For my use case, shutting off/turning on a water flow of to my heading system I can buy two different type of valves, mototed ball valves and solenoid valves. Most of the time the valve (either option) is not doing anything but is changed (open -> closed / closed -> open) maybe 4 times a day.
My question is about the (idle) energy consumption while there is not action happening. Does a solenoid not work by constantly iducing a magnetic field, hence consuming energy?
Would a servo motored ball valve be better then, or is either case using energy in idle state (at least either for open or for closed?)
To give an example of a solenoid I have been looking at is this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BACOENG-DC12V-Stainless-Electric-Solenoid/dp/B01054IED0
Suitable Media: Water Oil Air
Valve Type:Direct Acting, Wet Armature
Operation Mode:Normally Closed
Plunger Tip:NBR
Working Pressure:0-1.0Mpa
Fluid Temperature: 23-176 F
Operating Viscosity: Under 20CST
Installation: Fluid direction should be as the arrow shows
Best Answer
If the device is a latching type that uses two coils or a single coil that is driven in a bipolar manner it could, in theory, use a solenoid and not consume energy when not being switched.
Generally solenoid valves do consume power continuously in one state, but you may be looking at some special type, we have no way of knowing.
There is another consideration- if the power fails, a normal solenoid valve will revert to a default state (say closed), whereas a motor-driven valve will retain the previous state. That can be a problem requiring system-level consideration such as backup batteries (and the related maintenance and charging system) just to ensure the valves can be returned to a safe state when the power fails.
Edit: the device you linked to is "normally closed", meaning it will draw power to keep it open. The data on this Chinese valve does not specify the coil power so you should contact the supplier and ask. It will typically be some watts. The "manufacturer" website throws a "may harm your computer" warning, so I am not looking further.