Tig Cooler Pump Question

I'm working on building a cooler for my tig, and have a good idea of what I need from reading the many posts on the newsgroups.

I came across this pump from Northern and harbor freight

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and I was wondering if anyone has tried it or not. I have a WP20 torch with

25' cables. The pump says it can push 55PSI and it seems to have more than enough flow. I would be using it for hobby use, and not very frequent very long periods of time, so the quality should not be a huge problem for me.

Any comments? Thanks.

Reply to
Terry G
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I'm as curious about it as you are. I could use it for circulating the cooling water in my induction furnace if what they say is correct. I'm a long ways away from that project, so if you buy one, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks!

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

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That looks a bit large for most tig machines. Martin

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

You can buy the real thing for about $80 from Depco pumps in Florida.

I am not sure that the northern tool pump can run continuously.

It is cheap at $30.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

I asked just this same question a week ago. Look back a ways for a lot of posts on this.

I bought a 24 volt double diaphram pump with power supply from surplus center for $79. You get two - one spare. A friend, Don Foreman, is going to set a up a variable speed dc drive for me.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

I ended up plumping the welder into my 1/2" copper water line I used a few years back for my sink. It is running directly behind the welder, and with a simple copper T, a sediment filter, and a valve with the proper fittings (cost me exactly $20.00) I was able to supply the welder with constant 60 PSI of pressure. I run another hose with fitting into the drain. The water solenoid inside the welder works great. Not to worried about wasting water since I don't use the welder very often. And since it weighs 816 lbs, I don't ever plan on moving it!

Terry

Reply to
Terry G

Good thinking, Terry. While different, that's about the same setup I use, too. Works for me! No pumps to fail, and a steady supply of cool clean water.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

You're one up on me. Mine failed a few weeks ago and the repair isn't done yet. My shop freezes in the winter, or at least it can when I'm gone, so I need antifreeze solution for coolant. I bought a diaphram pump from surplus center.

My Lincoln IdealArc Stick/Tig doesn't have a solenoid for the water, just the gas. This is why the first pump failed, it was left on for a week ( Nice to have a kid around to help break things) I need to go inside the welder to get the wire for the gas solenoid and use it to turn the coolant pump on. Then the pump will only run when gas is called for.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

Run the hose out the window, and let the water dribble on that big shade tree near the garage. Waste not, want not.

Make sure you have enough pressure to get the needed flow - the rest of the discussions have centered around carbonator pumps, which are gear type, to get the 60 PSI pressure needed to flow the water through the small hoses in the torch lead.

You think that's bad? I now have a Dad around to break things, and when he does it, he breaks things with /style/...

(AARGH! NO, put /down/ the WD-40 and pump pliers, and back away slowly! Kerosene is NOT a lubricant! Don't you touch it, let me finish this and I'll get the right tools and go fix it.)

I would rig it with a delay timer, so the coolant pump runs when the gas solenoid operates, and then another 30 seconds or a minute more as a cool-down cycle. Plus, this keeps you from short-cycling the pump motor and killing the start windings/switch...

I don't profess to know the fine details about TIG (I do MIG) but common sense says there has to be residual heat in the tip to get rid of after stopping the bead, and boiling the coolant in the tip channels can't be good for it. Do a lot of short strikes tacking things together (with the water only running for a few seconds at a time) and soon the tip will go all melty...

If nothing else, you'll get mineral deposits that will clog the channels. (Just like oil coking in turbocharger center bearings.)

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

If you are running a pump it should run when the welder is on not just when the gas is flowing. Does your welder have an auxillary 110V outlet that is powered by the welder on/off switch? If so, use it to power the pump.

Richard Coke

Reply to
Richard Coke

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I tried one of those diaphram pump's. It made enough presure and flowm but you could feel the torch throbbing and it was really annoying! You might be able to use some kind of air over water shock absorber to get rid of it, but I just broke down and bought a carbonator pump.

Bob

Reply to
MetalHead

Thanks for the tip. I have a spare air hammer water line shock absorber, I'll use it.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

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