Standard valve sizes are available from 1 in. to 2 1/2 in. to match the concentrate inlet thread size on the full range of CHEMGUARD proportioners and In-line Balanced Pressure Proportioner assemblies. Each hydraulic concentrate control valve assembly consists of a factory assembled and tested ball valve, hydraulic actuator, and mounting kit attaching the actuator to the ball valve. The actuator has a position indicator and manual override capability. The internal components of the actuator are designed to be compatible for use with pressurized water which is used as the means of actuation. The actuator is a double-acting type: the pressurized water supplied to the actuator can be used to either close or open the valve. However, for foam concentrate lines, the valve is normally closed and is hydraulically opened for system use. Care should be taken to ensure that the proper pressure sensing port is utilized on the actuator to drive the valve to the desired position (closed or open).

The hydraulic concentrate control valve can be used in conjunction with any type of closed-head sprinkler system (wet pipe, dry pipe, and pre-action). It can also be used in open-type deluge systems. To pressurize the valve, the water line is commonly run from the alarm trim of the sprinkler valve (see “Typical Piping Arrangement”). The pressure sensing line to the actuator should be a minimum of 1/4 in. pipe or alternate 3/8 in. tubing (the actual connection to the actuator is 1/8 in. NPT). The actuators are sized to operate with a minimum pressure of 30 psi (2.1 bar). Technical Services should be consulted for applications where the water pressure potentially could be lower. The maximum recommended water pressure to the actuator is 160 psi (11 bar). For higher pressures, a 1/4 in. FM Approved WATTS1 Pressure Reducing Valve (Part No. 415020) should be installed in the line to the actuator.

Applications

The hydraulic concentrate control valve is designed for use in either a CHEMGUARD bladder tank system or an In-Line Balanced Pressure (ILBP) proportioning system. The valve is used to automatically open the line supplying concentrate to the foam proportioner. FM Approved versions are available and include a factory-installed supervision module for monitoring valve position. The supervision module is also available as a retrofit kit to add supervisory capability to CHEMGUARD Hydraulic Concentrate Control Valves in existing installations. The valve actuator operates by the pressure of the inlet water supply and requires no electrical power. If electrical actuation is preferred, solenoid valves in 24 VDC and 120 VAC versions are available for installation in the water inlet piping.