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Controller - okay to leave switched on throughout the working day?

wezza13

Well-known member
Messages
560
Location
Kent
I believe the spring controllers monitor current of pump to determine dead end so shut off pump when univalve/tap/rectus etc. closed. So you are not putting megga strain on pump but I seem to remember @Ian Sheppard mentioning that the controller 'monitors' the pump to see when dead end stops i.e. when you want water to flow again. I guess that must be some form of applying power to pump periodically and seeing if dead end current is still drawn.

So for ultimate pump life and battery life switch the controller off but hopefully Ian or someone else with more in depth knowledge will be along to advise.

 
I believe the spring controllers monitor current of pump to determine dead end so shut off pump when univalve/tap/rectus etc. closed. So you are not putting megga strain on pump but I seem to remember @Ian Sheppard mentioning that the controller 'monitors' the pump to see when dead end stops i.e. when you want water to flow again. I guess that must be some form of applying power to pump periodically and seeing if dead end current is still drawn.

So for ultimate pump life and battery life switch the controller off but hopefully Ian or someone else with more in depth knowledge will be along to advise.
Yes the controllers carry out a dead end retest every three seconds to test if pole valve is still closed. The controller blips the pump for about 100th of a second, and you will the pump very briefly as this happens. During DE the pump is effectively off with a minimum supply of current so we can test the circuit this is about a 100th of an amp. During the micro DE test the pressure in the system just sits as was and is not changed. This means that the controller can sit in DE for some time as the load on the pump is minimal. That said everyone has their preferences and the controller is flexible enough to work in either way. 

 
Perfect, thank you. 

I'll leave it on all day and see how much it drains the battery.
It shouldn't take much out of the battery. I've forgotten to switch mine off a couple of times after work. There was no difference in the voltage reading the next morning to the normal reading.
Around 12.4V. I do the same as @Will Eves
l leave it on unless I'm traveling a couple of miles or on the rare occasion we stop for lunch. 

 
One thing I will say @wezza13is, I'd make sure that your controller is definitely switching off on de and not on ps. From my understanding on what I've learned on the forum, de takes very little toll on the equipment but pressure switch tripping on and off is not good. The key is correct calibration (not too high) .?
 

 
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One thing I will say @wezza13is, I'd make sure that your controller is definitely switching off on de and not on ps. From my understanding on what I've learned on the forum, de takes very little toll on the equipment but pressure switch tripping on and off is not good. The key is correct calibration (not too high) .?
 
I normally run mine at 40 (with 100m 8mm minibore) and my second setup on 27 (with 50m 6mm microbore). I did wonder why sometimes it says PS? If I were to leave it on, throughout the working day, I stop the flow with univalves in both poles.

I'll recalibrate (although, when I usually do, it still says very near to 40) and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks.

 
I normally run mine at 40 (with 100m 8mm minibore) and my second setup on 27 (with 50m 6mm microbore). I did wonder why sometimes it says PS? If I were to leave it on, throughout the working day, I stop the flow with univalves in both poles.

I'll recalibrate (although, when I usually do, it still says very near to 40) and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks.
We use Univalves as well. Two pumps two workstations, two reels, two poles. As far as I know it doesn't matter if the calibration is fairly high, as long as the controller shuts off on a de reading. A fairly high calibration gives good pressure which will allow a good flow. This is not an area I know that much about though to be honest. We use 6mm microbore and 22 ft poles.

 
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