I have heard many people weigh in on 3/8" hose having the capacity to flow 10gpm. I have been told by a trusted equipment supply company that 3/8" hose will only flow 8gpm. I have also heard that it can flow nearly 10gpm. For those of you that run 10gpm machines, have you ever tested your flow? Thanks.
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I would really like to see some numbers on this too. I want to go with 10gpm, but not change all my hoses, fittings, etc…I would even be happy with 9.5-9.9 gpm (ya know, whatever the real life numbers are) if it would work…If you only get like 8.5 gpm though, I would just go ahead and stick with an 8 gpm pump.
Jesse
Atlas Services
Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
I get 10 gpm out of my 3/8 hose when I use my ball valve to rinse. I have tested it by checking my bypass line. When I put a #13 tip which is supposed to get me full pressure, I bypass about a 1/2 gallon. That is with 200 feet of hose. You can get 10 gpms through a 3/8 hose, the problem with flow occurs when you start adding lengths of hose. I have asked these questions all over the place and lots of people say you don’t lose flow, just pressure. This doesn’t correspond to what I see with my own eyes, when I check my bypass line. If you are planning on getting a 10 gpm machine, you have to decide if you can put up with pressure loss and a little bit of flow loss, and go with a 3/8 hose which is so much easier to deal with all day. Or if you want to go with 1/2 hose to give you almost full pressure and flow. I ghsve 1/2" whip lines and I can tell you there is a big difference in size and weight, especially if you are dragging it around all day.
If I couldn’t get the 10 gpms out of 3/8" hose to rinse with, which is 75% of the job, I wouldn’t have gotten a 10 gpm machine. What’s the sense?
@ RalphQ As usual, you answered the question flawlessly…Thank you so much! This info is exactly what I was wondering about.
Jesse
Atlas Services
Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
