The costs of housing and communal services are growing several times a year, so it is logical to think about the possibilities of saving energy resources. You can use less water with simple savers that are worn directly on the faucet. Such devices are sold in plumbing stores and online stores, they are produced mainly in China. However, you can make an aerator to save water with your own hands. Let's take a look at how this device works and whether it really helps to reduce costs.
How does it work
The economizer is a simple device that is a water sprayer. According to the manufacturers, it mixes water with air, which gives a higher pressure without additional opening of the tap. There are two types of such devices:
- screen with disk;
- slotted.
A screen aerator is installed in almost every new faucet; it is nothing more than a regular mesh. It consists of a body into which a brass membrane (aka a screen) is inserted, followed by a disk with holes and a mounting washer. Such a device is inserted directly into the tap, it is not visible to the naked eye, as it is hidden inside.
Slotted savers are hung on the faucet or faucet itself, so they are not very convenient to use if the distance from the sink to the faucet is small. The structure of the device is also quite simple. A water jet diluent with holes is inserted into the outer casing, then an element for adjusting the angle of the jet, the base of the aerator and the slotted disk itself.
Additional features
In addition to the fact that the economizer allows, according to manufacturers, to reduce water costs by up to 60%, it is also endowed with other abilities. Most often, advertising claims disinfection of the flowing jet with ions, its filtration and enrichment with valuable properties. However, the nozzle is made of base metal, which is not able to make the water either cleaner or healthier. It also contains plastic particles, the healing properties of which are also not scientifically proven.
However, the device also has one pleasant nuance: by shifting the slotted aerator, you can make a regular jet or atomized one.
The device can stay in two positions alternately, so washing dishes or brushing your teeth will be doubly fun. There are also more expensive backlit options. The water will be red or blue, depending on whether it is hot or cold. However, this function of the aerator does not affect in any way.
How to do it yourself
You can buy an aerator for about 800-1300 rubles. However, its design is quite simple, so it will not be difficult to make a water saver with your own hands. For this we need the following materials:
Unscrew the nozzle and remove the brass grate from it. A plastic gasket will be installed in its place. If you managed to find just a piece of plastic, you need to carefully cut it out, observing the dimensions of the previous grid, then draw a grid and make holes.
After the replacement of the elements is done, we assemble the nozzle again and attach it to the crane. Such a device will perform the same functions as a store aerator, but, unlike it, it will really help save money.
Advantages of self-production
A store aerator is expensive, but its real price is approximately 50-100 rubles, depending on the design. However, manufacturers promise that their know-how pays off in just a couple of months or even one. This is a false statement, which we will now prove.
Attention! All calculations are approximate and may differ from actual figures.
The average cost of an aerator is 1300 rubles. We take 2 pieces, since we are immediately offered to buy nozzles for all the taps in the house, it turns out 2600 rubles. If the price of 1 cubic meter of cold water is 30 rubles, then you need to use as many as 86 cubic meters per month to get the cost of nozzles. For a more detailed understanding of this figure, we translate it into the number of full baths. One standard bath contains approximately 200 liters of water, 430 baths are obtained per month, which is 14 baths a day or every half an hour a day.
With such simple calculations, it is clear that it will be unrealistic to “recapture” the cost of economizers in one or even two months. Therefore, if you want to save money, you can make your own aerator.
Imaginary benefit
Water dividers in no way help to really save money, since they are not able to change the composition of the water. All the miraculous properties that advertisers endowed with such devices are speculation. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the main water costs of the average family are the use of a shower and a drain tank, while bathrooms are rarely used. Savers cannot be physically installed on these plumbing elements, therefore, theoretically, they are able to reduce the cost of not all the water used, but only that which passes through the nozzles.
To reduce water consumption on a principle similar to aerators, you need to do one simple thing - reduce the pressure in the tap. Household tasks such as washing dishes or taking a shower have not been proven to be adversely affected by this method of reducing water use.
Summing up
The Chinese market offers us water-saving aerators that can be made at home without much time and money. If you want to test the theory about reducing water use, it is better to make the device yourself. It will clearly show that the only way to reduce the cost of housing and communal services is through rational consumption.
Making homemade mixers
To create homemade faucets, you need valves, pipe trimmings, squeegees, shower nets. If we compare home-made mixers (Fig. 68, 69) with factory standard ones, then the first ones, of course, are larger and rougher. The coating on them is colorful. If the pipes are galvanized, then no anti-corrosion layer is needed at all. Such homemade faucets are not for bathrooms with comfort.
Rice. 68. Homemade shower faucet with fixed shower tube and mesh:
1 - pipe; 2 - valve; 3 - drive or barrel; 4 - tee; 5 - shower grid; 6 - shower tube
Rice. 69. Homemade bath and shower faucet with fixed shower tube and spout:
1 - shower tube; 2 - valve; 3 - drive or barrel; 4-cross; 5 - spout
Rice. 70. Homemade shower nets:
a- according to the type of diffuser of a garden watering can: 1 - clamp; 2 - shower tube; 3 - diffuser tube; 4 - mesh diffuser; 5 - cone; 6 - nut; 7 - washer; 8 - bolt; 9 - rubber strip
b- from cans or one can: 1 - shower tube; 2 - locknut; 3 - washer; 4 - rubber gasket; 5 - bank without a bottom; 6 - perforated bottom
in- from the sawing part of the factory flexible hose: 1 - shower tube; 2 - clutch; 3 - branch pipe.
However, when they are sometimes nevertheless installed in the kitchen or in the bathroom with a centralized supply of hot and cold water, the question arises, why add a couple more valves if there is already a valve for each “grade” of water at the entrance to an apartment or individual house. Alas, it is impossible without valves that form the simplest mixer (Fig. 68). Their absence will cause the so-called "pumping": hot water will fall into the cold. Neighboring apartments, nearby small houses will receive tepid water instead of hot.
In a complicated mixer (Fig. 69), the lower valve that opens water into a bathtub or sink can be completely replaced by a tap (Fig. 73).
However, an intermediate part is needed - a square, into which we screw the tap (Fig. 74).
Particular attention should be paid to the difference between a tap and a valve (Fig. 75).
The valve has only one external thread for connection through a coupling or elbow to the pipe. The valve body has two internal threads for screwing pipes. When one pipe is screwed in, the functions of the tap and valve are the same. But only the tap turns the stream of water, and only the valve is placed between two pipes.
Numbers and an arrow are cast on each valve body. The number 20, for example, means the diameter of the free space that remains for the passage of water after the pipe is screwed into the housing.
The arrow on the body must necessarily "look" in the direction of the movement of water. If the valve is mounted on pipes contrary to the direction of the arrow, then large hydraulic resistances occur. They are very disturbing, reducing the pressure of the water. This is very noticeable on the upper floors of houses during peak water analyzes, and on a garden plot - during watering, etc.
However, sometimes they “forget” to cast an arrow on the valve body. What to do? They look into the ends of the valve body, where the pipes will be screwed later. Water should enter through the pipe to the end where the valve, rubber gasket and nut are not visible. To make these details more noticeable, the stem is screwed or unscrewed with a flywheel.
A garden watering can diffuser is suitable as a shower screen in a faucet. The absence of a garden watering can is not a problem. The diffuser is made from tin of large cans. Its details (Fig. 70a) are connected with a special seam, called in roofing "lying seam". The seam is soldered or painted over with oil paint, which prevents leakage and provides sufficient pressure in numerous holes.
Jets of water from the seam, beating with a fountain on the ceiling with strong water pressure, will also not cause delight among any owners of the shower room.
Two or three cuts on the diffuser tube before folding are made on the side that is not subjected to soldering. Cuts are preferably made with roofing scissors or, in extreme cases, large tailor's. Using other types of scissors will dull them. The chisel perfectly cuts through the tin on the board, but this is too labor-intensive technology for the production of a diffuser.
The end of the shower tube is wrapped with a strip of thin rubber. The diffuser tube is put on with cuts on the prepared end of the shower tube. The clamp tightens the incisions, fixing the diffuser on the shower tube. Water pressure will no longer break the diffuser.
Two tin cans are also the “original product” for the shower net (Fig. 70b). Although the shower net from one can has a more attractive appearance: the soldering is more inconspicuous.
Designing a shower screen begins with cutting out the lid when opening the jar. A hole in the center of the lid is cut out so that the end of the shower tube enters it with some difficulty. This hole is not easy to cut. Numerous holes along the intended contour, punched with a nail, a screwdriver with a metal handle or a chisel, will speed up the work. It is clear that the jumpers between the nail holes are removed with a chisel or a screwdriver blade.
Washers, gaskets and locknuts fix the cover on the end of the shower tube. The holes forming the grid are punched in the bottom of the remaining suit of the can with walls or in the second can. Operations for the "organization" of the grid will be more convenient if the tin can is planted on a log. Then the outer side of the bottom is hammered with a nail and a hammer.
The disadvantage of the design of a shower net made of cans is that in order to connect its parts, you need to unscrew the shower pipe from the mixer. Do not solder on weight and at height ?!
There is no need to “invent” a shower screen if there are parts from a flexible hose of a long-standing factory production (Fig. 70c) plus a branch pipe and a union nut from a standard mixer. It is important that the threads of the nozzle and the coupling match, and that the union nut is screwed onto the corresponding thread of the special nut. If this does not happen, then either they are looking for a branch pipe and a union nut with "related" threads, or they turn parts with the required thread on a lathe.
Figure 71 shows one of the simplest domestic mixers that were produced in past years. "Meeting" and mixing of cold and hot water takes place in a brass, chrome-plated tube. The expiration of the mixture - through the soldered nipple. The ends of the mixer through rubber tubes quickly come into contact with taps, various forms of pouring, etc. It is convenient to mount such a mixer, for example, between a tap on a hot water pipe of a flowing gas water heater and a tap on a cold water pipe.
This faucet, suspended above the washbasin, does not “request” any additions. But over the sink, a suitable rubber tube is pulled onto his nipple, which is moved as needed. When the sink is two-chamber, you simply cannot do without such an additional rubber tube, because the nipple is stationary. This was foreseen by the designers. There are sinks, on the shelves of which they are mounted on a mixer and on a brush on a flexible hose. Hot water flows through the hose into the brush. A similar hose with a shower net and a holder is also included in the set of the described mixer (Fig. 71). This hose is especially suitable when the faucet is above a bathtub, drip tray, etc.
The mixer due to the simplicity of the design has disadvantages. To prevent cracks on the thin-walled hose, it is replaced with a “rubber pressure hose with thread reinforcement ...” or “rubber hose for gas welding and metal cutting”.
Rice. 71. The simplest factory mixer for universal use:
1 - edge; 2 - rubber tube; 3 - mixer; 4 - plastic special nut; 5 - rubber washer; 6 - body; 7- grid; 8 - crown; 9 - skeleton; 10 - hose; 11 - metal special nut; 12 - nipple
So that the rubber tubes do not jump off the ends of the mixer when it is under water pressure, they are pulled together with clamps or tied with thin copper wire or strong threads. It is not difficult to make a similar mixer. You can replace the brass tube with a rubber tube with a hole in the middle. True, it will be more difficult to “cement” a shower tube or hose.
Ingeniously crafted factory holder. The rubber washer is inserted into a plastic housing with an internal thread. This washer is locked by a plastic special nut, which has a hexagon in the center for screwing in and out (Fig. 71, pos. 4). The holder is fixed on the nipple of the mixer thanks to a hole in the rubber washer 5–8 mm thick. The diameter of the hole in the washer is two millimeters smaller than the outer diameter of the nipple. The main advantage of the holder is the speed of removing and putting on, and in general connecting the hose.
The holder is machined independently on a lathe. An internal hex on a snow nut is not needed. It will be completely replaced by a protrusion with two flats for a regular wrench (Fig. 71, pos. 11). The option without a holder is also quite possible. It will be replaced by a tubular tee, soldered from metal tubes or welded from plastic. The diameters of the tubes of the tee are selected according to the available rubber tubes.
Water taps
Table crane repair
The water-folding table taps (GOST 20275-74) include the KTN15 ZhD toilet table tap with a rigidly fixed spout (Fig. 72a). The lower part of the housing nozzle has four projections evenly spaced around the circumference just above the thread. With these protrusions, the faucet is fixed from turning in the rectangular hole of the sink or washbasin.
Rice. 72. Table toilet taps:
a- KTN15ZhD; b- KVN15D;
1 - drive; 2 - locknut; 3 - seal; 4 - short sleeve; 5 - barrel; 6 - long sleeve; 7 - metal washer; 8 - nut; 9 - rubber washer; 10 - washbasin shelf; 11 - crane body; 12 - valve head; 13 - spout; 14 - union nut; 15 - plastic ring; 16 - rubber ring
Sinks are not applicable here, because they do not have a shelf for installing a tap.
The gap between the square hole in the shelf and the faucet body is not easy to close. If this is not done, then water will flow through the supply pipe when using the tap. The trouble will be not only in the occurrence of rust on the pipeline and puddles on the floor.
A wet pipeline from an inexperienced owner will cause suspicion. Having blocked the access of water to the pipeline, some begin to unscrew it.
This is an erroneous technology for finding the root cause of a water leak. Two rubber washers 9, available in the faucet kit, when installing the latter, install it in such a way as to exclude gaps between the faucet body and the rectangular opening of the shelf 10 . If the standard washers after tightening the locknut 2 do not block the gaps, then washers should be cut from a sheet of rubber of the desired thickness and elasticity.
Gaps occur during the operation of the crane for several reasons: rubber drying, pipeline shift, weak initial tightening of the lock nut. The use of putty, plasticine on dry surfaces is the fastest elimination of gaps. Cement works too. After drying, it is covered with oil paint.
The shelf itself rarely occupies a horizontal position. Here we are talking about one shelf without a washbasin, because the latter may be with some marriage. The roller along the edges of the shelf should not allow water to pass under the washbasin. Otherwise, you can smear the gap between the vertical rear side of the shelf and the wall to which the washbasin adjoins with window putty.
Water gets onto the washbasin shelf in different ways: splashes, leaks from under the stuffing box bushing and, finally, trickles from under the spout union nut on taps of other modifications. The cause of the leak is established after wiping the tap dry and opening the valve head by the handwheel.
Tightening the stuffing box bushing usually eliminates the trickle from under it. Worn rubber rings 16 spout 13 replace. In the absence of new rubber rings, thread seal strands are wound on the old ones. 17 , tighten the union nut 14 . After such a repair, the spout must not be turned, as the seal will be broken.
Foreign-made ceramic washbasins often do not have holes or holes in the shelves. Therefore, a faucet or tabletop faucet cannot be inserted into a shelf. Solution: use a wall-mounted faucet or faucet. But you can very carefully punch the desired hole in the shelf. To do this, turn the washbasin over and put it on a plane so that it does not sway. The shape of the hole on the back of the shelf is outlined. With a sharp narrow chisel, first gently knock down a thin layer of glaze. Then gradually make a deepening. A carbide drill with an electric drill can also drill holes. It is clear that the second and third holes must be drilled even more carefully than the first.
Holes weaken the strength of the shelf. Before you start this job, try it on a piece of faience, on a broken washbasin, a worn-out cistern body, etc. Even experienced plumbers sometimes end up with a large hole with very jagged edges. Faience comes in different hardness and plasticity. The gaskets and washers supplied with the faucet will not block such an opening. Therefore, it is desirable to cut out plates with holes from a sheet of aluminum or corrosion-resistant steel and, accordingly, rubber gaskets for them (one plate and one gasket on each side of the shelf). The hole will be completely blocked when the plates and gaskets are tightened with a lock nut on the valve body.
Chassis installation or replacement 11 faucet, as a rule, is done with the washbasin removed from the brackets. To do this, the connection of the supply pipe must be placed below the bottom of the washbasin or sink. Otherwise, the angle of rotation of the lever or wrench will be limited by the vertical wall of the device and the wall of the room.
Squeeze is used for the connector 1 , that is, a short piece of pipe with an internal diameter of 15 mm and a length of 110 mm. Both ends of the shackle are threaded GI/2. On one side, the length of the thread is longer. The clutch is completely screwed onto it 4 and locknut 2 .
There are several more modifications of table taps: for KTN10D, a 3/8" inlet pipe is screwed directly into the body; KVN15D and KTN15D are equipped with a swivel spout, like the toilet wall tap KT15D.
It is attached to the body with a union nut. Sealing is ensured by a rubber ring between the spout and the neck of the body. The ring partially enters the round groove in the lower part of the spout. The second groove is located higher. It includes an expandable plastic ring. 15 at protecting the spout from popping out of the union nut 14 with high water pressure. If the plastic ring is broken, it can be made from copper wire. Rubber rings for sale. You can cut similar ones from a suitable rubber tube.
Cranes KVN15D and KTN15AD have aerators on the outgoing part of the spout. They are periodically clogged with foreign particles contained in the water. The stream is completely weakened. Then unscrew the outer ring of the aerator. Take out the mesh. Blow and rinse it in the opposite direction to the flow in the spout.
Repair of wall faucets
These include brass specks KV15 (Fig. 73) and KV20, installed through the coupling 2 on pipes with a conditional inner diameter of 15 or 20 mm, that is, on pipes of 1/2 "and 3/4". The KV15SD crane has a jet straightener and a protective and decorative coating. It is twice as expensive as the KV15 faucet, and the KV15AD faucet has an aerator and a protective and decorative coating.
Fig. 73. Wall mounted water tap KV15:
1 - pipe; 2 - clutch; 3 - seal; 4 - shell back; 5 - crane body; 6 - gasket; 7 - crane head
Cranes can be placed anywhere. They are especially useful in a garden or garden plot. In the absence of a plug or plug, a tap can also be used.
Especially for these faucets, sinks of the PC type are produced: RS-1 - with one hole in the back, RS-2 - with two holes. In general, the sink kit includes a back and the sink itself with a welded outlet. The kit often lacks screws with galvanized heads for fixing the backrest to the wall. Galvanized screws are rare. Use regular screws, but coat their heads with white oil paint before installation and let them dry.
A revision cast-iron siphon is necessary for this type of sink, because you cannot fit a plastic bottle siphon here. PC sinks do not have a large hole in the bottom for installing a plastic siphon outlet. The metal outlet welded to the bottom of the sink is inserted directly into the water seal of the cast-iron revision siphon. Between them there is a gap through which, if the sewer pipe is clogged, water can flow. Therefore, before lowering it into the siphon water trap, screw a strand of seal onto the metal outlet of the sink. Be sure to impregnate this strand with resin or oil paint, which will prevent the seal from rotting.
After a tight connection between the outlet and the siphon, cover the joint with cement. To prevent the cement from crumbling, wrap it when wet with a strip of gauze or a bandage and coat it with liquid cement on top. This will ensure the tightness of the joint for many years.
The PCV-1 and RSV-2 sinks differ from the PC sinks in that plastic bottle siphons are installed in them. The use of wall faucets with washbasins and sinks is of little use. The fact is that the closer the "nose" of the tap to the outlet, the less splashing.
The outlet of the sink is located at a distance of 150 mm from the wall, and the spout of the tap is at a distance of 90-105 mm. In washbasins and sinks, outlets are located at a distance of 180–255 mm from the wall. To reduce splashing, place the faucet close to the bottom of the washbasin or sink. You can also put a rubber tube on the faucet spout.
Some push the supply pipe along with the tap closer to the outlet. Then for this, use a galvanized pipe, which will slightly brighten up the visible difference between the chrome faucet and the outer color of the pipe.
The toilet wall tap KT15D (Fig. 74) has undergone a number of changes. In the past, his spout was screwed directly into the body, that is, the spout had one stationary position. When trying to turn the spout from the threaded connection with the body, it began to drip. The spout had to be turned inside out, the threads of the seal were screwed onto the threads and again, with difficulty, wrapped it into the body.
Rice. 74. Wall-mounted toilet faucet KT15D:
1 - pipe; 2 - clutch; 3, 6 - seal; 4 - branch pipe; 5 - crane body; 7 - crane head; 8 - rubber ring; 9 - expandable plastic ring; 10 - union nut; 11 - spout
Now the spout is attached to the faucet body with a union nut 10 . Thanks to the rubber seal 8 and expandable plastic ring 9 spout can be rotated. The rubber ring protects against leakage along the spout, and the expanding ring prevents the spout from falling out from under the union nut. The plastic expansion ring sometimes breaks. Replace it with a ring of copper wire, which you can anneal to "soften". Under the rubber ring, when it is worn, wind up, for example, threads or purchase a new one at the Plumbing store. From a suitable rubber tube, you can cut the necessary rings yourself, but in quality and durability they will be worse than branded ones.
Water supply pipe 1 with inner diameter 15 mm (1/2") connected to the valve body 5 (Kr67e) through the clutch 2 . The pipe is pre-screwed into the body 4 . In order not to damage the thread, a cut is made on the protruding part of the pipe even at a time when the pipe is not cut off from the pipe. After the branch pipe is separated, the burrs are cleaned on it, the seal is screwed on and screwed into the valve body using a steel plate. Instead of a plate, an old-style fixed-arm tong handle with a multi-millimeter steel plate handle can be used.
In the KT15D crane, the connection of the body with the supply pipe is simplified. The branch pipe and the body are combined, while only a coupling is needed for docking.
From the book Plumbing: choose and connect yourself author Alekseev Viktor SergeevichWhat types of faucets exist, what are their differences, advantages and disadvantages? Products of the first group -
From the book Weaving: birch bark, straw, reed, vine and other materials author Nazarova Valentina Ivanovna From the book Lessons of a skilled carver. We cut out figures of people and animals, dishes, figurines from wood author Ilyaev Mikhail Davydovich From the book How to build a rural house author Shepelev Alexander Mikhailovich From the book Handbook of a home winemaker author Mikhailova Ludmila From the book The Newest Encyclopedia of Proper Repair author Nesterova Daria VladimirovnaProduction of charcoal Usually, after distillation, filtration is carried out through various filters. Many distillers are limited only to activated carbon. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the tablets are sold in all pharmacies. But much easier and more efficient.
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After creating a wood-burning heating system, which consists of a stove with two heat exchangers, a heat storage tank and an expansion tank, it was decided to automate the system. You can automate the system using room thermostats and ball valves with electric drives. The price of store faucets with drives kills on the spot - 2-2.5 thousand UAH for 3/4 or 1 inch of a faucet. The idea of creating an electric drive for existing ball valves on the system has been circulating in my head for a long time. And so he began to create, and even tried to modernize. But so far the upgrade has failed. I am posting the first working version of the drive for a 1" crane.
The main part of the electric drive is the motor-reducer of the window lifter of the car 1117, 1118, 1119, 2123 left LSA.
Auxiliary parts for the drive, which also need to be purchased, are two 5-pin automotive relays for 12 volts, 2 limit switches are also automotive, pipe clamps, 3/4 in diameter. A pair of M8x45 bolts and nuts. The rest is small things that will be visible in the photo during the assembly process.
So, we proceed to the manufacture of a frame-frame for the drive and the mechanism that transmits rotation to the stem of the ball valve. The mechanism must have a gap so that the crane can be operated manually. The bed is made of tin 1 mm thick. We attach the power window motor to the frame through home-made bushings from a tube with a diameter of 10 mm. We attach the bed to the pipe on which the ball valve is installed through bolts and clamps. We get the following structure
Next, we make parts for the transmitting mechanism. By the way, the length of the bolts to the clamps took into account the dimensions of the future parts of the transmission mechanism. Details from a square tube 10x10, from a pipe 1/2 inch and from a strip of metal 4 mm. I also took a 10 mm washer and a spring of a suitable size. Made with a grinder, engraver, drill, needle files and welding!
Putting it together and getting the design -
The mechanism has a gear that can be removed by clicking on the details like this -
The mechanism is working. Now you need to install these limit switches with the ability to adjust their position. To do this, we make fasteners for limit switches from plastic.
When trying to turn on the motor with such limit switches, problems arose - the limit switch lost contact, then the contact resumed again, a spark appeared on the limit switch, the motor twitched in place. So it will not work, It was decided to put microswitches that click when opened. Mikriki in one word. We get mikriki and begin to mount them.
--- added: 11 Mar 2016 at 23:34 ---
Mikriks for 3 amps and mounts of mikriks are visible in the photo
He also drew up an electrical circuit for connecting parts.
We fix the mikriks in place, assemble the drive according to the electrical diagram.
The drive has two output connection blocks - BP - power supply and T - thermostat (you can use a room thermostat, or you can just use a water heating thermostat).
For now, instead of a thermostat, I will use a regular toggle switch that opens or closes the contact, while the drive either closes the tap or opens it.
I mount the drive on an already installed faucet 1 "
I connect a homemade 12 volt power supply and test it - everything works. And in manual mode too. I'm filming a video. The actuator closes very quickly - 1 sec. This is his shortcoming. The power is enough to close the tap 1 ". Watch the video.
I have already found a housing for the drive, but I didn’t have time to install it, because I came up with a drive with a different motor-reducer. To test another motor, I dismantled this drive and used the existing frame. But more on that later. And therefore, for now, there is a photo with a nickname with disassembled parts of the drive described above, and there is another drive on the bed.
--- added: 11 Mar 2016 at 23:35 ---
I want to note - the cost of parts for the above drive is about 400 UAH! Unlike ready-made store cranes with drives that cost 2000-2500 UAH, there is a noticeable difference!
Almost everyone knows the situation: due to a damaged faucet or a bursting flexible hose, you need to spend a lot of money on repairs both in your apartment and in neighbors flooded with water. And as a result, it was necessary to turn off the ball valves in a timely manner, which are now usually equipped with water supply inlets to our apartments.
I want to talk about a simple mechanical system that I invented that will automatically turn off the taps at the first sign of a leak and save the apartment from flooding.
Principle of operation. Externally, the device for automatically turning off the water is somewhat reminiscent of a mousetrap. A spring is fixed on its wooden base, held in a stretched (cocked) position by a paper tape connected to the spring through an angle lever (photo 1). When wet, the tape breaks under the action of the spring, the spring compresses and pulls the cable, which closes the ball valve.
The system is easy and quick to install and even easier to dismantle. The “mousetrap” itself is installed on the floor in secluded places (in the basement of the cabinet for washing or under the bathroom).
The system allows you to shut off the water manually. The handle attached to the ball valve is turned to the side, and the cables remain motionless.
Manufacturing. To do this, you need a regular tool: a vice, a hammer, an electric drill, a grinder or a hacksaw for metal, a grinding machine, a screwdriver, pliers.
Of the materials needed: small pieces of stainless steel sheet and ordinary steel, a spring, cables, a wooden block, screws, nuts, screws, a piece of paper, pushpins.
I bought a door spring from a hardware store. I cut a strip of stainless steel from the tank wall of an old washing machine. I bought the cables at the Moto-velo store, removed the excess part of the braid from them on a grinding machine, and treated the cables themselves with lubricant for domestic needs.
The base of the device is made of a painted wooden block measuring 360x50x30 mm. One end of the bar must be sawn at an angle of 93 ° to the top edge.
On fig. 1 shows the development of the metal parts of the system (fold lines are shown in red).
Details No. 1 and 1a I cut out from a steel sheet 4 mm thick, 16 from a sheet 3 mm thick. These parts are mounted on ball valves instead of standard handles (photo 2).
Details No. 2 and 2a (brackets) are installed on the pipe near the ball valve, they serve to fix the cables (photo 3, 9). It must be borne in mind that the brackets can only be screwed to a metal pipe.
Part No. 3 also holds the cable, but only attaches it to the wooden base of the product. To shape this part, I used a 150x20x50mm oak block as a template. Having bent the workpiece according to the template, he pulled out the bar, and made cutouts on the part with a grinder for attaching the cable.
Part No. 3 (photo 4, 5) should be made of stainless steel, but for the test it is better to make it out of cardboard first.
Movable part No. 4 (angle lever) is connected to a spring and a cable on one side, and a paper tape is attached to it on the other. This lever is also made of stainless steel. When the retaining paper tape breaks, that part of the lever that is bent at an angle of 93 ° slides off the end of the wooden base, is pulled by a spring through part No. 3 and sets the cable in motion (it is attached to part No. 4 using parts No. 4a and 46). And thanks to the angular lever, the load created by the spring on the paper tape is reduced by about 10 times (photo 6.7).
Part No. 5 (hook) serves to hook the spring - the narrow tail of the part must be bent for this. Two holes are drilled in part No. 5: the first is for cocking (by inserting a finger into it, it is easier to tighten the spring), the second is for fixing on the bar. Any screw screwed into the bar can serve as a hook. For this purpose, I used a hook that was sold complete with a door spring.
Installation, adjustment and maintenance. The ball valve and the mousetrap can even be located in different rooms. Cables from two "mousetraps" installed in different rooms can be connected to one crane. The system will react when one of them is triggered.
Cables must have no more than one bend at an angle of 90 ° and a length of not more than 2 m.
Ball valves made by powder metallurgy are on sale, with which there can be many problems - their bodies often crack. Such faucets should not be used at all, especially in my system, where they shut off automatically. I myself use only brass faucets. In addition, so that the taps do not stick, they need to be closed and opened once a month, otherwise over time they begin to close very tightly.
When setting up and adjusting the system, I used a device made from a piece of pipe (a little over 20 cm long) with a ball valve screwed onto it. On this device, it is easy to check the operation of the entire mechanism before installing it in the apartment. It will also come in handy when drilling holes for connecting parts No. 2 and 2a. To do this, you need to clamp these parts in a vice with a pipe previously inserted between them. After that, you can drill holes in two parts at once.
The blank for the base of the device can be taken longer than indicated, and after adjusting, cut off the excess part of the bar. In many ways, the length of the bar will depend on the length and elasticity of the selected spring. In the extended state, the spring force should be about 10 kg, at the end of operation - 4.5 kg. A constant force of 1 to 1.5 kg must act on the paper tape (another value can be provided, but then the angle of 93 ° will have to be changed). To measure the force, I used household spring scales.
I tested the mechanism in the bathroom. When I wet the paper tape, everything worked properly - the ball valve was automatically closed.
After the mechanism is triggered, it must be wiped with a napkin and only after that fill in a fresh tape.
Today I want to tell you about how you can make a homemade water faucet ...
To begin with, I bring to your attention a video of our homemade products:
In this article, I want to tell you about how you can make a homemade water faucet at home without much effort using improvised tools ... This device can be used in the country or in the garage ... A fairly convenient device to, for example, wash your hands or rinse some small container ...
So, let's begin...
In order to make this water faucet we need the following:
- a canister or an unnecessary container (preferably at least 5 liters);
- a small piece of hose;
- syringe;
- drill and drill...
So, first, carefully cut off the top of the syringe as shown in the photo ...
Next, using a drill and a small drill, we make 3-4 holes along the entire syringe ...
Now, also using a drill and drills, we make a hole at the bottom of our canister or another container of your choice ... The diameter of the hole should match the diameter of the hose ... Next, carefully insert a piece of the hose into the hole in the canister ... Make sure that everything is hermetically...
Now we insert a syringe into the hose and also make sure that everything is tight ...
Well, that's it and that's it!!! Our device is ready! Now we pour water into the canister, substitute the bowl and see what we got ...
The piston in the syringe regulates the water supply: if you pull the piston slightly, then water will pour out of one hole ...
If you pull it out a little more, then water will flow from two holes at the same time ...
And so, as you stick out the syringe plunger, you will regulate the water supply, that is, if the plunger is pulled out all the way, then the water will "go" from four holes in the syringe barrel, which we did, and if piston "shove back", then the water will stop "going" at all ...