Just curious as I’ve been working with my first larger machine, how long can I safely let the machine run in bypass back to the tank without pulling the trigger?
If it’s in bypass model cycling theough the tank then pretty much indefinitely.
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Hmm…I only ask because I came across something, somewhere that said that you should only let it run in by-pass for 2 or 3 minutes. But I thought that didn’t sound right. So there’s no risk to to the pump by just letting it run without pulling the trigger as long as it’s bypassing back to the tank?
Are you sure you didn’t read that you shouldn’t let it run without pulling the trigger longer then a couple if minutes if you were NOT running a bypass??
I think that’s only if you’re not bypassing to your tank. I need to run my bypass to my tank, but I’m not exactly sure how.
Just install another bulkhead on your tank and run hose from the pump bypass to the bulkhead. Simple.
That’s possible.
I have a direct drive pump. Right now I have 2 barbs that come off that pump and a 12 in piece of hose that create a closed circuit. I know this can’t be right or good, but it’s how it was set up when i bought it. Do I cap one and route the other to the top of the tank or is one an inlet and the other an outlet that have to be fed. The videos and pics I’ve seen only have one tube from the unloader to the tank. 
OK so that little hose coming off of the unloader, that’s running down and connecting to a barb that comes off of your inlet, right? You need to remove that hose. Then run a hose from that unloader barb (you may need a bigger barb) back to your tank. That will be your bypass and the water will feed back to the tank when the trigger isn’t being pulled. Then you need to remove the entire fitting on the inlet and replace it with a nipple to connect your inlet hose to.
I just drill a hole in the top of the tank slightly smaller than the bypass hose, quickly heat the hole with a torch and push the hose thru. Don’t route it over the discharge holes at the bottom of the tank. I zip tie my bypass hoses together to a 3 foot section of stainless rod so they don’t jump around or distort the water leaving the tank when the water is low
Thanks for the help. I watched a couple videos last night and think I’m going to do away with the sight glass filter and small ID inlet and go with the larger barb like you suggested. Swap it all to a 1" short hose from my filter to the pump. This should help with a flow and keep me from building up heat too quick.
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This might be a dumb question but is there any other kind of mod I can do with the bypass mode without using a tank … I just bought a new washer that has the bypass mod…but I don’t have a tank… is there a simple mode I can do to make this work where I can leave it running
I mean, I guess it doesn’t HAVE to go back to a tank. In theory, it should work just the same if you just had a hose coming off the bypass and dumping the water. But what is the GPM on your machine? I just got a new 5.5gpm about 8 weeks ago and I’ve already encountered a couple of houses where the flow from the house was low. If I hadn’t had a tank, I’d have starved the pump.
Yeah I just got a 5.5 too… I am just getting into the business … been doing a lot of research and that’s why I bought the 5.5 gpm… I don’t have a trailer just going to use my truck for right now with a camper shell… so going to have to wheel my washer around …
That’s a $400 pump on that machine. I’m sure there are more expensive mistakes you could make starting out, but why??
You could go do the ‘bucket test’ at every job, get 6gpm from the spigot, and then one day a customer forgets that you’re using the water and decides to run their laundry or take a shower. It’s really not that much of a stretch of the imagination.
Take the $400 that you’re about to spend on a new pump, and please invest in a cheap utility trailer and a basic buffer tank setup.
Just my 2¢ 
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I’m using a 35 gallon tank as a buffer. I know it’s small, but 98% of the houses I go to can easily give me 6 gpm. I have had one or two where it was low but the small tank did just fine. Now if I had an 8gpm, I’d definitely go with a larger tank. But he’s right. Spend the money on a trailer and tank. It’s not worth the risk to the pump.
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Nice. 
If you don’t have one of these installed yet, I highly recommend it, especially if you’re running a small buffer tank:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AKW29U2/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It gets wired in-series with the on/off switch on the machine.
I’d have to agree with Alex. Try to find a good deal on a small trailer and set up a buffer tank. Unless you already have a lot of pressure hose you’re gonna cause some wear and tear just moving your stuff around during a job. You can go to harbor freight and buy the frame and just add the wood. Your issue is going to be weight capacity with a set up like that. the trailer costs $240 (no wood and is rated for like 1000 lbs. so minus wood, minus weight of motor and pump, minus hose reels, hose. you’re looking at about 500-600ish lbs of capacity when parked. you could set up a 55 gal buffer tank with a hudson valve to keep it full while working. when you leave dump the tank and move on to the next one you would need around 200 ft of pressure hose. 100 feet for fill tank. . You could set up the trailer if you shop around for around $600-750. or look on craigslist or fb marketplace for larger trailers and set up a 275 gal buffer. I like general pump hose reels because they’re reasonably priced and work well. Hope this helps. I just set up my trailer and I’m still making small changes to get it like I want so I’m there with you bud.
Heck for that matter, if you can’t afford a trailer right now, just sit a tank in your truck bed. We can’t stress enough how much you’re playing with fire.
