[73's de Edd]

Sir Doug3004 . . . . .

So o o o o o o o . . . it was a water flow constriction.

Man . . .those are some dinky diameter hoses. Mine, on our Maytag, are more akin to the larger diameter of a garden hose.

73's de Edd . . . .

The latest government funded survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the USA's population.


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