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ched999uk
Well-known member
- Messages
- 5,049
- Location
- Lancashire
Seems way too high a flow rate and a little low on pressure. Most use about 5l/min and 100psi.
- Messages
- 11,558
- Location
- Durham
From what I have seen online they aren't any good and last less than a year, by comparison, Shurflo or flojet pumps will last more than 4 years
- Messages
- 9,328
- Location
- Teesside
These Seaflo pumps are for marine use on boats which will handle numerous outlets. Pipework is usually 1/2" or 3/4" depending on the size of the boat.
My advice is to stick with what window cleaners use. Our Shurflo pumps are over 16 years old and have never missed a beat.
When the time comes to replace them, I wouldn't consider anything other than Shurflo, Flojet or Aquatec. These are all rated at 100 psi.
And only buy them from a recognised wfp dealer such as Daqua. You then know they are the genuine article.
Why change?
Why would you want 20 lpm? 20 years ago a local window cleaner bought a pump that did 10 lpm. It didn't work.
20 years ago Shurflo pumps were rated at 65 psi, 5 lpm. That worked when we used 1/2" hose. When minibore and microbore started to become available, Shurflo (Williamson Pumps) wouldn't warranty the pumps if we used anything other than 1/2" hose. Then they uprated their pumps to 100 psi.
Our hoses won't handle a flo rate of 10 lpm. No matter how perfectly smooth the inside wall of our hose is, the flow will turn become turbulent. Turbulence restricts water flow. Doubling the water pressure doesn't double the flow rate.
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- Messages
- 9,328
- Location
- Teesside
I posted this on another thread last month @Ken29
Another poster on this forum couldn't understand why a difference in 2mm hose size (8mm minibore to 6mm microbore) should make a difference in flow. Doug Atkinson from Daqua posted this in reply
It does -------, makes at least 30% reduction in flow
This web page (that no longer exists), made some interesting points regarding a comparison in flow rates of water through a straight steel pipe between 8mm and 6mm ID pipes.
I realize it's steel pipe, but the flow rate difference between 6mm and 8mm bore steel pipe is considerable. At 4 bar (56 psi) the flow through 6mm pipe is 0.022 litres per second (1.32 lpm) The 8mm pipe is 0.056 litres per sec (3.36 lpm) at the same pressure. A 6mm tube will only allow fractionally less than 1/2 the volume of water at 4 bar. Our hose coiled up around a hose reel will probably reduce those figures a bit more.
Hot water will have a higher (or is it lower) viscosity (less dense) so will flow better through a smaller diamt hose. So most hot water users happily use microbore hose.
Water flowing through a hose can either be Laminar flow or Turbulent flow. Once fluid in a tube reaches a certain speed, it becomes turbulent. Once it becomes turbulent, it requires 4 times the amount of pressure to double the flow rate. Fluid through hose coiled on hose reels won't be laminar in flow but turbulent.
If you look at a running stream, the water is the centre is smooth running or laminar. But if you look at the water at the edge, it swirls around, turning back on itself. They are called Eddies. That's turbulence flow.
Then there is Reynolds formula which is way above my pay-grade.
To calculate the area of a circle, the formula is
A = π r2
A 6mm id hose is fractionally more than half the size of an 8mm hose.
I have 2 hose reels on the van. One is microbore and the other is minibore. The flow through the minibore on the same controller setting with the same jets in the brush head was definitely better than using microbore. The pump also drew more amps pushing water through the microbore hose. (I wish I could find those figures I posted.) But, as others have said, the microbore is much easier to manage than minibore is.
There was a good reason for us sticking with minibore hose for over 14 years. Initially, Shurflo wouldn't guarantee pumps used on hose smaller than 1/2". So my reasoning was that as 1/2" hose was so difficult to manage, and I was going to have to take the warranty risk myself, I saw minibore as less of a risk of damaging the pump than using microbore. Of course, at the end of the day, Shurflo up rated their pumps from 65 to 100psi, and the risk of using microbore disappeared.
Another poster on this forum couldn't understand why a difference in 2mm hose size (8mm minibore to 6mm microbore) should make a difference in flow. Doug Atkinson from Daqua posted this in reply
It does -------, makes at least 30% reduction in flow
This web page (that no longer exists), made some interesting points regarding a comparison in flow rates of water through a straight steel pipe between 8mm and 6mm ID pipes.
I realize it's steel pipe, but the flow rate difference between 6mm and 8mm bore steel pipe is considerable. At 4 bar (56 psi) the flow through 6mm pipe is 0.022 litres per second (1.32 lpm) The 8mm pipe is 0.056 litres per sec (3.36 lpm) at the same pressure. A 6mm tube will only allow fractionally less than 1/2 the volume of water at 4 bar. Our hose coiled up around a hose reel will probably reduce those figures a bit more.
Hot water will have a higher (or is it lower) viscosity (less dense) so will flow better through a smaller diamt hose. So most hot water users happily use microbore hose.
Water flowing through a hose can either be Laminar flow or Turbulent flow. Once fluid in a tube reaches a certain speed, it becomes turbulent. Once it becomes turbulent, it requires 4 times the amount of pressure to double the flow rate. Fluid through hose coiled on hose reels won't be laminar in flow but turbulent.
If you look at a running stream, the water is the centre is smooth running or laminar. But if you look at the water at the edge, it swirls around, turning back on itself. They are called Eddies. That's turbulence flow.
Then there is Reynolds formula which is way above my pay-grade.
To calculate the area of a circle, the formula is
A = π r2
A 6mm id hose is fractionally more than half the size of an 8mm hose.
I have 2 hose reels on the van. One is microbore and the other is minibore. The flow through the minibore on the same controller setting with the same jets in the brush head was definitely better than using microbore. The pump also drew more amps pushing water through the microbore hose. (I wish I could find those figures I posted.) But, as others have said, the microbore is much easier to manage than minibore is.
There was a good reason for us sticking with minibore hose for over 14 years. Initially, Shurflo wouldn't guarantee pumps used on hose smaller than 1/2". So my reasoning was that as 1/2" hose was so difficult to manage, and I was going to have to take the warranty risk myself, I saw minibore as less of a risk of damaging the pump than using microbore. Of course, at the end of the day, Shurflo up rated their pumps from 65 to 100psi, and the risk of using microbore disappeared.
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sleepyfolk
Member
- Messages
- 24
The high flow rate would have the pressure switch chattering and firing on and off every few seconds because your hose can’t handle the flow.
I have a 15lpm Seaflo fitted to use to pump the tap water direct form the tank - I can attach a garden hose to the outlet - handy if there’s no tap, to run dosatron / PW or rinse out gutter vac gear etc but I’ve still had to fit an accumulator tank to even out the flow when I’m using the dosatron with pole hose.
- Messages
- 13,994
- Location
- Cornwall
The guy that makes the warrior trolleys used to use these pumps for high flow for softwashing but it’s no good for window cleaning , wasn’t a bad pump and was chemical rated just the build quality of the trolley was appalling
sleepyfolk
Member
- Messages
- 24
Mine isn’t that old so I can’t say anything about reliability but it’s worked fine and been very handy so far
- Messages
- 13,994
- Location
- Cornwall
I had two around 4-5 years ago I think it was had nothing but trouble with them threw them both in the skip and bought nano trollies
sleepyfolk
Member
- Messages
- 24
maybe I’m on borrowed time!
- Messages
- 13,994
- Location
- Cornwall
Maybe he’s improved them
the battery was glued into the case with sika flex couldn’t get it out the charger was a cheap Lidl thing and didn’t work properly , he talked a good thing but didn’t come up with the goods promised the earth but never did a thing about the problems , I certainly wouldn’t recommend them
