Basement mounted PW

Just using it for random stuff around the house.

There is a lot of wasted energy and thoughts in this thread.

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Much like your post, but thatā€™s ok too. Iā€™m not judging

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Itā€™s my time, Iā€™ll waste if I want toā€¦ :joy:

You would cry to if it happened to you.

Lol, made me think of Leslie Gore

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That looks like it took a lot of work. Props to you, I hope it works out fantastically!

If youā€™ve still got your pex crimpers handy, Iā€™d consider throwing in a check valve after the ball valve and before the tank on the supply side.

All of what youā€™re doing operates outside of anything youā€™ll find in the current IPC or UPC code, but typically youā€™ll want your potable water source separated from any accessory pumps or possible sources of contamination. Recirc pumps get an exception but go through different manufacturing hoop

Also how are you supporting that 56 pound tank?

The check is before the solenoid valve which is up above all that mess. The valve in the pic is just a maintenance/lockout valve, as there is another valve that kills the whole branch which includes an outside hose bib. I just used a 1/4"x3" anchor bolt for the tank.

I donā€™t know the plumbing codes, but I would be interested what would be required to be ā€œlegalā€. I would assume it would be ok if it was fed from a hose bib like any other pressure washer, but we both know that really doesnā€™t change anything.

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Outdoor hose bibs (are supposed to) have backflow preventers on them. So incorporating some type of backflow prevention like a check valve would probably be sufficient.

Edit: reread your post and see that youā€™ve already got a check valve.

Good work! Hope it serves you well :+1:t2:

Iā€™d love the see a timed heat rise test for that 7 gallon tank. Wondering how long you could be off the trigger before the temps climb to a dangerous level.

Edit 2:
Think maybe you should have a small expansion tank/bladder of some sort? Water expands as it heatsā€¦ :thinking:

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The inlet of the tank has a 1" port with a 1x3/4 bushing. I could just add a dip tube to that bushing to trap the 7 gallons of air to be used for expansion. At the moment I just didnā€™t bleed the air out, but if there was a slight leak it could be bad.

There is a 3/8 collar at the bottom, so I could add a thermometer to the tank. Maybe add a tee at the thermometer for a pressure gauge to make sure there is adequate expansion volume.

Good job on the check valve, well thought out. As far as plumbing code is concerned, what youā€™re doing is so weird it would probably just come down to what kind of mood your plumbing inspector is in that day. Thereā€™s not really explicit verbage for a system like that in residential code.

Throwing in an expansion tank would be way easier than trying to keep 7 gallons of air captive. They have a bladder inside that does the purpose and cost $30, you can just tap it right into that 3/4 bushing. No need to reinvent that wheel. @Infinity nice catch on that one

Just spent a bit messing with it, and having air in the tank is a no go. It takes 5 minutes to relieve all of the pressure in the tank. Iā€™ll have to put an expansion tank downstream of the check, but upstream of the solenoid valve. Should be good to go after that.

If you want any advice on that Iā€™m happy to help. Used to be my daily job. Personally Iā€™d throw in a tee right where youā€™re plumbed into that bushing, and plumb from the side of the tee into an expansion tank. You can even secure the expansion tank to the wall right there.

Iā€™d also make sure itā€™s downstream of the solenoid valve too. Never a good idea to separate what youā€™re trying to protect from the thing thatā€™s protecting it!

The solenoid valve acts more like a bypassable check valve, so it would be able to backflow if there was a significant increase in pressure downstream. It basically opens the valve against the upstream pressure, so even if it failed it would seal from the upstream pressure. There will always be some air in the bypass tank due to the inlet being an inch or so below the top of the tank. I also doubt the residual heat in the pump would increase the pressure of the bypass tank enough to be problematic, even if it was shut down hot and the hose wasnā€™t bled.

I think I will add a thermometer and pressure gauge to test. I can see how long it takes to get hot, and also see if there is a significant pressure spike when it is shut down. Iā€™m still not sure how hot I want to let it get though. Dont want to blow it up testing.

The turbulence in that tank will create micro bubbles, which will eventually cause that entire tank to be full of water. Shake up a bottle of water: those little microscopic bubbles that take a long time to go to the top is what Iā€™m talking about. Those will get sucked up by the pump and deplete the air inside

As far as the expansion tank, you do whatever you feel like homie. But an expansion tank in residential settings absolutely must not have a valve between it and the water heater (like your tank). Itā€™ll fail code inspection in every state in the US

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Iā€™m still scratching my head trying to figure out why you have this contraption installed in your home and what your end goal is and why.

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I canā€™t figure out why someone would spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of junk that takes 20 minutes to setup and tear down, but people do it every day. To me, this is how it is done. Literally every shop, washbay, carwash and even mobile pressure washing rig is turnkey. Of course gas is easier mobile, but otherwise it is pull a hose and flip a switch. The real question is ā€œwhy notā€.

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Iā€™m not knocking your effort, a used Honda on wheels will do everything better than what you have in any cleaning situation without a permanent install. Iā€™m so disconnected from the homeowner pressure washing scene it doesnā€™t even matter what I think, just curious.