I hate cold weather

[CoastalHydro 14]

Especially in Georgia where it can be 70 degrees one weekend and 20 the next. Let me just start out by saying that this is completely my fault for not checking the weather.

I had a job Sunday afternoon (or was supposed to) so Saturday night I went to make sure my machine was operating properly so I didn't have any surprises when I got to the job. The night before the temperature dropped tremendously and I DIDN'T WINTERIZE MY MACHINE. I probably don't have to tell you any more as you can see in the photo. I'm not sure at this point how much damage was done to the pump

[Paul Kassander 26]

If it leaks you need a new head. If you need a new head you can just about replace the entire pump for that cost. You could try to braze it but ore than likely the time and cost will be as high too. I don't know the psi or pressure you are running but we have a great deal on ts2021 pumps right now as well as som AR and Comet. http://mobicleaninc.com/page/17ukl/Sale_Items.html

[danster 15]

I know how you feel. Don't know which pump you have but if you don't have already, get a General pump. Even if they would freeze up totally only the valve caps will strip off and won't damage the head supposedly. My pumps have frozen so many times I can't keep count, and they still work. I just make sure they are thawed out completely and crank her up. I've seen January weather (-40) open the roll up door behind my truck and within minutes the hoses would freeze. Last year went to do a job in Quebec city (4 hr drive from home) and the truck had to sleep outside so I put in one construction heater (220 volts) and one space heater (110 volts). That night the temperature went down to -45 deg and the heaters didn't do squat, all my pumps, hoses and half my tank (500 gallons of water) were frozen stiff. Trust me that when I say 500 gallons is one big ice cube...lol. Took me half a day to thaw out with a propane salamander inside the truck.

Like Paul said, if your head is cracked you might try brazing, if that don't work its cheaper for you to buy a whole new pump. Get a General. Cheap to buy, cheap to repair and tuff as hell.

Just my opinion.

Dan

[A and J POWERWASHING 64]

we have heater in the trailer right now we take it out when the temp goes above 40 and keep in at night right now because have been getting down around 20

[Jeff 232]

It happened to me last year, the head bulged/expanded and leak due to freezing. I was lucky my local mechanic had a used one and put it on and its worked fine since

[CoastalHydro 14]

It is definatly leaking. When I cranked her up it was shooting a nice stream of water out of that crack. I immediatly shut it down.

My mechanic said he has a used head that they are going to put on today. They are also going to install a blow back? valve so I can put air to it and blow the water out of the lines and the pump to keep this from happening again.

[CoastalHydro 14]

Paul,

what is the minimum HP engine required to run that pump?

[Paul Kassander 26]

To get full pressure and gpm you will need 18 hp. If you are willing to compromise on gpm or pressure you can still power it witha 13hp. The cool drive unit has a ts2021 2500psi at 5.6gpm http://mobicleaninc.com/store/category/btvf/Engine_Powered_Cold_Water.html

Here is a link to give you a basic idea of what kind of power you need for various pumps, just page through to the rpm you are looking for. http://www.envirospec.com/pdfs/pump.pdf

[CoastalHydro 14]

I found out today that the engine on my machine is only 12.5 HP. What kind of compromise are we talking if I use that pump on my machine. This may be a stupid question but since I dont know that much about the relationships between engines and pumps Ill ask anyway. The pdf you sent me to lists the rpm for all of the pumps at 1450 RPM. What difference does the engine size make since you can vary the size of the pully to obtain the required pump RPM?

Like I said, its probably a stupid question.

[Paul Kassander 26]

Yes, the pully sizes can be changed to get the required rpm that you are looking for to drive the pump. The problem becomes horsepower, to achieve the full performance of the pump the ratio between GPM and Pressure is a constant no matter the rpm. In your case the TS2021 would work but you wild make a compromise on either pressure or volume.

Power Plants, Power Requirement Formulas

Pressure washers are generally powered by gasoline engines, diesel engines, propane fired engines, or electric motors. Force created by the power plant turns the pressure pump, which in turn moves the water. A power plant must have enough force to continue to turn the pump crankshaft when the pump is pushing water out its rated flow and pressure. The following formulas are used to determine how much power is required to drive a specific pump. The power is measured in horsepower. GPM x PSI then divide by 1457 Equals EBHP (Electric Motor) GPM x PSI then divide by 1100 Equals Gasoline HP (Industrial) GPM x PSI then divide by 900 Equals Gasoline HP (Standard) GPM x PSI then divide by 1260 Equals Diesel HP Other useful formulas: HP x Constant then divided by GPM = PSI HP x Constant then divided by PSI = GPM (in my tech lib. Complements of Envirospec)

[CoastalHydro 14]

Ok, so if I go with the TS2021 and ran it at 5.6 GPM I would only be running about 2000 psi? Is this the pump I should go with or should I be looking at another pump that better matches my engine. I found out that the pump on the machine currently is not a CAT, it's a Hotsy pump. It was running 4.5 GPM at 2500 PSI

[GymRat 14]

It is definatly leaking. When I cranked her up it was shooting a nice stream of water out of that crack. I immediatly shut it down.

My mechanic said he has a used head that they are going to put on today. They are also going to install a blow back? valve so I can put air to it and blow the water out of the lines and the pump to keep this from happening again.

I have had problems with pump seals drying out and leaking when I blew all the water out of the pump and left it dry for extended periods of time. I now always winterize my machines by running RV antifreeze through them with no problems so far.

[Paul Kassander 26]

Ok, so if I go with the TS2021 and ran it at 5.6 GPM I would only be running about 2000 psi? Is this the pump I should go with or should I be looking at another pump that better matches my engine. I found out that the pump on the machine currently is not a CAT, it's a Hotsy pump. It was running 4.5 GPM at 2500 PSI

I would say go with what one you prefer. Me I would go for GPM. It will be underpowered though.

Antifreeze is much better for winterizing and you don't have to worry about small pockets of water you may miss in blow out.

If you are storing your equpment for the winter you should run antifreeze through the pump it will protect it from corrosion and hard water buildup. It also lubricates the seals. (heated storage too)