Water supply question

[Mountainaire 14]

I've got a 4gpm, 4,000 psi cold pw that I've always hooked to the fawcet and let 'er rip. I'm looking at a job that won't have water available close by and want to avoid the pressure drop from running too much hose. I've got a water tank available to use but am not sure how to go about this. My unloader apparently needs positive water pressure in order for things to work. Can I go with another unloader? If so, what type do you recommend? Or, is there another way to make this work. Also, the feed will be 2 inch at the tank. How do I reduce this to a common hose fitting in order to connect? Thanks.

Dennis Schlabach

Mountainaire Power Washing

Knoxville

[Anthony G 14]

Dennis,

You will have to adapt the 2" down using a reducer to a 3/4 NPT then convert it over to a 3/4" HPT. Hose pipes have a different thread count than standard 3/4" fittings. I am not sure how you are setup and if your tanks are trailer mounted. If not then you could put the tank in your truck bed if it will handle it and feed to the pump. That would give you the extra elevation needed.

I have 2-325 gallon tanks on my trailer and when I start getting low I take the trailer loose from the truck and jack the tongue up as high as I can to get the water back there. I only do this if I have to have that last little water and dont wont to quit to go reload.

As far as the unloader I am not sure. I am sure that someone else will chime in shortly.

Anthony

[Mountainaire 14]

I have a tank I'll be placing in the bed of my truck so the elevation drop should be sufficient. I hate to sound like a dummy but what's NPT and HPT? Thanks for the fast reply.

Dennis Schlabach

Mountainaire Power Washing

Knoxville

[Anthony G 14]

One is standard pipe threading and the other is hose pipe thread. Just remember that when you reduce down from 2 to 3/4 that you still have to convert it to hose pipe thread if you are using anything with the garden hose style connectors. I have my tanks mounted about 2 feet from the pump and I got 3/4" ID hose and cut it to length and used hose pipe repair kit for the end.

[John Orr 206]

If you are running a direct drive pump, this may not work. In general, direct drive pumps will not draw water due to the speed at which the pump is turning.

[Mountainaire 14]

It is a direct drive. Looks like I'm going to learn a lot from this venture. I'll configure my water line and give this a try. If it works I'll be pleasantly surprised, if it doesn't I'll go back to square one, I reckon. Certainly someone has made a direct drive work from a water tank though. If you have please chime in.

[Doug T 19]

If your direct drive will not pull the water from the tank, get a water transfer pump and pump it. Of course youwill need a power source to drive the pump.

BTW..National Pipe Thread, Hose Pipe Thread

[Anthony G 14]

Doug,

Thanks....I was having a brain fart on the NPT meaning. I have a direct drive Cat pump on the Honda engine and as long as the water level is above that of the pump it will push towards the pump, but I have had the problem with it not sucking the water. I was told that if I bought a belt drive unit then it would just about suck the tank dry if I put the elbow back into the tanks.

[Paul Kassander 26]

Your pump should suck the water weather it is direct gear or belt driven. In some cases you may need to have some positive water displacement to force the air from the system. You can do that with a large water tank or small just by having the water higher than the pump. Once the pump is "primed" and the air is out of the system you should be able to suck it up a few feet without pressure loss or starving the pump.

If you are having problems sucking water it may be time to rebuild your pump. When you pressure feed the pump with water and you see little drops of water from behind the head this is a sign that the packings are worn and should be replaced. When you are under positive water inlet pressure you will not always notice a problem because the water supply and inlet pressure is greater than the pump needs to suck. When you suck from a tank the pump will pull form the easiest source...the small air leaks around the packings.

[Mountainaire 14]

So, if I keep my tank in the back of my truck, rather than on a trailer, I should have enough drop to make a positive flow? I hope to get materials tomorrow for a feed line and try this. I appreciate the responses from everybody. I allmost bought a belt drive unit but was talked out of it by a salesman at the last minute. It sounds like the slower pump speed would be helpful here. Live and learn I guess.

[Adrian 155]

Your length of hose from the bed of the truck to the pw will be a factor. even with the amount of drop. The shorter the length the better.

[Curb Appeal 14]

I just went through the process of plumbing a new tank. I have a gear drive TS2021 pump...

Here it goes from the tank:

2" outlet from tank reduced to 1/2" fpt (I got mine from a local PVC pipe sullpy house. I used a couple of different pieces)

1/2" mpt x 3/4" hose barb

15' of 3/4" ID polybraid hose to pump

another 1/2" mpt x 3/4" hose barb into a clear bowl inlet filter into a 1/2" hex nipple into a 1/2" 90 deg street elbow into a 1/2" female x GHT male coupler into the pump.

Does that make sense?

My tank is in the bed of my truck 'cause there's no room on my tiny trailer.

Here's some pics that may help...

Sorry didn't see the double post. My pics are in the first one here

http://forums.thegrimescene.com/showthread.php?t=8720

[Jeff 232]

Ive used direct drive & tank before. Tank was in pickup and I put PW on the ground with a 10 ft water hose from tank to pump and it worked fine, you may need to bleed line of air, just loosen water hose and it will clear of air then tighten & start cleaning.

[Paul Kassander 26]

I allmost bought a belt drive unit but was talked out of it by a salesman at the last minute.

Belt drives are almost always a better way to go. But what you have should work fine.