I wasn’t getting an ounce of air. It was very well primed. Had good pressure too. As soon as I let off the trigger the pump stopped. When I used garden hose it would keep running and hose would stiffen in years past. Just not the flow? All I can think is it was because the hose was wound and I was testing it by drawing straight from my sh tank. There may be more restriction on the soap side?
Occam’s Razor. The simplest answer is usually the right answer. Unwind the hose and check again.
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I’ll do that tomorrow. So with your pw doing a bucket test you get what the pump says but with your sw 12v did you?
I think I’m going o go to the farm store tomorrow and buy the 7gpm pump. They are having a 20% off deal that makes it the same price as online.
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I’ve never tested my 12v. I just know I don’t have to rent a lift with it unless I need to hit over 40’ with the hose fully stretched out.
I was just running it wide open. I’m sure if I put a nozzle on it I could hit the same distance as I used too. Maybe I’m paranoid because this cold weather has me so far backed up… I have about 30 houses on the books.
At 60 psi you’re only going to get about 5gpm flow with at 12V. The less 90’s, elbows, fittings,etc. the better your 12v going to perform. Best performance is going to come from a simple drop tube going straight to your pump.
Even if the 90s are 1 inch? I figured by oversizing it I would gain back the lost flow? I’m probably wrong… I was pulling from the “soap side” of the plumbing so I was also pulling through that electric valve. When I test tomorrow I’ll hook it correctly to the water input side. I will also fill the sh tank with water so it is drawing from both sides. I also think it’s time to upgrade the pump. 4.5 gpm just is not going to cut it this year.
Thank you very much sir!
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Well for sure going to a bigger pump will help. Didn’t realize you had all that setup on a 4.5gpm 12v. What was your flow test? Would be surprised you getting 3pgm. The 1" will help but still turbulence.
So Diaphragm pumps (like your 12v) work quite differently than the high pressure pumps on our washers. The flow rating is based on “open flow”; zero resistance on the inlet and outlet sides.
It’s not uncommon to observe real-world performance at half or even less than the rating.
And if I recall correctly, diaphragm pumps can slowly lose their ‘oomph’ as they age (though I may be mistaken on that, idk)
Did you ever test the flow rate on your previous setup? Before you put together that whole proportioning system?
You’ll definitely be happier with the 7gpm pump. And unreeling your hose for the test.
As far as having the hose on the reel, I think for the softer hoses the biggest restriction to flow is how they tend to flatten down as you wind them onto the reel, which effectively reduces the internal diameter.
As flow increases and diameter is reduced (like on your pressure hose) you get centrifugal friction from the water flow going ‘round and ‘round in circles. It’s like the water is going through one reeeeaaaalllllyyy long sweeping elbow.
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That looks great man! It’s is cool to see how creative people can be when they have the time and implement a plan. I hope you have a great season with that thing.
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Filled a 5 gallon in 2 min 5 sec so you are spot on.
Thank you! It will be a big change not hand coiling all that hose each wash!
I will have the new pump on tonight (assuming they have the fatboy in stock) and I’ll lay the hose all out. Will update everyone tonight!
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And to answer your question, no I ever did a bucket test in years past. I knew I could hit 2 stories so I just went to work!
You should get about 4.5 - 5 gpm with fresh battery out of Fat boy
