I am thinking of a few experiments and applications around the house where I
can utilise some 240V water solenoids that I salvaged from a washing
machine. Mixing water and high voltage makes me shudder but I suppose these
things have been engineered to work safely.
Any horror stories?
should be quite safe when used as it is inside the washer - ie - used
indoors inside an earthed enclosure and (earth the metalwork of the
solenoid too - IF its earthed inside the washer).
Also these solenoids seem happy to sit at mains water pressure all day
and night for years between uses, and don't seem to leak or drip too.
I remember playing with these about 10 years back and I remember that
they seemed pretty safe by construction. If in doubt - use a small
isolation transformer or RCD or rewind the solenoid for a safer
voltage such as 12, 24 etc. Some have the coil sealed totally though,
and this might make things difficult.
Finally - in households with town water - the water itself in the
pipes will likely have a good earth connection via underground pipes,
domestic water heater etc, but in a situation where there is no earth,
and the water is totally electrically isolated (such as water coming
via plastic pipes from a plastic water tank) you have to think of
safety matters - particularly if its supplying something like a
drinking fountain, where the water (if live due to an insulation
breakdown in a water solenoid that isnt earthed) makes direct contact
with the body, and worse still, the mouth. Also in this situation,
you dont want people getting annoying "tingles" from leakage too.
