Reliable Automatic Drain Valves

automatic drain valve application
Cooling, drying and filtering your compressed air is only part of the air treatment process. In a 100 scfm system operating at 100 psig in ambient conditions of 70°F and 50% relative humidity, each 8-hour shift produces 2.5 gallons of condensate that must be drained from the system. Van Air Systems offers a variety of sturdy and economical options for draining condensate from your compressed air system. Automatic drains remove condensed liquid – usually a mixture of water and compressor lubricant — from compressed air systems. Our drain valves are commonly installed on air receiver tanks, drip legs, bulk moisture separators, coalescing filters, refrigerated air dryers, and deliquescent air dryers.

auto drain valves

Choose the Right Automatic Drain Valve for your Application

automatic drain valve application
natural gas dryers

As the name implies, auto drain valves remove human labor from emptying drying storage tanks. An automatic drain valve eliminates the need for a maintenance worker to patrol the plant, manually dumping liquid from the air system. Here are a few different auto drain valves available:

  • Internal Float Drains - An inexpensive variety of an auto drain valve, but are notoriously subject to clogging or sticking open
  • Timed Solenoid Drains - Timer drains are pervasive in compressed air systems with 25 horse power of compression and smaller, but require regular maintenance
  • Electronic Level Sensing Drains - A level sensing drain signals a valve when to open and shut. This approach eliminates the biggest drawback to solenoid timers drains, the loss of compressed air. Better in a clean system though as the sensor can foul
  • Pneumatic Zero Loss Drains - An external condensate reservoir collects liquid, which rises to a set point, where a mechanical switch sends pilot air to an air cylinder that opens a ball valve, draining the reservoir. Simple, robust, but more pricey
  • Motorized Timer Ball Valve - For the most dependable draining, motorized ball valves are the way to go. The heavy-duty ball valve can manage virtually any fluid in a wide variety of applications. Depend on it for nearly any fluid service
Automatic Drain Valves

Solenoid Electric Drains

The inexpensive and reliable electric drain valve (EDV) automatically removes condensate from your air system. It has an integral strainer to prevent clogging and saves time and money by eliminating the need for manual draining. The EDV also eliminates the need for the wasteful practice of bleeding, or leaving cracked open manual drain valves. With adjustable valve open and cycle time settings, all EDV Series drain valves can be set for your operating conditions. The valve open time may be set for 10 to 60 seconds and the cycle time may be set for 1 to 60 minutes.

Solenoid Electric Drains
Automatic Drain Valves

Pneumatic Drains

The PDV-500 series drain valves are heavy duty zero loss pneumatic drain valves that save energy. With no electricity needed for operation, the PDV-500 Series is well suited for remote or portable applications and is safe to operate in hazardous areas. As a demand-operated drain, the PDV-500T automatically does the work of draining for you, eliminating the guess work of setting the cycle time of the timed drain valve. As condensate levels change, the PDV-500T automatically adjusts to drain as needed, without permitting valuable compressed air to escape. Designed with a full flow ball valve and proprietary pilot valve using…

Pneumatic Drains
Automatic Drain Valves

Motorized Ball Valves

Whether you need the simplicity of a basic valve or the flexibility of added features, the MDV Series is your solution. Choose from two models, plus different options and accessories to fit the level of adjustment and controls you need. For the most dependable draining, install the Van Air Systems MDV Series motorized ball valve. The MDV’s heavy-duty ball valve can manage virtually any fluid in a wide variety of applications. Depend on it for nearly any fluid service The MDV-400 is available in two models: MDV-400I – For dependable draining at consistent intervals choose model MDV-400I. A power-on LED…

Motorized Ball Valves

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