Power consumption of spring zone valves

[rebuilder]

I am to put in two zone valves. The MoMo (motor on motor off) valves consumes no power after the motor has moved from one state to the other. The spring loaded valve consume power all the time they are "on" as the motor stalls. This to me is poor design and waste of energy.

How much per ann. will one zone valve consume in power? Anyone know? "Quality" MoMo valves are not much more expensive than quality spring return zone valves making the MOMo the obviously better choice. I don't want Tower cheapies.

It has just occurred to me that if all zone valves in the country were MoMos we may cut down on power station usage. The power consumption in countless millions of homes must be substantial. So the eco aspects must come into play.

 

[Corgigrouch]

Similarly if we added a few more inches to the current recommended loft insulation or if we increased the width of the cavity and increased the thickness of the insulation in there or fitted an inner window to our double glazing...... Lots of things that we can do but we don't

 

[muggles]

They draw 6 watts each, or 0.006kw. If they are open for 8 hours a day, that's 0.048kwh a day each. Assuming they are open every single day of the year, that's 17.52 kwh a year. Based on 14p per kwh, they cost 245p per year each to run, or less than the cost of a pint of beer in your local.

 

[rebuilder]

They draw 6 watts each, or 0.006kw. If they are open for 8 hours a day, that's 0.048kwh a day each. Assuming they are open every single day of the year, that's 17.52 kwh a year. Based on 14p per kwh, they cost 245p per year each to run, or less than the cost of a pint of beer in your local.

Thanks that is a good ballpark. So two will be approx £5 per year to run. With one valve that is £24.50 at current rates over 10 years, which will be more as prices will rise over 10 years, so lets say £40 as energy costs are rising like kite. So that is £80 for two over 10 years. It appears to me that if a MoMo valve is reliable and stays the 10 years, as does the spring return valve. the MoMo valve is worth buying as it is cheaper in the end. If the cost are same to buy then the MoMo is way ahead.

The spring return valves run hot. This must reduce their life when covered in clothes in airing cupboards.

Then there is the wider eco factor as well to give a warm feeling. I can't see how the EU/government allows these spring return valves to be used in the millions. If all systems were fitted with Grundfos type of Alpha pumps (Grundfos said that if all systems used their Alpha pumps a power station could be taken off line) and also MoMo valves then less crap is poured into the atmosphere and we have cheaper electricity bills.

 

[ALEC1]

best thing is to design them out of a heating system..

 

[Dan Robinson]

They have a little extra wiring which might fox an inexperienced engineer, but also you cna't use them on unvented cylinders

 

[Agile]

You are missing the point about that power.

The heating valve is powered when heating is needed. So its heat loss is benefitting the house.

The hot water valve if seperate also contributes to heating the house for say half of the year when heating is needed.

A three port valve which must be used in 80% of valved installations rests in the CH position and only motors to the stalled HW only position for a short time so thats inconsequential.

Mo Mo valves are more expensive, less reliable and not worth the extra cost for any reason.

Tony

 

[Corgigrouch]

Or better still, remove the heating system altogether..... You'd save a fortune in cash and once the family has died from the cold the carbon dioxide exhaled by them would be zero.... but to offset the co2 produced by them decomposing, try planting them under the rose bush....

 

[rebuilder]

You are missing the point about that power.

The heating valve is powered when heating is needed. So its heat loss is benefitting the house.

It is incidental and not controlled heat. A hot actuator may affect the valve body? It may be heating an airing cupboard in summer when the last thing you need is heat in there. And the early failure because of clothes wrapped over it?

MoMo valves unreliable? Is that so? How? Why? I have known these to still be chugging away after decades. The motor is only used a few times a day. The Sunvic valve is full flow whereas the spring return valves I have seen have a great restricting rubber ball and the diameter of a 22mm valves is dropped to around 15mm inside. That restriction alone is enough of a put off. I noticed in one thread the poster had a 28mm zone valve on a 22mm pipe.

I would assume this was to overcome the restrictions of the 22mm zone valve. This means to get decent flow through a valve you need to buy a far more expensive 28mm valve that is bigger. The MoMos have the edge here.

I am still open to feedback.

 

[Corgigrouch]

Sales a little low this month Huh?

 

[rebuilder]

Sales a little low this month Huh?

I noticed your posts never contributed anything to the prime point of this thread. Bored today are we? BTW, I am not in the plumbing game.

 

[Corgigrouch]

Not as bored as you.... You seem to have a facination for the minutia.... Saving the pennies and missing the pounds... You seem to be going to great lengths to promote stuff that in a real world situation will make virtually no difference to the average home... I have however given you three ways that you could save a reasonable quantity of cash.... You seem to know better so go and fit whatever valve you want.. But whenever someone bangs on about such stuff innoring the pros, then they are usually trying to sell stuff.

 

[rebuilder]

Not as bored as you.... You seem to have a facination for the minutia.... Saving the pennies and missing the pounds...

I will not bat the ball with you. I mentioned the eco aspect as an after thought. Your response was to rip out heating system or something childish. Saving electricity for the home owner is a real world. And you never addressed the prime point.

 

[rebuilder]

best thing is to design them out of a heating system..

In the past when I mentioned the massive restriction inside the spring return zone valves to a plumber, he said fit pumps. I then found you need a check valve after the pump to prevent gravity circulation and these also had massive restrictions, so no gain and just more electricity used using many expensive, noisy bulky pumps. I figured it was cheaper to buy and run using quality spring return zone valves.

I can only think of the full flow MoMos that do not restrict flow. I am open to other suggestions of zone valves that do not The less the restriction the less the noise in the system as well as bonus.

 

[ALEC1]

i was thinking of boilers with internal y plans....