Electric valve for irrigation

When you hear “electric irrigation valve,” many people immediately think of a simple faucet with wiring. But in reality, this is a complex knot that determines whether the tomato roots will rot or whether a whole line of drip tapes will be left without water. Such nuances are rarely written about in specifications.

Why magnetic drive is not always a panacea

At the beginning of my career, I trusted only solenoid valves - it seemed that their design had been proven for decades. So far I have not encountered a massive failure at one of the projects in the Rostov regionelectric valvesafter a thunderstorm. It turned out that surge voltages burned out the coils, although we installed lightning protection. We had to urgently install additional protection on each circuit.

Now, for critical areas, I prefer motor analogues - they operate more slowly, but are not afraid of power surges. This is especially critical in field conditions, where power grid stability is a luxury.

By the way,Shandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,LtdThe catalog includes hybrid solutions - with manual duplication of control. This became a salvation for us when the automation failed at a facility in the Krasnodar Territory. Details of their developments can be found at https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru - redundant systems are described there.

How pressure affects valve life

Common mistake - installationelectric valves for irrigationwithout taking into account peak pressures. I remember how at a greenhouse plant a series of valves “knocked out” in a month - the manufacturer stated 6 bar, but the water hammer reached 9. I had to install dampers in front of each group.

Now I always look at wear curves - some models can withstand short-term overloads, others fail after the first surge. In this regard, valves with ceramic plates are interesting - they are less sensitive to changes, but higher in price.

In projectsShandong Lingyao Co.,LtdI often see built-in gearboxes - it’s clear that engineers take into account real operating conditions. Their systems for smart agricultural parks are precisely designed to work in unstable networks.

Pitfalls of irrigation automation

The most painful experience is trying to save money on feedback sensors. They installed valves without monitoring their condition - as a result, three hectares of corn were left without irrigation due to one stuck piston. Now we always include signal contacts in the project.

Another important point is the type of seals. NBR rubber is cheaper, but it quickly hardens in hard water conditions. EPDM lasts longer, but is sensitive to oil in the system. For filtration units, Teflon is generally better - albeit expensive, but reliable.

In the description of projects on https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru, I noticed that the company uses custom solutions for different types of water - apparently, the accumulated experience allowed them to optimize the choice of materials.

Why a 'smart' valve is not always smart

Modern systems with Wi-Fi control are certainly convenient, but in field conditions they often turn out to be redundant. Somehow we had to dismantle an expensive system with remote control - in the steppe zone there was simply no stable Internet to transmit commands.

Local programmable controllers with autonomous operation turned out to be much more practical. Especially if they allow you to duplicate logic on mechanical timers - these are exactly the solutions I have seen in equipment fromShandong Lingyaofor high quality agricultural fields.

By the way, their approach to the design of hydraulic structures is impressive - it is clear that the experts understand the difference between “can be done technologically” and “will work in dirt and dust.”

Installation tricks that are not found in the instructions

Never betelectric valvedirectly after the pump - vibration reduces the service life by several times. It is better to move it 3-5 meters by adding a flexible insert. This simple rule saved us from frequent replacements in the vineyards in Crimea.

Another nuance is orientation in space. Some manufacturers allow installation in any position, but in practice, when installed vertically with the drive down, sediment accumulates in the cavity. I always try to place it horizontally or with a slight tilt.

One of the latest projects used valves with a self-cleaning function - the design provides for flushing the seat with each cycle. Interestingly, there are similar developments inShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd— in their systems for integrating water and fertilizers, this option is especially relevant.

What will be relevant in 5 years

Judging by the trends, the future lies with valves with non-volatile memory and adaptive logic. Already now there are models that remember the frequency of operation and predict wear. But for now these are rather prototypes - in the mass segment, reliability leaves much to be desired.

A more realistic trend is modularity. When it is possible to replace a separate unit without dismantling the entire highway. By the way, in equipment for remote control of valves fromShandong Lingyaothis has already been implemented - repairs take minutes instead of hours.

And most importantly, a gradual abandonment of universal solutions. As practice shows,electric valve for irrigationfor drip irrigation and sprinkling should have different designs, and not differ only in throughput. And in this regard, the company’s approach to individual production looks promising - their catalog at https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru demonstrates specialized solutions for different crops and types of irrigation.