So I finally finished my irrigation automation project.
Background: When the contractor installed the cistern, they put level sensors near the bottom. When the water level gets too low, the sensor opens a valve, and city water flows into the cistern to keep it from running dry (the water feature pump is at the bottom of the cistern).
When the water is near that point, and I'm using it for irrigation, the level sensor opens the valve (keeping the level at the minimum), and I use my booster pump (and my electricity) to irrigate.
This annoyed me to no end. Why should I waste all that potential energy (city water pressure) by dumping it into the cistern and then boosting the pressure back up on MY dime to irrigate.
SO, I installed a 3-way valve with an actuator and a control circuit that switches the irrigation source from cistern to city water when the level gets low. Then, once the cistern starts filling again, it switches back automatically.
Why would I do this when I could just turn a couple of valves manually, you may ask? Because I'm nuts, that's why!
Here's pictures of the 3-way valve and the circuit I created. The valve is usually used for pool/spa applications, as is the level sensor. The circuit at the bottom is my design.
One more pic...
Linear Mode
