Methods to Diagnose Solenoid Valve Problems
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Valves do not Open
This can mainly be noticed if the solenoid valve does not allow gas or liquid to pass through it. Such scenario may basically mean that there is problem like absence of power, pressure inside the pipe is not uniform, the pipe may be clogged due to corrosion or the source of power that uses the electromagnetic effect is damaged e.g. coil has burn. If you encounter a scenario where the valves can’t open, you can easily diagnose it by limiting the problem to a more probable cause.
Try to eliminate some problems that you are sure cannot be the main cause of the malfunction. To be precise, it is advisable that you take a look on the diaphragm valves, springs, existence of power in coil, inlet and output parts of the solenoid valve and its ports. This procedure will ultimately pin point the problem.
Valves Partly Close
It is not uncommon to find out that the valves do not firmly close. A failure such as this may be caused by pressure indifference, an armature tube that is damaged, the valve lacking some of its parts or wrong placement of valves. You need to be very keen when checking all the connections, parts of the solenoid valve, diaphragm and any other part to ensure that they are the way they should.
You can easily troubleshoot the coil problem by simply feeling if it emits any effects caused by electromagnetic. In case you find that a component is not correctly installed, you can correct the anomaly or replace the valve partially.
Erratic Valve Sounds
At any given time, a solenoid valve should produce a normal sound like a brand new one. You can monitor the sound while opening or closing the valve. If you find out that it makes an abnormal sound, there must be some issues that need to be fixed. One probable source of this unusual sound may be due to pressure indifference between the inlet and the outlet of the valve.
A fluid passing through the system may lead to a noticeable sound especially when it is passed through pipes of different sizes as in for in/outlet. A remedy to this nuisance is by placing a special designed pipe known as T-piece immediately before air. This can considerably decrease the effect. Another solution to this is by using pipes with larger diameters to reduce fluid strains on it.
Coil Problems
As we earlier said, a coil failure can easily cause the valve to malfunction. The good thing is that diagnosing this problem is easy. Damages that may occur to a coil include melting down, partially burnt or may cool down even if power has been supplied to it. The main reason for such issues may be due to unprecedented supply of voltage, short circuits, fluctuating temperature of the fluid or any other issues. You then need to find out which problem the coil has.
If it is totally damaged, you need to replace it .Every time you do a replacement, make sure they are original and compatible with that specific solenoid valve. Any part that is damaged say an amerture must be removed and a new one fitted. The valves should also be placed in a cool and dry area to avoid interference of flow.