I’m looking into the hydro tek 8gpm skid and their surface cleaner only puts out 5.5 gpm. Will that work? Do I need to match the gpm?
Technically, any surface cleaner will work with any machine, just got to have the right nozzles. Although I would not recommend a 12 inch cleaner with an 8 GPM machine. It might just fly away.
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Check out the hydro max skid units. Pair that with a whisper wash aqua pro and you will be golden.
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If you do decide to go that route, please supply gopro footage.
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I second the motion for gopro footage!
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It will just put out 5.5 gpm and bypass the 2.5 back to your buffer tank. I’m assuming your talking about the antv5 recovery hydro twister. Just got it and use with new scx30008 which is 7.8 gpm. Works well except it leaves a little water on the ground doesn’t work as awesome As the videos. You can up it to two 3.0 nozzles and get 6gpm out of it to maximize its power. Bought them but haven’t put on to try yet as both are relatively new to me.
Not sure it works like that. The bypass whatever you don’t use bit I mean…
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He is in his own world most of the time.
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I am thinking if you are using 7.8 gpm machine with that surface cleaner, the vacuum would have a rating as to how much flow it can suck. Would it be possible that the vacuum can only suck 5.5 gpm which is why the cleaner is rated for that flow and when using with high GPM the vacuum is not able to suck that much flow which is why you are seeing a little water left behind?
I am curious about this as I have looked into this set-up, but with an 8 gpm was worried about the vacuum being able to collect all the water. I could use my 4 gpm but then lose hot water capability and I am not inclined to have to adjust the bypass every time I want to use the vacuum.
You can use a max total nozzle size of 6.0 so you don’t let 7.8 thru to the ground. The surface cleaner has two tips preinstalled at the factory each one is a 2.7 for a total of 5.4 gpm allowed thru. They physically won’t allow any more water thru. Hydrotek says on the antv5 brochure that you can use a max of 6gpm on the unit. I could run a 20 gallon per minute machine with the surface cleaner but only put out 5.4 gpm (or 6 when I change to two 3.0 orfice tips)
Now if I put two 4.0 orfice tips on it then yeah I could do 8gpm then it definitely would not suck it all up. That’s a waste of the units intention and better off with a regular SC as this one can’t get up to the edge. The cleaning path is 24” with a 3” diameter all around for the vac tube so the deck is actually 30”. I also have the ant4c that is 28” and run it with four 2.0 tips (has 4 nozzles). That one gets to the edge and is physically 2” smaller overall.
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Curious then - if the sc will only put out a max of 6 gpm, would you not end up with back-pressure in the line affecting the pump when using with an 8 gpm machine? Any concerns on that?
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It works the same as if you let go of the trigger. Hydrotek units come with a bypass line that you hook into your buffer tank. Any extra water that can’t go thru bypasses back into your tank. If you don’t have a bypass hooked up then yeah you’re gonna have a problem.
I think you’re just creating higher pressure at the surface cleaner and strain on your machine by using those tips.
Before I ordered I talked to the head service manager and he told me it’s how it worked. Hope I wasn’t lied to for a sale…
Maybe your system is different. If that’s what they advised you to do I would do it. Maybe give them another call. I could be way off. Still learning myself but that doesn’t seem right
Letting go of the trigger bypasses ALL of the water.
Pressing the trigger will only allow the amount of bypass water that you’ve set the unloader to (not more depending on the tips etc).
If your unloader is set to bypass more than a trickle, you’re wasting flow. If you then change down the nozzles size, you don’t bypass the rest - you will build back pressure, that’s how I understand it.
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I’m gonna call Hydrotek Monday and ask again. I’ll be pissed if I find out that I spent 2 grand on a surface cleaner that they said would work like that and then could ruin a $14k machine
Sounds like the unloader will need to be set to suit surface cleaner.
I think it depends on the unloader. I believe that most trapped pressure unloaders can handle undersized nozzles by simply bypassing the excess flow. It’s probably not great for the unloader, but it won’t wreck the pump.
I do know that my k5 unloader is not happy with undersized nozzles. I tried running 2.0 tips on a surface cleaner with my 5.5 gpm machine, and it caused the pressure to cycle up and down. Very bizarre.
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True. I assumed he had a flow actuated, because I do ha ha.
So yeah, when a trapped pressure unloader is loosened, the tension on the spring is reduced and therefore causes the piston assembly tension to lessen meaning that it can open into bypass at lower pressures.
= less water to be forced out of the gun/lower operating pressure/more bypass.
