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sluggish pump

tom_coates

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Messages
21
hi all, my pump sometimes idles and trickles out for a few seconds and then goes back to the correct pressure, the controller says DE which means blockage i think, checked everywhere there and seams to be ok, any ideas ?

also what should i charge for a average semi-detached driveway clean, and an average 3 bed semi gutter clean.

thanks in advance Tom

 
straight away when i turn it off, but when its on and flowing as it should its like it having a breather for 3 seconds and then goes back to correct flow again, probably pumps well for 7 seconds and then dribbles out for 3 then back for 7 and so on

 
I don't think Tom understands what setting the calibration means.

Its confusing as the Spring controllers are divided into 100 segments and as a Shurflo pump is 100 psi, users assume that when they switch the controller on, the figure shown is the psi.

It isn't, its the speed you want the water to flow out of the brush head at. The pressure is calibrated either manually or automatically to work correctly at the water flow rate you want at the brush head.

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While you're here @spruce, I have something similar going on. When I turn the tap to the off position on the pole and then turn it on, the water comes out slow for about 3 seconds and then comes out as it should and stays constant until I turn flow off and on again. I re-calibrated from 45 down to 35 and it's still the same.

 
While you're here @spruce, I have something similar going on. When I turn the tap to the off position on the pole and then turn it on, the water comes out slow for about 3 seconds and then comes out as it should and stays constant until I turn flow off and on again. I re-calibrated from 45 down to 35 and it's still the same.

I think that will just be the dynamics of your set up. Once you turn the flow on, the water that is coming out at the brush head is the pressure in your system.

Then it takes a few seconds for your pump to "pulse" and check if it's lost pressure, and your pump will start to work again.

To instantly have your pump kick in when you turn your flow may not be possible.,it might always take 2-3 seconds.

 
I think that will just be the dynamics of your set up. Once you turn the flow on, the water that is coming out at the brush head is the pressure in your system.
Then it takes a few seconds for your pump to "pulse" and check if it's lost pressure, and your pump will start to work again.

To instantly have your pump kick in when you turn your flow may not be possible.,it might always take 2-3 seconds.
Odd that its only just started doing it the last 2 weeks, or so I've noticed :confused:

 
i'm pretty much sure that Jonathan has the answer Tuffers.

The pressure switch on your pump works differently to the pressure switch of your controller.

The pressure switch on the pump triggers a microswitch off the moment the set pressure is reached, ie 100 psi. The pump won't run anymore as the electrical circuit is interrupted, just like a light switch, on and off.

When the pressure drops when you open you tap the microswitch is immediately reactivated which starts the pump running. There is no 'turbo lag.'

However, an electronic controller works differently. When you close your tap the pump still continues to run and as the pressure builds the pump draws more and more current measured in amps. When you calibrate the controller your are telling the controller at what amps the motor will be allowed to draw before the controller cuts power to the motor. So the amp cutout will translate into a pressure. The higher the calibration the higher the amps the motor will draw before the controller switches it off and hence the higher the pressure in the hose.

When you open the tap the pressure immediately drops but the controller may not recognise this immediately. On our Digital Varistreams the controllers send a pulse through to the motor to try to start it every 4 seconds. If the pulse was sent a second before I open the tap then the next pulse is only sent 3 seconds after this. I will get an immediate release of pressure in the hose when I open the tap but then it may just dribble out for a second or so until the next pulse tells the motor there is no pressure and to start the pump. There appears to be a delay in getting water through to the brush head. Plenty of turbo lag.

If I open my tap a second before the next pulse then I may not notice a delay in the water flow being pumped to my brush as the pump will start the moment the pressure has dropped away. Sometimes waiting for the full 4 seconds can seem like an eternity.

The temperature of your water can create different symptoms as well. The colder the water the stiffer the hose on your hose reel and it is less flexible. This is when you will notice the delay the most. If your water is warm, the hose is more supple and the hose will expand a bit more under pressure. This creates a larger reservoir of water so when you open your tap is takes a while for the water to dissipate, so you probably won't notice the pump delay. I had that on the previous roll of minibore hose. The hose expanded so much that i couldn't unreel the hose without releasing the pressure. I knew it was hose as the problem stopped when I swapped hose reels. Ordering and replacing the hose solved the problem.

It may even be caused changing the hose between the hose port and the hose reel. If you have noticed a difference in the past 2 weeks, then what has changed at that point? What is different now to what was then before you noticed the change? These are recognised questions used to identify causes of problems by the space agency Nasa.

This 'Turbo lag' irritates me TBH. I have wondered if fitting a small expansion cylinder will solve the problem. I was thinking about it yesterday as I completed the last clean of the day.

 
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I'm wondering if the rise in temperature lately has had an effect? Maybe there is not enough pressure in the hose reel and upping the calibration may stop the 3 second dribble? I have also noticed the hose on the reel is starting to do loop the loop when reeling in lately too and I was thinking the rise in temperature had something to do with that too?

 
mine is set at cal 65 due to recomended by the cleaning warehouse

i run my flo at 50 for normal houses

and 70 for first cleans

check strainer for blockages

 
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