Found this small rubber ball in my pump!

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Help Please:)

Hoping someone knows where this small compressable black rubber ball that I found in my pump belongs..

Does it by chance belong on the tip of my st280 unloader valve? It has a recess and seems to fit right on fairly loose. If it does go there I imagine it is key element for the proper working of the unloader. If it goes somewhere else maybe it is less important and is meant to prevent backflow..

[Russ Johnson 141]

That wouldn't have come off the end of the piston. I can't identify it. It's a ball with a dent in it? See if you can get a better pic.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Russ,

Right..it does not come off piston and I don't see it coming anywhere else inside pump area.Pump is workin fine.

I believe the bypass outlet of this st280 is too small for it to go through and back around into system prior to vacuum switch and on through. Not even sure if inlet side of unloader is big enough for that. Maybe it came off my cat unloader that I changed out or maybe off the vac switch?

Anyone know what this thing is and whther such a thing is meant on the tip of my unloader?

A closer pic is attached..

[Russ Johnson 141]

the tip of my unloader?

That is the "piston" I was referring to, not a ceramic plunger. As far as I know, it's not part of the unloader at all. Where in the pump did you find it? Suction side or hi psi side? All strainers in place..suction and chem? It's puzzling the bejeebers out of me...thought I'd seen everything..

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Ok, so your refering to the unloader part pictured as being a piston then..

I don't know the history of this machine and can't really say how long it was in there nor can I really picture a low side or high side it coming from. I cracked the head of my pump off just to see what goes on in there a bit and there it was on the bottom. I've had the unit for a tad over a year and finally blew a cylinder in the opposed Briggs. That says it all on how old it is..My neighbor, who has plumbing experience, called this thing a ball check valve. Beats me where it came from though and why it has a bored out hole into it.. Would kinda defeat such a purpose in a free float situation. That is why I was asking if it goes inside the unloader. It seems to fit right on the end of that piston stem pictured except that it is tapered. Its like what else in one of these systems has a protruding tip for it to go on? I have always ran it with a hose strainer before float tank and but I have no strainer on the float tank outlet into machine. Maybe it comes from part of the float mechanism but it seems to be working fine in blocking the incoming water. Sure is puzzling me a bit so I am about to chalk it up to historical unknowns..

The machine is working sorta decent after putting on a new engine and am just tinkering with the unloader and throttle settings for pressure and generator now..

So onto next set of questions:

The machine is a 3000@5gpm. Is a old verticle burner Mi-T-M 5005 skid with a general pump labeled as theirs (model 3000)which makes it really a 4.8 or 4.9 right?

I installed one of their pressure guages and I know darn well that it had read 3000 psi working pressure while in use most of the time. Now the needle seems to be starting off wrong direction and gets me only at 2500 to 2700 depending on throttle on the new 18 hp Honda. When I release trigger the st280 unloader goes in bypass and takes the needle on up to 3000 or over depending how much I tighten it down. Why is it starting backwards and why does it not go down to zero on trigger release and why no 3000 psi working pressure? I currently am bypassing coil and no downstream injector is installed while tuning to prevent complications. The only other thing I have done to system prior to engine swap was to install a fatter 3/4" low side hose and ball valve between float tank and what I thought was a vacuum valve. This old time valve that I thought was a vacuum switch for the heater was described by a shop when they seen it as something different like a flow valve. The thing has a contact switch with spring and has given me nothing but trouble. I actually installed the ball valve so as to adjust the flow (or vac) on it so it turns burner on. Sometimes the burner doesn't come on right away due to no diesal inline (understandably) but then when this silly thing decides to not work proper then I am out of heat for the long haul of a job unless I took apart. I should be able to run any size intake hose or volume that the pump wants without a valve restriction right? Should I switch it out to another modern type to acheive this?

So in summary: Is my pressure guage broke(also sits at 500 when off-see pic) or has shop set me up with wrong nozzle size of 5.5 causing the lower pressure, and do I have to go back to a smaller intake hose unless I change type of heater valve?

Or does all three issues apply?,lol

The following three pics show the guage while machine is off, then the flow or vac switch, and then the intake hose to it. Is there something inherently wrong here with plumbing ? :lgsick: maybe I need a new machine:lgsad:

[One Tough Pressure 580]

That yellow plug on the gauge is a breather, and the plug is for shipping purposes. Mine said to trim the nipple from it, for proper operation.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Thanx Alan!.:lgangel: Life must really be like a box of chocholates. Didn't expect that when I put up that picture..Will yank that thing right of in quik order then :)

Any additional ideas or comments on this thing?

[One Tough Pressure 580]

I would imagine that if you were to yank the whole thing out, that the glycerin may splash out on a rough day, or if you took it off and had it laying on it's side. Cut the nipple, but leave the bulk of it there.

[Russ Johnson 141]

Your gauge is screwed. The machine has seen freezing temperatures or has had a massive pressure spike. That gauge won't return to zero.

general pump labeled as theirs (model 3000)which makes it really a 4.8 or 4.9 right?

Could be..or actual 5 gpm.

throttle settings for pressure and generator now..

To set generator speed correctly, you need a multi meter that reads cycles. Adjust rpm for 60 - 62 hz. Engine speed should be between 3,400 - 3,600 rpm. Most belt drive generators installed on skids are supposed to run at 3,600 rpm, usually the puleys are the same size.

That 2nd picture is a vacuum switch. If your unloader is bad and remains in partial bypass while you are spraying, pressure will be low and pump vacuum will be off due to the additional water being fed into the inlet. If youyr unloader has a flexible hose for bypass, start the machine (after you have set the speed correctly), squeeze the gun, and crimp the bypass hose with your hand or a pair of pliers. If the pressure increases the time you have it crimped, it's bypassing. Sometimes if it's bypassing hard enough the hose will blow or pop off the barb, so be ready to get wet.

The inlet plumbing is a mess. Which hose goes where? Try to take another pic, use your photo shop (if you've got one) and label the hoses. 3/4" hose shouldn't affect vacuum. Is the float tank above or below the pump? We can get this straightened out, may take a few posts.

[Steve Kiser 14]

Hey Russ

I wanted to say thanks again, for the help u gave me with my pump!!!

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Alan, I sliced just the tip of the little nipple in the guage with a razor to get to the little pin hole meant for breathing. Wonder how import that is in some situations...

Russ,

I must have spiked that guage messin with unloaders cause we haven't had any freeze since I stuck it on. I suppose I should not rely on it really at all now.

Went out last evening and pinched the bypass hose and got no changes so I popped off the hose at the bypass barb and plugged the hose with a socket wrench extention and clamp. When I fired up unit with trigger on there was about 3/4 to 1 gpm. bypassing so I cranked down the unloader a bit. A few times of hooking hose back up and testing the bypass while releasing trigger and I seem to sometimes get pressure at 3000 and other times at around 2700. Either the gauge is not reading correct sometimes or the unloader is fickle in that when returning it to same position it does not work same. Disregarding the gauge, and concentrating on the unloader instead, don't I want to acheive the 3k pressure but without a harsh popping down of the unloader piston or violence in my hose and reel? Is it correct that some unloaders keep pressure in line and some don't?. When I adjust this st280 to get my full pressure it still bypasses 3/4 gpm. There seems to be a point in tightening it down that I get the violoence in both the hose and unloader and then if I go farther I just get the unloader slapping down violently or healthely depending on how ya look at it I guess.

As I remember my cat unloader with this gauge when it was good it would spike up maybe 200 psi then fall down slow to 0 psi with no pressure in hose on release of trigger.

Will try to get some more pics up of the dumb plumb.. Thanx for the help guys..

~Kevin

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Russ,

In the Intake picture above, the red hose on right comes down across front of motor from an elevated float tank. It then goes into a 4way pipe fitting (inlet,bypass,out to pump, and a factory installed upstreamer). The black hose is the bypass off unloader, The red hose on left comes out of 4way up and over into pump..

A shop once told me that I need to have a restrictor inside the intake hose so the vac/flow switch would work. I understand what your saying about if there is bypass while spraying that there then would be less vacuum to work the switch. I dislike the whole idea. It is finicky and isn't conducive to parts replacement in a bind. I had replaced inlet hose and had figured I better feed that pump as much as it wanted. So how much bypass should I be seeing while spraying? I heard that a little is a good idea so that the unloader is always ready to respond at moments notice and so there is not a huge influx of pressure happening in the lines once trigger is released..

ANy truth in any of that. think I read such on the pumps 101 sections of either Delco or Hotwater Wizzard site.

So I did a real bad dock job with unit last evening and I got all my pressure and a some larger percentage of my gpm back more so than machine has ever done for me before. But I am sure it is bypassing at least a half gal if not 3/4 gpm. While not spraying it kept popping in and out of bypass every 5 seconds or so. Am I gonna crank down the unloader or let up some to cure that? (can't think straight).

I got my heat by slightly closing the ball valve I mentioned for the silly restriction. It is just out of sight in that picture top right. If I close down too much I can feel the differance and pump becomes starved..

Anybody else with some good info please jump in too..

Thanx,

~Kevin

What options do I have for a new switch and what are the pros and cons in the different types?

[Russ Johnson 141]

Hey Russ

I wanted to say thanks again, for the help u gave me with my pump!!!

You're welcome...whatever came of it? Did you get it fixed?

[Steve Kiser 14]

You're welcome...whatever came of it? Did you get it fixed?

Well, I just took the pump apart again, Blew it all out with some air and reassembled it and she fired up and has been working ever since. I guess some dirt or debris was in there. Not sure how that happened. Still stumped on the long white sliver that was in there. Was not from the piston.