Bad sanopreem or viton flo jet

[aca carwash 2]

What is a quick test to tell when a flo jet is simply no good? What does it mean when air or product comes out the hole with the cap on it. When working properly does it pump slowly? What does it mean if it pumps rapidly?

 

[MEP001]

I assume the cap you're talking about is the muffler. If the product is coming out there, it could be a ruptured diaphagm or it could be the product has backed up into your compressor and is running through it with the air.

The speed at which it pumps depends on flow. If it can't draw enough product it will cycle fast. If you block the outlet completely, it won't pump at all. Make sure the line feeding it flows well if you set it on the floor.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Mkae sure there is no hole / leak in the supply tube. If there is it will suck air, run fast and not draw product.

 

[aca carwash 2]

Thanks Earl, when do you know the pump is no good. I have 4 that I think are bad, this cw has been ignored for sometime. I don't want to throw these pumps away unless I'm sure they are no good. I replaced one on a 3 pump tri gloss system and the other two chambers weren't putting out as much chemical. Do the pumps just slow down or quit pumping when no good?

 

[MEP001]

I'm pretty sure that has been answered for you already, but if you connect liquid and air to it and it doesn't pump, or if air comes out with the liquid, or if the product being pumped comes out through the exhaust, the pump is bad.

 

[lighthousecarwash]

pull the heads off the pump and you will probably find a hole in one of the diaphrams or it will be all wadded up like it has grown and won't seal anymore. I have actually been fixing mine now. You can get the diaphrams for $20 and only takes a few minutes to replace them on the bench.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Thanks Earl, when do you know the pump is no good. QUOTE]

Have to confess my method is pretty rudimentary. Pump Stops working, - replace - if new one works, old one is bad. If new one doesn't work something else is wrong.

With the quick connect fittings it's easy to swap the pumps and then un mount the old and re mount the new. The simple swap without mounting can save time if the pump still does not work and something else is an issue.

 

[MEP001]

Earl, you don't have the quick-change mounts?

 

[Earl Weiss]

Earl, you don't have the quick-change mounts?

Bought one to try it out. It was OK, but since I typicaly use a nut and Bolt on top holes only to attach to the pumping station and strut it's not a huge deal.

 

[MEP001]

Sounds good - the idiot who mounted the original pumps used stainless wood screws into aluminum, so they galled and broke or just stripped. The quick-change mounts were a huge improvement. It's nice to be able to change out a pump while a customer waits.

 

[Earl Weiss]

It's nice to be able to change out a pump while a customer waits.

I do it quickly by removing the quick disconnects from the new, and swapping in the existing lines from the bad one without mounting it. Then, if that solves the problem I can let the new one hang / float by the lines and operate until I mount it. Not pretty but it gets it done.

 

[Randy]

Why don’t you hook up the questionable pumps and try pumping clear water with them to see if they are really bad, simple to do. I’ve got a couple of old Flo-jet pumps that I use for transferring chemical or cleaning out the chemical holding tanks. We’ve only got 1 Flojet pump left and it’s on the Foam brush system. It’s been so long since we’ve changed one I can’t remember when it was changed out last. We run the Flojet pumps in a flood state and only drain the air compressor tank about every 3 or 4 months. This post prompted me to drain the tank this morning, there was only about a gallon of water in the tank, my helper said it was about 6 months since it was last drained.