Wire Gauge on Irrigation Valves
Bruce Bates
Posts: 3,045
Folks -
Anyone care to take a SWAG (scientific wild a$$ guess) as to what gauge wire they generally use to feed the solenoids on common lawn sprinkler zone valves?
I'm speaking of the wire ON the solenoid, as it comes from the factory, NOT the multi-conductor "control" wire used to feed/actuate ALL the zone valves. I just don't feel like digging up my back yard in the middle of a present thunderstorm, to get the answer :-)
Just by former memories, I'd guess at 22-24 gauge, but I suspect it might be smaller.
TIA
Regards,
Bruce Bates
Anyone care to take a SWAG (scientific wild a$$ guess) as to what gauge wire they generally use to feed the solenoids on common lawn sprinkler zone valves?
I'm speaking of the wire ON the solenoid, as it comes from the factory, NOT the multi-conductor "control" wire used to feed/actuate ALL the zone valves. I just don't feel like digging up my back yard in the middle of a present thunderstorm, to get the answer :-)
Just by former memories, I'd guess at 22-24 gauge, but I suspect it might be smaller.
TIA
Regards,
Bruce Bates
Comments
I'd be happy with 18/20 but I suppose a 22/24 is alright!
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
·
Steve
"Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."
How far are the solenoid valves from thier power source?
A wild guess, #18 multistrand is likely to be safer.
But that is just a guess. The telephone company does nicely with the 22-24 gauge solid.
Measure the coil reisistance, use OHM's law at the specified voltage and you have the 'amperage'.
Google or use www/zianet.com/NMAMARS/download/Neets.htm for a wire size charge.
Of course if you have a voltage drop due to distance at that amperage, you must find a way to provide a higher voltage at the supply.
Of course, you could just take a coil of wire you have on hand that is as long or longer than requires and just fool with it until you figure it will work or it won't.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"If you want more fiber, eat the package.· Not enough?· Eat the manual."········
I suspect you didn't read my original post in its entirity. Here is the salient part regarding the specific wire in question:
"I'm speaking of the wire ON the solenoid, as it comes from the factory, NOT the multi-conductor "control" wire used to feed/actuate ALL the zone valves."
I repeat for further emphasis "as it comes from the factory". I'm NOT looking to determine the SUPPLY WIRE GAUGE, which comes from the transformer..
Thanks for your comments, in any case - much appreciated.
Regards,
Bruce Bates
Can't say all the solenoids I've purchased have come with a "factory installed wire"!
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
·
Steve
"Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."
Is this the magnet wire that makes up the solenoid itself, or the leads from the solenoid?
One method that I have used before to determine wire gauge... if you can get a piece of the wire... is to scan it with a
flat-bed scanner. If you know the DPI that you were scanning at, then you can open up the image with a graphics program
and just count the pixels across the diameter of the wire to determine the wire gauge. Some graphics programs will give
you X,Y coordinate values which helps to facilitates this method.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Post Edited (Beau Schwabe (Parallax)) : 7/22/2006 10:58:29 PM GMT
The size of the wire will have to carry the normal full current of the solenoid without overheating. If the coil is available for testing, just measure the current it draws in steady state operation. You can then make a pretty intelligent guess by looking for the "ampacity" of solid wire on the web or inthe National Electrical Code book.
If the wattage is marked on the coil, you can also calculate the amps easily and do the lookup as described.
If you go to all the trouble of physically measuring a piece of wire with calipers or micrometer, you can then use the diameter or "circular mils" to look up in the ampacity tables what wire number has that many circular mils.
This might also help: http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm