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advice on simple circuit for refilling pond water when its low

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chrisgedwards

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Hi everyone! first time posting here. its been a very long time since i played around with electronics and im second guessing my abilities... i have a pond with a pump that moves the water about 50 feet up to the head of a creek. the water goes down the creek with multiple waterfalls and then finally back into the pond. the fish love it! but i loose water due to many factors so i have to put variable amounts of water back into the pond every now and then.

so i got a 10W max floater switch and a rain bird 24vAC electric sprinkler valve. i plan to buy a 120vac to 24vac 1A (or similar amperage) transformer. i very quickly threw this schematic together in paint (not using my computer) to show how i plan to do this. ill use a 1K ohm 1w resistor in line with the switch which will be attached to a relay. the relay will be in line with the transformer and the valve. the valve takes 24vac and 0.3 amps to activate.

i forgot to put in a fuse before (?) the transformer. it would be a 50w fuse (?). does that sound reasonable (2x expected wattage of circuit). i think this will work and it should be real cheap to throw together. please any advice would be great i didnt copy this monstrosity from anywhere its just off the top of my head so i probably put together something liable to explode...
thanks for the help! when this is installed ill put up a picture of the pond with its koi catfish and goldfish :)
 

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my fear is while its only suppose to use 7.2 watts there may be a spike that brings it up higher than that and its very close to the 10w max that the floating switch i have is said to handle.

do you think the chance of a spike or something similar happening may be slim enough to forget about the relay? if the solenoid in the valve is sticky and doesnt move at first a spike is realistic right? meanwhile the switch maybe ment for a max of 10w continuous but might be able to handle a spike itself... ugh. btw thanks for the help!

here are the specs on the float switch

Product Number CS-CO058
Product Name
Liquid Water Level Sensor Right Angle Float Switch
Max Contact Rating 10w
Max Switching Voltage 100V DC
Max Switching Current 0.5A
Max Breakdown Voltage 220V DC
Max Load Current 1.0A
Max Contact Resistance 100 mω
Temp Rating -10~+85
Float Body Material P.P
Float Ball Material P.P
Net Weight 20g/0.7oz
 
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You're making yourself crazy over nothing. Float switches aren't that delicate. If you're all that concerned, put a half amp fuse in series with the valve.
 
OK your right. im not working with semiconductors, this is a simple mechanical switch. ill just use a 24VAC 0.5amp transformer with a 0.5A quick fuse. at the very worst ill have to spend $3 on a new float switch (but i hate waiting for mail!). that much better than buying all the parts and fitting them in a weatherproof underground box.

thanks for the help!
 
I just used a float-actuated water valve, like the ones used in roof-top evaporative coolers. Costs about $5 at Home Depot. No electrics at all....
 
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