What is a solenoid valve?

Restaurant Parts Explained: The Secrets of the Solenoid Valve If you run a professional kitchen, almost everything you do depends on solenoid valves. What are these mysterious parts? Why don’t you ever see them? What happens when they fail? Is there a way to troubleshoot them? Today’s installment of “Restaurant Parts Explained” will help you learn the secrets of the solenoid valve.

Solenoid Valve Basics

A solenoid valve is a tube that opens and shuts to control the flow of a liquid or a gas. A gate is attached to a metal spring housed inside an electromagnetic coil. When the power is on, the spring is compressed and the gate lifts. When the power is off, the spring expands and the gate falls. For some solenoids, the default position is ‘open.’ For others, it’s closed. It all depends on where the valve is in the appliance. For instance, a dishwasher might have two solenoid valves: one that defaults to ‘closed’ which controls the flow of hot water into the machine, and one that defaults to ‘opened’, to control the draining mechanism. The Solenoid In Your Oven

If any of the cooking appliances in your kitchen run on gas, they have solenoid valves to control the flow of gas from the pipes to the burners. When you turn on the oven, it allows electricity to flow to the solenoid valve, releasing gas to feed the burner. This is why it’s impossible to operate many newer ovens and ranges when the power is out. The gas cannot flow without an electrical current to operate the solenoid valve. Other appliances that use gas as a heat source, like water heaters and drying machines, may also use gas solenoid valves to control flow. When a solenoid valve fails, it sometimes becomes stuck in the ‘on’ position. If this happens with a gas solenoid valve, you will smell a gas leak. Leaking gas solenoid valves must be replaced. Many manufacturers recommend testing the gas solenoid whenever you service the rest of your oven. That way, you can spot problems with the valve before there’s a catastrophic failure. Signs of an impending gas solenoid failure include a knocking or buzzing noise when the valve is activated or an oven that heats slowly or fails to heat at all. In these cases, you may want to use a multimeter to test the solenoid valve. Gently Flowing Waters The other main application for solenoid valves in the kitchen is in appliances that move water from one place to another. Dishwashers, icemakers, and steamers all use solenoid valves to control the flow of water.

Water-bearing valves are especially vulnerable to mineral deposits and corrosion. In an area with hard water, limestone deposits can shorten the live of the valves in your kitchen appliances. These deposits often prevent the valve from closing, and lead to leaking and water damage. In some cases it may be possible to clean mineral deposits off a solenoid. However, in other cases, replacing the damaged valve is the most efficient option. As with the gas solenoid valves, buzzing noises and a lack of flow can be signs that a water solenoid valve is failing. You can troubleshoot the valve to find the source of the problem. If the valve has failed, Sharptek carries a complete line of both gas and water replacement solenoid valves.