Glycol Actuator problems...Please Help!

[Beer_Nut]

So to make a long story short...when we got our new tanks we also received Honeywell actuators for the glycol lines. This is my first experience with these actuators, I've always used solenoid valves. After a while they began to fry...a few here and there. We would swap them out and they would work fine. But this has been a reoccurring problem and now three have failed in the past week (one failed open in the middle of a fermentation). I believe it is an electrical issue, but the electrician that set everything up says the wiring is fine and that it is the humidity that is frying the valves. So how many people out there are using Honeywell VC4011-11 actuators to for their glycol lines and have you ever heard of humidity causing them to fail? Uploading a picture for reference. Thanks in advance.

[jcrjustin]

We use the same actuators. We have had some fail over the years. Our supplier notified us that they had a bad batch come through and we happened to have some of those. They replaced the faulty ones at no charge. I was also told to install them so the wire is located on top. For reference we have been using them for about 5 years and have 18 tanks. We have had maybe 7-8 fail over that period. Hope that helps.

[Beer_Nut]

Thanks for the info Justin. Ours were installed with the wire facing down so I just flipped them all around. Hopefully that helps. I was wondering if there was a bad batch as it seemed all the original ones that came with the equipment ended up going bad. But one just went bad on a tank that I know has been swapped out before so I was beginning to question the wiring.

[Starcat]

Recommendations

I'd say don't use something so prone to failure.
Especially anything with a PC board in it.
When I hear about all the exotic motorized ball valve acutators and such being used I have to wonder why this is happening as there is no siginiificant advantage in it that I can see. ON the contrary trouble is being invited right in the front door with that approach.
I have never had a control valve failure in this plant on the glycol side and that record goes back to 96.
If you are interested in very cheap and reliable solution.
Get me on e-mail

Its a well kept secret that is very closely guarded.

brewmoab@hotmail.com


All the best

[Beer_Nut]

Well you hit the nail on the head Warren. We just took one apart and in the position they were in (cord facing down), it left the board in a position to be exposed to collecting condensation. You could see where the water fried the board. Hopefully with the actuator inverted it will prevent this from happening. Although my electrician seems to think this will leave the electric motor exposed to the same problem. And according to the electricians, if we want to switch to solenoids they have to rewire everything (facepalm)...so hopefully inverting them will be the solution.

[SouthHouseBrew]

Service Rating

Per the picture you provided, the actuator is rated "IP40". The IP-rating is a measure of protection against penetration of solids/liquids into the enclosure. The US equivalent is a "NEMA" rating.

IP40 offers no protection against liquid ingress, so moisture from condensation, humidity, wash down splash, etc. will continue to work its way into this model. Looking at the picture, the cover has a big hole in it for the switch on the front. Short of bare copper wire, that's about as low on the 'water-tight' scale as you can get...

You need an actuator with an enclosure that is more water tight. My preference in any sanitary production area is IP65 or higher, because eventually, someone WILL spray the damn thing with a hose.

Higher IP rating obviously = higher cost, but not if you don't have to replace it every few months. Solenoids have fewer moving parts, that's why they are easier to enclose, cheaper, and more common.

You may have to swap some terminations around, but you should be able to use the same wire run for a solenoid. Unless your bound by local code, it should be something you can tackle DIY-style.

[Starcat]

The good old days

Ratings and fine print...the complications of these times.
Honeywell historically has made some of the best HVAC gear in the industry, but times have changed.
Everything has been monetized and overly specialized, unfortunately.
I lean towards things that are simple, rugged and that work over the long haul.
I once worked with an old school Refrigeration guy by the name of Jesse Jackson no joke.
He showed me some things. Mainly how to dispense with time wasting nonsense.
He would talk about larger systems and say " what you don't want is controls running controls...."
He was right.
Much of what is thought to be cool in the current times on a micro scale will be totally proven out to be problematic when scaled upwards.
Very rugged industrial level simplicity is the coolest thing around.
After that is redundancy.
All my plant strategy is based in this logic.


All the best

[Beer_Nut]

Per the picture you provided, the actuator is rated "IP40". The IP-rating is a measure of protection against penetration of solids/liquids into the enclosure. The US equivalent is a "NEMA" rating.

IP40 offers no protection against liquid ingress, so moisture from condensation, humidity, wash down splash, etc. will continue to work its way into this model. Looking at the picture, the cover has a big hole in it for the switch on the front. Short of bare copper wire, that's about as low on the 'water-tight' scale as you can get...

You need an actuator with an enclosure that is more water tight. My preference in any sanitary production area is IP65 or higher, because eventually, someone WILL spray the damn thing with a hose.

Higher IP rating obviously = higher cost, but not if you don't have to replace it every few months. Solenoids have fewer moving parts, that's why they are easier to enclose, cheaper, and more common.

You may have to swap some terminations around, but you should be able to use the same wire run for a solenoid. Unless your bound by local code, it should be something you can tackle DIY-style.

Good to know Kyle...thanks for the info!