So We had a 6k sqft flat tile roof today and about halfway through the pump shut off. I went over and tapped it and it came back on. It kept happening for the rest of the job. I checked the connections and everything was tight, so I think it may be an internal issue. I haven't had time to diagnose yet.
I have issues with the electrical side of the delavans, it seems like they lock up. I unscrew the casing and spin the rotor and she is all good for a while
Guys, you'll also have to realize that Scott ran almost 3000 gals of chemical through this pump without rinsing. Scott, please correct me if I'm wrong.
I know a Delevan wouldn't hold up to that sort of abuse so I'm not sure this one will either.
When I talked to Bob at PressureTek, he told me during testing of this pump, he restricted the output at the ball valve so the pump would keep cycling off the pressure switch. He did this for 1 hour at a time...for 20 hours total.
TWENTY HOURS of pressure switch abuse and no failures. That's something to be mentioned.
Now watch my new pump bite the dust on my next roof.
Scott, have you had problems with it pulsating on and off. The last roof I did the whole time it was pulsating. Today, I used it again and it was acting up; but not all the time. Any suggestions?
I get the pulsating with my 12 Volt Fat boy when I 'm using 40 nozzles, when I switched to 50's or 60's it eliminates this problem for me. To much restriction at the nozzle is my guess. Now I am just starting to get used to that kind of volume with the larger nozzle's
Barry, while I dont discourage the use of the larger nozzles, I think you'd be better served keeping the 40's and just adjusting the pressure screw. It is very easy to burn through 20-30% more chemicals using very large tips.
Now if you get used to it quickly and can just figure out how to cover the roof faster without increasing your runoff, by all means use a big of tips as you can. I typically like to err on the side of caution.
Here's some info for you guys to compare with the Delevans:
I began using this new Flojet with 30's tips. I could run the ball valve at minimum 1/8th open without pulsating.
So, I just ordered some 20's to reduce my volume even further. I'm guessing they will not cause any issues since I had no problem with 30's and only a partially open ball valve. It almost seems as if 10's will work but that may be pushing it.
Which pump? Feed hose size? Output hose size? Ball valve size? Ball valve partially opened? Tip size?
Is this the first time it's pulsated?
Thanks guys for the input. The pump is the Flojet Pentaflex 7.0, I bought a complete set-up straight from Bob so I assume it's all correct. I'm not sure tip size, I bought the gun(had it wide open) and I have 1/2 inch 200 feet of hose. It was the only house I did so the battery should of been fully charged. This is the second time it acted up. Thanks again.
I haven't been a fan of trigger guns since about 6 months in. If you lose it, or break it, or the chem eats it, you have to order another one online and wait for it to get there. If it breaks during a job you're screwed. Plus they're expensive.
Some guys love their trigger guns, I'm just not a fan. I like the $3 red handled ball valve from HD. I keep 2 extras on hand and they take 2 minutes to change. Biggest problem is the 2 hand operation and if you drop it while its open it's bad news. That's just never happened to me.
@ Chris - yes, but a lot of guys don't run air pumps. I don't like air pumps, that's why I use 12v.
Ive got that.... I meant that the air pump is fairly light. Ive worried about something getting thrown on it and it breaking. Its a good pump so far though.
Ive got plenty of space right now but if space every becomes an issue we will be looking into battery pumps.
How long did the battery sit after it was taken off the charger?
I charged it for 12 hours the night before. I had to make more juice half way through the job and when I started pumping again it worked great for a while, then 20 minutes or so later it started pulsing again. I checked the hose for kinks, couldn't find any.
Its your battery. You shouldn't need more juice halfway through. I ran it for 8 hours a day during that apartment cleaning, and only ever charged it overnight.
Grab some jumper cables and hook it from your truck to the terminals on the pump and see how it runs. I could be wrong but id be willing to bet it runs perfect.