Decoy thermostat to prevent changes?
measure_twice
12 years ago
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ionized_gw
12 years agomaryland_irisman
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Kawasaki 20 hp. Thermostat
Comments (12)It is not as simple as just "lean tuning" the carb. The fact is that the loading of an engine is NOT CONSTANT and neither is the amount of heat generated by an engine under different loading conditions. The amount of horsepower your "20 HP" engine might produce can vary from under 1 HP at idle with no PTO load applied (the load of water pump, compression and alternator cannot be removed) to the theoretical maximum of 20 HP at wide open throttle, cutting heavy grass in 3rd gear. That is far too great a range of heat output to simply "lean tune" a carb for. Not even with electronic fuel injection could you ever hope to compensate the air fuel ratio to a working mix that would allow for elimination of the thermostat. It was proven a long time ago that that the most efficient temperature range for an ICE (whether burning gasoline, propane, diesel fuel oil, or alcohol) was in the 180 to 220 degrees Farenheit range. In this temp range, you are able to coax the most power out of the fuel and still be able to manage the task of shedding surplus heat of combustion (and compression). If you try to operate at a lower temperature, you will not get the maximum efficiency out of the fuel (essentially dumping more unburned fuel out the tail pipe). If you try to operate a liquid cooled engine at a higher temperature, you run the risk of raising the temperature of the coolant above the cavitation point (where the coolant boils in contact with the water jacket). Once the coolant begins to boil, it no longer cools and the engine is at risk of failure. The argument about "cooler is better" has never been true. It is just an often repeated misconception. For as long as ICEs have had thermostats.....there has been a small group of people who believe thermostats can be thrown away with no ill effects. Now, if I remember something from past arguments, this is about where somebody should jump in and say that if you run an engine without a thermostat, it will cause the engine to overheat (because the water flows too quickly through the water jacket and therefore does not "have time" to absorb any heat). That too is fallacy....See MoreGrohe Thermostatic Shower Valve
Comments (6)Although you wouldn't think there would be strong mineral deposits with a water softener in line but the most frequent cause for lowered water pressure on a shower head is mineral and salt deposits. here's and easy fix if that is the problem: Pour white vinegar into a plastic bag until itÂs half full. Pull the bag over the showerhead until its spray channels are submerged. Tape the bag to the showerhead pipe with electrical tape and leave on overnight. Scrub away any remaining buildup with an old toothbrush. Hope this helps....See MoreHow much more work ($$$) is it to install a Thermostatic vs PB?
Comments (5)A couple things to consider. If your getting cold surges, then your PB valve is not working. Not surprising for a 25 year old valve. Cold or hot surges are what pressure balanced valves were designed to prevent. They compensate for changes in the pressure coming from the hot or cold supply. None do it perfectly but most are adequate. Thermostatic valves will maintain a set temperature when either the pressure or the temperature from either supply line changes. This will help if your water heater is a little undersize. They will also compensate for changes in pressure but may not be as fast as a PB valve. Since they use a temperature "sensor" of some type, there may be a lag in the compensating. I don't know how long a lag this might be I don't have any experience with thermostatic valves. It likely will vary between different brands. The antiscald feature on PB valves is also an anti get hot water quick feature. It restricts how much the hot side will flow. If your a long way from the water heater this can waste a lot of time and water. The Thermostatic valves should not have this problem, but some may. depending on how they are constructed. A tub filler spout is unrestricted and will allow you to fill a tub quickly, but also allows you to run a lot of water from the hot supply and get hot water to your shower quickly,(assuming you haven't restricted it with an anti scald feature) . If you install a second shower head where the tub spout is supossed to go, you will restrict the flow (even if you remove the showerhead flow restrictor) and it will take longer to get hot water. I have seen tub spouts mounted low in a shower. Generaly refered to as a "toe tester". I considered both types and decided on a PB valve with the Anti scald "feature" disabled....See MoreThermostatic shower control no stable temp/pressure?
Comments (6)A thermostatic valve will automatically adjust the mix of hot and cold water to maintain the water temperature you have selected. If a nearby toilet is flushed, the flow of water shouldn't change noticably as the valve simply adjusts the mix of hot and cold to maintain the desired temperature and flow rate. A pressure balanced valve works differently. It adjusts to maintain equal pressure on both the cold and the hot sides. If the cold water pressure suddenly drops because someone flushes a nearby toilet, the pressure balance valve will automatically reduce the hot water flow to match the cold water flow and thereby prevent a dramatic increase in the temperature of water flowing from the showerhead. When this happens, you may experience a sudden drop in the flow rate until the cold water pressure again rises. A thermostatic valve is able to increase OR decrease the flow of hot and cold water passing through the valve. In doing so, it maintains temperature and flow rate. A pressure balanced valve is only able to reduce the flow of water on one side or the other if the pressure on the opposite side suddenly decreases. In doing so, it will decrease the flow of water passing through the valve....See Moreionized_gw
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