What pump to use for weep reclaim?? Ideas?

[Edie011]

I currently have a barrel in the ground in the equipment room where my 2 self seve bays have pvc running to them (clogged) from the wand holders. It hasn't worked in 25 years, there are no parts but what I've stated. What pump do I need to get it up and running and how should I plumb/wire it?? Thanks!

 

[2Biz]

This comes to mind.....Get yourself a small carbonator motor, a procon pump (1 gpm would be more than enough), A bypassing regulator to control pressure/flow, a motor contactor, and some 1/4" poly tubing to go out to the bays...You might also consider a prefilter to filter out any crud that would plug a tip, it would go between the pump and poly tubing...Do you have a weepmiser? If you did, you could control the motor contactor from output 2 set at whatever temp you want it to come on...Of course you would also need a check valve on each poly tube connected to the HP hose above each bay. I guess it wouldn't matter if it ran continuous below set point. Even those little 1/3 hp carbonator pumps run 5.6a....Something to consider when running continuously.

Given that, you might also look into the small Taco pumps. Since you don't need much pressure, they use a lot less current and are rated for continuous use. There are many to choose from. I get mine from Supplyhouse.com or Pexuniverse.com for my floor heat. You'll have to look at the output pressure and amount of water needed taking into consideration any "Head" restrictions you have. (elbows, fittings, elevation, etc...) FWIW....I weep 20oz per minute out of each wand...

 

[Edie011]

This comes to mind.....Get yourself a small carbonator motor, a procon pump (1 gpm would be more than enough), A bypassing regulator to control pressure/flow, a motor contactor, and some 1/4" poly tubing to go out to the bays...You might also consider a prefilter to filter out any crud that would plug a tip, it would go between the pump and poly tubing...Do you have a weepmiser? If you did, you could control the motor contactor from output 2 set at whatever temp you want it to come on...Of course you would also need a check valve on each poly tube connected to the HP hose above each bay. I guess it wouldn't matter if it ran continuous below set point. Even those little 1/3 hp carbonator pumps run 5.6a....Something to consider when running continuously.

Given that, you might also look into the small Taco pumps. Since you don't need much pressure, they use a lot less current and are rated for continuous use. There are many to choose from. I get mine from Supplyhouse.com or Pexuniverse.com for my floor heat. You'll have to look at the output pressure and amount of water needed taking into consideration any "Head" restrictions you have. (elbows, fittings, elevation, etc...) FWIW....I weep 20oz per minute out of each wand...

I have all the parts you mentioned laying around, would it be beneficial to use that much electricity to save water for two bays?

 

[2Biz]

Using a Taco SS 009 for reference (which is what I think I would try if going this route) it uses 1.4a of electric per hour. This equates to about 4Kw per day. Using .12 cents per Kw as an average, you’re looking at about $.48 cents a day in electric. Not bad considering I weep about 1000 gallons a day (below 15°) with 4 bays and I also have to pay for sewage…. For me, that would be a huge savings if it works? You’ll want to use a bronze or SS pump because of the oxygenated water…Cast iron would rust pretty quickly and give you problems. Another thing to consider, if going the circulator route, you may have to go with 3/8 poly tubing to limit head pressure. From memory, ¼” has either 6 or 8 times the head pressure than 3/8 poly tubing…

 

[soapy]

When I built my first car wash I had a factory installed weep reclaim system. It had floats built in to replace lost weep water and also a heater as cold water needed to be heated to keep it from freezing. It also had a solenoid that would open in case of power failure. After a few years I took the system out and just used a weep miser and city water. It ended up being much cheaper than running the weep reclaim system.

 

[Edie011]

When I built my first car wash I had a factory installed weep reclaim system. It had floats built in to replace lost weep water and also a heater as cold water needed to be heated to keep it from freezing. It also had a solenoid that would open in case of power failure. After a few years I took the system out and just used a weep miser and city water. It ended up being much cheaper than running the weep reclaim system.

What about without the heater? Do you think I would be in the same boat as you?

 

[2Biz]

When I built my first car wash I had a factory installed weep reclaim system. It had floats built in to replace lost weep water and also a heater as cold water needed to be heated to keep it from freezing. It also had a solenoid that would open in case of power failure. After a few years I took the system out and just used a weep miser and city water. It ended up being much cheaper than running the weep reclaim system.

Some good points. Something else I just thought of, what about when somebody leaves the wand on wax or soap and hangs it up? Wouldn't take long for the water to become nasty?

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

When I built my first car wash I had a factory installed weep reclaim system. It had floats built in to replace lost weep water and also a heater as cold water needed to be heated to keep it from freezing. It also had a solenoid that would open in case of power failure. After a few years I took the system out and just used a weep miser and city water. It ended up being much cheaper than running the weep reclaim system.

I have a similar system, but it's home made and doesnt heat the water.
My results are dramatically different though. I actually put a water meter on the weep and calculated the difference and it was literally an order of magnitude cheaper to re-use the weep water compared to city water. Water + sewer bills must be a lot lower where you are!

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I used a procon pump for years, very few problems. Then I had several failures over 2 winters so I switched to a shallow well jet pump.
This is the one I use now, along with a pressure tank: http://www.waterpumpsdirect.com/Bur-Cam-506518SS-Water-Pump/p7178.html
Not sure if thats the best one or the best price, but I specifically wanted stainless, continuous duty, and a higher flow rate so I could push a lot more volume when it gets cold without stressing the pump.
Anyhow thats what I picked & have used for the last 3 or 4 years.