Best Float Valve Steel Tank Options
Best Float Valves are masters at fitting into any type of livestock tank. Today, I am exploring steel tanks.
Most of our customers plumb their steel tanks from the side with our side mount kits. Measure your tank(s) at the widest part of the lip to determine what size will suit (we have four sizes). We recommend galvanized bolt pads when using a side mount. Many use a piece of wood to help further stabilize the kit.
To plumb from the bottom, we recommend drilling a hole, connecting the pipe to our Riser Kit and our valve to that, and sealing with silicone. The riser kits range in size from 3/4" to 2" and come in galvanized or stainless steel.
We recommend that the pipe nipple extend approximately 3" from the bottom of the tank for valves with a straight arm, and approximately 5" for valves with a bent arm (like the tank in the first picture). If your pipe comes up higher (less than 6" from the top of the water), any of our float valve kits can come with a bent arm. This will allow the valve to be as low as possible in the water and still permit the valve to open fully.
If your plumbing is coming in from the bottom side, we have a 90° arm that can be added to our valves to allow it to plumb in that direction. For stainless valves, email shannon@bestfloatvalve.com to have that added to your order.
The standard level for an overflow pipe is 1-2" from the top of the tank, or full if the wind won't bother it. A drain pipe is not absolutely necessary, but if it is convenient, go ahead and put one on in. It will be easier to clean the tank and you won't have to siphon or pump it out.
We have multiple options for float valve kits, including regular and high volume kits with galvanized and stainless steel options. We have barrel floats and pan floats. The barrels are the most basic and operate well up to 90 psi. The pan floats take care of up to 180 psi and offer top-water adjustment. The float should be set to be 2/3 underwater in high pressure.
Below are pictures of our Best Float Valve Electric Float Switch Kit, one with our 2" stroke, and one withe 12" stroke.
The main picture in this blog is of our Best Float Valve Air Gap Float Valve Kit. If backflow is a concern, we have you covered!
If you are looking for continuous flow, you can install Best Float valves with a bleeder valve, like the second picture. This one is pictured with our extension kit, which can keep more of the tank open longer.
If you need ice prevention, the Micro Sweeper can attach to any of our ported valves. Customers rave about them because of their ease of installing, no maintenance, and saving their arms in the winter!
Once installed the only semi-regular maintenance will be the poppet washers. Some replace them every 6 months, some every 3-5 years. If you start to have a little overflow, these will fix the problem 9 times out of 10.
If you have questions or if we can serve you in any way, please contact us at your convenience.
