Removing the water box permanently?????

[renegade_cowboy]

Do you need a water box or can you remove it?

I don't know about hooking the water inlet directly to the pump, seems like there might be pressure issues along with debris.

Any alternatives, if so do you have a link with pics?

Thanks

 

[bob vawter]

a wanner hydra-cell will pull fresh water from 15 ' away................
no shur-flo pump to mess with..........

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I have a 290 cat pump.

 

[Duane Oxley]

The waterbox serves a necessary purpose of removing the pressure of the incoming water source, so that the pump isn't force- fed. Force- feeding the pump can result in blown internal seals and WILL result in the pump not generating a vacuum on the inlet side, which will prevent it from being able to siphon chemical, if your system siphons into the pump.

On heat exchange systems, the waterbox also is used as a "heat reservoir", by having a trickle- back of heated water from elsewhere in the system, therein raising the temperature that the pump "sees" before it's sent to the exchanger.

So, removing a waterbox can have a negative effect on your system's ability to generate heat, if your system is a HX system.

One way to eliminate a waterbox is to install an in-line water pressure regulator. This does, however, add complication, IMO.

IF by "waterbox", you are referring to a large reservoir, the Cat 290 can pull from a distance without problem. So, in that case, no need for a transfer pump, which may be the basis for your wanting to get away from a "box" in the first place...

 

[idreadnought]

my first truckmount did not have a water box. It was however a propane heated machine that had not heat exchangers.

 

[John Watson]

Hey Dilly, I believe its illeagle to connect direct with out a water box of some type. Those 120 gal tanks are just large water boxes.

Something about possible back flow into incoming water supply.

Good cleaning to you

 

[dgargan]

Our TCS unit doesn't have a water box nor does it need a pump to transfer the water from the tank. What is the difference between that machine and a Judson which requires a water box and pump for fresh water?

 

[Dolly Llama]

What is the difference between that machine and a Judson which requires a water box and pump for fresh water?

not sure anything in respects to a pump drawing from a "pooled" water source .
All pumps can draw from some distance

Maybe Brent should clarify what he's considering .

are you asking if you can by-pass the TM water box and pull directly from a fresh tank??
There are variables, but the short answer is "yes"


or...

are you asking if you can by-pass water box and hook up a garden hose direct to the pump?
Short answer there is "yes" too.....provided the incoming source has same or more GPM flow than outgoing flow

Most pressure washers run direct to the pump.
(which begs a question I'll ask DooDaddy in a minute)

It's "best" to have some kind of "pooled" water source on a TM.
be it a couple/three gal water box, or remote fresh tank to draw from .

bee-cozz..

While it may be rare you'll run into a water supply that can't keep up with tool flow, it's not unheard of...particularly in country where wells are the norm
With the on/off duty cycle of most tools, a water box or other pooled source allows a poor GPM flow source to keep up

Force- feeding the pump can result in blown internal seals

i don't have any pressure washers with near the hours the TM does
but i know some pro's that do
are they rebuilding their pumps more than we typically do?

Thanks

..L.T.A.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I was practically given a HM TM off CL, so I was going to use the 47 blower I have on it but the water box was in the way because the blower was bigger than the original. But Come to find out that the 45 blower I have will work better (which fits) than the 47 blower on that unit.

 

[Dale]

Hi guys:

Here's why some machines cannot have the water box removerd: In additon to the above information, some manufactures decided that their machine would always have a water box, so they mounted the pump too high, and used a non-negative pressure (suction) pump to make any changes. This also means that they need a transfer pump to feed them, (something else to break down) if not connected to the buildings pressurized water

Thx,
Dale

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Read the detailed manufacturer's info for YOUR pump.

Each type will have different quirks. However I've never confirmed a case of "blown seals" from a pump being fed tap-pressure water (typically 30-50psi, and up to 60 or so). I've run several machines for years this way.

When I switched from Cat to General Emperor pumps two years ago I found that they required more inlet pressure than the waterbox provided or allowed, to work properly. Buried in the specs for the General was the requirement for at least 6 psi of inlet pressure. Few gravity-fed systems provide that much inlet pressure.

Since I added the electric transfer pump (3.8gpm/45psi) the General has worked flawlessly.