Water supply question

chrishartje

chrishartje

New member
I've got a building was coming up this next week. And we need to get in and out as quick as possible.

I'm thinking about setting up my third and smallest machine for this job. Just to help rinse. It's a belt driven 4 gpm machine. I have always set my machines up with a float tank. I might not have time to set this small machine up to a float.
Can I pressure feed this belt driven machine with a garden hose and run it a few days? Im not sure if it would collapse the garden hose. Or my other option is setting up this spare 125gal. tank I have. Right now it doesn't have any bulkhead fittings on it or even a float valve.
Witch float valve would work best on this tank? I use a Hudson on the big tank but with the size of the cap on this small tank I don't think a Hudson will work. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1406143934.055952.jpg


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Do you have good water flow from the water source? If so you should be fine. As long as you can still feed your other tanks as well as force feed the 4 gpm
 
You can install a hudson valve at the top of the tank on either side of where the straps go to secure it.

The hudson valves I use are 1", just drill a hole on top of the tank and put the fitting from garden hose to pipe thread at the top and thread the valve under the top of the tank. You will lose about 6" of the top of the tank for capacity but that should not be a problem since the garden hose will be supplying it and as long as the garden hose supply is more than what you need.

Depending on the flow on the property, you should check the flow of your main supply hose and then have the other close by and see if the flow drops off when you open another hose, sometimes the flows will slow down, sometimes not but checking will help you decide to use the tank or just have the hose supply the machine.

Usually the higher quality garden hose will not collapse, especially with 40 to 80psi in them from the water supply unless the machine is pulling more than the hose supplies. Time the flow into a bucket and see how many gallons per minute you get and you will have your answers.

Good luck.
 
Hey Chris,
Here in town I run my 4gpm off residential lines no problem, the lowest flow GPM from a house ive found is barely 5gallons in one minuet, highest was 7gallons a min in residential. I was running a direct drive on that too. You should be fine feeding that belt driven unit no problem. We have good pressure here in town, just not enough to keep it pressurized all year apparently. haha
 
Thanks for the replies.
Here is an update on what I have done. I have scraped the above idea. With the small tank or even pressure feeding this small machine. I had initially thought about putting the machine and small tank on a small trailer I have. But going to forget all of that...

I put a new cylinder head on this machine due to the muffler issues I have had on the honda gx360.
Today I put a side door in on this box truck. For air flow and to access this machine I just threw in.
And now need to plumb the two machines this weekend.
The first pick is how I had the 8gpm skid plumbed. And figured out I had that messed up. The y-strainer should have been 1"
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1406343788.895096.jpg

2nd pic I could use some ideas. Not the best pic but all I took.
The skid has a 1" feed hose.
I need to either come out of the tote with a quick 90 then tee off to the two machines.
Or come strait out the tote and put the tee sideways and tee off to the machines.
Or if someone can tell me what they have done or would do. That may help me out here. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1406344267.618890.jpg
I'm open to all ideas. The fittings will have to be bought locally. I need both machines running bye Monday.



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Since you are going to run a "T" off of the tank, use a 2" "T" and then reduce to 1" lines to the machines, that is what I have done and still have on my trailer.

You don't want to use a 1" "T" because you need water flow/volume in the "T" so that you don't pull water harder in one direction and for other technical reasons. Adding a second bulkhead would be even better but with my 325 gallon tank, the 2" "T" has worked out good with a 5.6gpm and 8gpm both pulling from that 2" "T" with 1" lines going to each machine the T is going left and right when looking at the bulkhead fitting.

Filters before the pumps to make sure the trash that gets into the tank will not get into the pump. With the large 2" "T", that helps some with the 90 degree turn some, always best to keep the flow going as straight as possible.

I also put 1" pvc ball valves before the filters so that I can clean the filters and not have the tank emptying on the ground when I clean the screens, block the filters and clean them and then open up the ball valves.

You can get most of the fittings at Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, etc.... many places open on the weekend to get the job done.
 
Homedepot on shaw / valentine has a couple 2" fpt X fpt pvc ball valves left 13 bucks I just got 2 today. What they didn't have was a 2" fpt X mpt only a slip on. Either way getting those fittings shouldn't be too hard.
 
Since it's a building wash, I'd use the 4gpm for applying mix, am assuming you are down streaming (hook it directly to the water source) and use your higher flow machines for rinsing. I think this will help your getting in an out much faster than using the 4gpm to rinse.
 
Christopher said:
Since you are going to run a "T" off of the tank, use a 2" "T" and then reduce to 1" lines to the machines, that is what I have done and still have on my trailer.

You don't want to use a 1" "T" because you need water flow/volume in the "T" so that you don't pull water harder in one direction and for other technical reasons. Adding a second bulkhead would be even better but with my 325 gallon tank, the 2" "T" has worked out good with a 5.6gpm and 8gpm both pulling from that 2" "T" with 1" lines going to each machine the T is going left and right when looking at the bulkhead fitting.

Filters before the pumps to make sure the trash that gets into the tank will not get into the pump. With the large 2" "T", that helps some with the 90 degree turn some, always best to keep the flow going as straight as possible.

I also put 1" pvc ball valves before the filters so that I can clean the filters and not have the tank emptying on the ground when I clean the screens, block the filters and clean them and then open up the ball valves.

You can get most of the fittings at Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, etc.... many places open on the weekend to get the job done.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris,
I ended up using a 2" tee down to 1" to the 8gpm unit and 3/4" to the 4 gpm unit. With filters on each.
The tote has a shut off valve so I will be able to cut flow to clean the filters. I appreciate the help.


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valley pressure wash said:
Homedepot on shaw / valentine has a couple 2" fpt X fpt pvc ball valves left 13 bucks I just got 2 today. What they didn't have was a 2" fpt X mpt only a slip on. Either way getting those fittings shouldn't be too hard.
Click to expand...

I ended up going to Fresno ag hardware. When it comes to fitting this is the only place in town that has it all.
I read that you ordered a machine from Russ. That's awesome.
What did you get? I'll have to check it out sometime! And meet you as well.


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Doug Rucker said:
Since it's a building wash, I'd use the 4gpm for applying mix, am assuming you are down streaming (hook it directly to the water source) and use your higher flow machines for rinsing. I think this will help your getting in an out much faster than using the 4gpm to rinse.
Click to expand...

Well Doug, easier said than done. It's been one of those days. My plan was to use the 4 gpm machine to soap and the two larger ones to rinse like you said.
The small machine has been sitting for about 9 months maybe longer un used. I put a new cylinder head on it a few weeks back. Engine runs great!
Yesterday I put new belts on it and put it in the truck. Plumbed it up today and the pump is leaking badly when the engine is not started. Start it up and the leak goes away. But the gauge goes crazy and the pressure line is pulsating.
I talked with Russ today and he believes it may be the inlet seals.
So I pulled it back off the truck. And hope to get too it sometime this week.
Always something.


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