Problem with new Water Genie V16 & Shurflo Pump Panel

[Birdman]

Ive just got a new pump as above and it worked fine for the first day but now it keeps flashing DE on the controller panel. If i put the power to 99 which is the max the water comes out but intermittently which is a right pain. ive investigated everything i can and the pump works ok when not connected to my hose reel but as soon as i connect it to the hose reel the problem starts. Ive replaced the connectors had the hose completely pulled out and no kinks found so i just cant get my head round it other than ive got a faulty pump. Anyone else had a similar problem or any suggestions to help me sort out. Ive rang The cleaning warehouse and the manufacturers but they both seem to be closed over christmas.
Many thanks if anyone can help

 

[Pjj]

Ive just got a new pump as above and it worked fine for the first day but now it keeps flashing DE on the controller panel. If i put the power to 99 which is the max the water comes out but intermittently which is a right pain. ive investigated everything i can and the pump works ok when not connected to my hose reel but as soon as i connect it to the hose reel the problem starts. Ive replaced the connectors had the hose completely pulled out and no kinks found so i just cant get my head round it other than ive got a faulty pump. Anyone else had a similar problem or any suggestions to help me sort out. Ive rang The cleaning warehouse and the manufacturers but they both seem to be closed over christmas.
Many thanks if anyone can help

Sounds like it needs calibrating ? @Ian Sheppard is your man on this

 

[ched999uk]

Here is Ian's Video:

It sounds like you have an air lock somewhere or maybe the hose is collapsing internally.
Try recalibrating first though.

 

[spruce]

99 is the pump running at full ball. IMHO it doesn't make sense running it at that rate. Our Shurflo pumps work quite happily at a flow rate of the equivalent of 30 and 40 on a Spring controller.
At current cold water temperatures, that equates to between 1.5 and 2lpm of water flow at the jets. That's ample for washing (scrubbing) a window and rinsing afterward. It also means we don't waste much water during the scrubbing phase.

A Shurflo pump is rated a 5.1lpm of water flow at free to atmosphere. The moment you add 100 meters of hose and a pole with jets, the flow rate is significantly reduced. Trying to force water through the hose will use more battery power and reduce the longevity of the pump due to added wear and tear.

DE stands for dead end. It basically means the pump's internal pressure switch has activated, so the water pressure in the hose is around 100psi, as that's the pressure the pressure switch is set to activate at from factory.

 

[Iron Giant]

The Cal setting will be too low as they usually are when they are first set up at the point of manufacture follow the instructions @ched999uk posted and increase it up to around 50, also check all fittings on your system jubilee clips on hoses and the wing nuts on the pump as they do need nipping up once in a while and can allow air into the system when not fully tightened.

 

[spruce]

The Cal setting will be too low as they usually are when they are first set up at the point of manufacture follow the instructions @ched999uk posted and increase it up to around 50, also check all fittings on your system jubilee clips on hoses and the wing nuts on the pump as they do need nipping up once in a while and can allow air into the system when not fully tightened.

But the CAL seeing is set higher than pressure switch setting as it's the pressure switch that is being activated.

 

[Iron Giant]

But the CAL seeing is set higher than pressure switch setting as it's the pressure switch that is being activated.

You've lost me I just set mine to what it needs to work usually the Cal is 45+ depending on the time of the year and sometimes if I am using my 45ft pole and my Flo is 60 as I use 100-degree fan jets and like to go like the clappers

 

[Birdman]

Many thanks for your suggestions. I hadn't thought about the Cal value i had as i didn't really understand what it meant. As mentioned by the Iron Giant i had it set at 25 so i adjusted it to 50 then it worked like a dream. Once again many thanks for those who contributed as i have also had a good lesson on the workings of my V16 pump. No more sleepless nights worrying about it !!!

 

[Part Timer]

If the problem only occurs when the hose reel is connected then it sounds like you are sucking air in from a connection, are there any drips visible or does the hose on the reel become wet.

 

[doug atkinson]

I had a customer message me whilst on holiday ? but was happy to help as a good customer. Took him through a couple of things to check through and the issue was his hose. He purchased a 6mm bore hose and the controller/pump was not happy with it. Changed to an 8mm and no problems.

When you do your auto calibration knock it up a couple more then set it. If still an issue then probably the hose.

I had a major hose manufacturer come visit us and he has been in the hose industry for many years. He agreed the manufacturer we use was one of the best.

But what he couldn’t get his head round was the window cleaning industry where price is first and quality second. A big supplier in the industry asked him what his rejection rate was which took him by surprise and asked what they were getting. 40% of hoses they sold were rejects but they were not willing to change because of price.

The way I see it is good quality at a higher price equals less downtime. Cheaper quality equals more downtime and you end up loosing way more than the price difference of quality.

But that is peoples mindsets.

 

[doug atkinson]

Another thought just came to me whilst sitting in the hot sun ?. If you have the standard hose reels as per link Metal Hose Reels, Hoses and Rectus Fittings. Then the shaft of the hose reel may not have been drilled through so hence no water coming out. Quick way to check is connect to your tap hose to the inlet and connect your pole and brush. Turn your tap on and see it water comes out.

 

[spruce]

You've lost me I just set mine to what it needs to work usually the Cal is 45+ depending on the time of the year and sometimes if I am using my 45ft pole and my Flo is 60 as I use 100-degree fan jets and like to go like the clappers

The CAL setting should always kick the pump off at a lower water pressure than the pump's pressure switch. Many years ago I fitted an inline pressure gauge onto my hose, so I could see what water pressure I needed when using my 40' pole at full reach. It was 55 psi. When I closed my tap the water pressure went up to 65psi before the controller switched the pump off.

The Shurflo pump I was using had a 100psi pressure switch fitted. If my controller was reading DE then the pressure inline must be around 100psi to activate the pump's pressure switch. This would tell me that my calibration was set higher than 100psi if the pressure switch was first to activate.

 

[ched999uk]

But what he couldn’t get his head round was the window cleaning industry where price is first and quality second. A big supplier in the industry asked him what his rejection rate was which took him by surprise and asked what they were getting. 40% of hoses they sold were rejects but they were not willing to change because of price.

The way I see it is good quality at a higher price equals less downtime. Cheaper quality equals more downtime and you end up loosing way more than the price difference of quality.

But that is peoples mindsets.

The problem is quality is very difficult to see as there is no 'standard' for hoses or many other components we use. People have difficulty in assessing quality so all they can really go on is price. It's not like the manufacturer of the hose writes their name and model number on it - the suppliers name is generally there but we, as consumers, have no idea if the supplier has changed manufacturer or bought a different spec from the last one we bought a few years ago.

Good quality, fit for purpose equipment is, as you say, a more efficient way of working but working out what kit is good quality is tricky.

 

[Part Timer]

The CAL setting should always kick the pump off at a lower water pressure than the pump's pressure switch. Many years ago I fitted an inline pressure gauge onto my hose, so I could see what water pressure I needed when using my 40' pole at full reach. It was 55 psi. When I closed my tap the water pressure went up to 65psi before the controller switched the pump off.

The Shurflo pump I was using had a 100psi pressure switch fitted. If my controller was reading DE then the pressure inline must be around 100psi to activate the pump's pressure switch. This would tell me that my calibration was set higher than 100psi if the pressure switch was first to activate.

I think you've just confused @Iron Giant even more

 

[Iron Giant]

I think you've just confused @Iron Giant even more

I have not been scratching my head for the last 14hrs honest

 

[Ian Sheppard]

Hi Guys thank you for covering this as always spot on info reqard cal value being to low for the flow rate used. As a note autocal can be run at any flow rate. My suggestion is to set flow to your preferred setting, connect you hose and pole ensure valves are open then run auto cal as in the video above. Bit belated but here is wishing you all a great 2023

Cheers