12volt softwash pump

Hi all, I need some advice on a new pump for applying hypo, primarily to render. I have been using a backpack but it is a few years old now and starting to sound a bit unhappy plus I’m getting too lazy to keep filling it up. ?  So thought I’d invest in a new pump for soft washing and can also be used as a second wfp pump when needed.

at the mo I have seen these...

https://www.rutlandpumps.com/shurflo-8000-12v-100psi-68lpm-12-m.html

Or

https://www.rutlandpumps.com/everflo-ef2200-12-v.html

The shurflo has less LPM but then I’m not sure how important that is considering I have been doing fine with a backpack which must have 2.5 LPM or something ?

Thanks guys 

Either pump will be fine you can turn the flow up or down on the controller but for windows the smaller pump would be best , 

Thanks @pjj ! I was think maybe the shurflo as they have such a good reputation.

I would really like to optimise my softwash setup, time is money and all that. I am thinking of maybe plumbing in a metering valve so I can simply drop in to a 25 litre barrel of hypo and get accurate percentages for the job at hand. Not sure if such a small pump would be able to pull from my water tank and a barrel tho... might just end up with a separate tank for batch mixing ?

those GF valves the Americans use are pretty expensive, so it would be a gamble ?

Maybe I should get one of these... altho I think I’d leave a trail of dead plants in my wake ?

10 hours ago, JBC said:

Thanks @pjj ! I was think maybe the shurflo as they have such a good reputation.

I would really like to optimise my softwash setup, time is money and all that. I am thinking of maybe plumbing in a metering valve so I can simply drop in to a 25 litre barrel of hypo and get accurate percentages for the job at hand. Not sure if such a small pump would be able to pull from my water tank and a barrel tho... might just end up with a separate tank for batch mixing ?

those GF valves the Americans use are pretty expensive, so it would be a gamble ?

Maybe I should get one of these... altho I think I’d leave a trail of dead plants in my wake ?

Click to expand...

This is an interesting subject.  Metering ball valves are good and cheap , but to get the % right buy using them I think you have to be passing a set flow of water through the hose to pick up the accurate amount of hypo , I was on a course at purple rhino and had quite an in depth discussion with Darran and A C lockyer about this they said that you need the correct length of hose as well when it’s all set up for it to work right , I like the idear but think it’s easier to one batch  that’s what we do , ,ess tk go wrong and you know 100% it’s right , in all the years I have been soft washing I have never had the need to alter the mixture % part way through a job that’s really the only advantage with metering ball valves , you soon get used tk how much mix a job will take and we rarely have any stuff mixed up left over , also if you do have a bit left over hypo is so cheap it’s not any loss , we would uses it up on a path or something else .

The video is good but by the time he has set up all that kit we would have done  the job by one batching ??

Pjj said:

This is an interesting subject.  Metering ball valves are good and cheap , but to get the % right buy using them I think you have to be passing a set flow of water through the hose to pick up the accurate amount of hypo , I was on a course at purple rhino and had quite an in depth discussion with Darran and A C lockyer about this they said that you need the correct length of hose as well when it’s all set up for it to work right , I like the idear but think it’s easier to one batch  that’s what we do , ,ess tk go wrong and you know 100% it’s right , in all the years I have been soft washing I have never had the need to alter the mixture % part way through a job that’s really the only advantage with metering ball valves , you soon get used tk how much mix a job will take and we rarely have any stuff mixed up left over , also if you do have a bit left over hypo is so cheap it’s not any loss , we would uses it up on a path or something else .

The video is good but by the time he has set up all that kit we would have done  the job by one batching ??

Click to expand...

That is interesting. I did see on this American site they say a minimum flow of 20 litres per minute to make it work. But that is with three metering valves, one for water one for bleach and one for surfactant. The way I see it though you wouldn’t need the water one as they always have water on full anyway and if you add surfactant to your hypo (like most do in this country) you wouldn’t need the soap line or valve. 

So just a y splitter from your water tank line to a metering valve and a no return valve which goes straight to a 25litre barrel of hypo (with both water and hypo feed lines the same length)

I do think your right tho @pjj sometimes it is best to keep things simple, maybe a 100 litre barrel in the van or even a softwash trolley, would still be easier than a backpack. 

Either that or save up for a dosatron ?

JBC said:

That is interesting. I did see on this American site they say a minimum flow of 20 litres per minute to make it work. But that is with three metering valves, one for water one for bleach and one for surfactant. The way I see it though you wouldn’t need the water one as they always have water on full anyway and if you add surfactant to your hypo (like most do in this country) you wouldn’t need the soap line or valve. 

So just a y splitter from your water tank line to a metering valve and a no return valve which goes straight to a 25litre barrel of hypo (with both water and hypo feed lines the same length)

I do think your right tho @pjj sometimes it is best to keep things simple, maybe a 100 litre barrel in the van or even a softwash trolley, would still be easier than a backpack. 

Either that or save up for a dosatron ?

Click to expand...

??? forget the dosatron  they are very expensive and j doubt they would last long with hypo I use them at the firestation nice bit of kit though ,