matt
True Blue
A wise man once said..... "the journey of 1000 miles is easier when stabiliser legs are up!"
Posts: 84
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Post by matt on Oct 30, 2014 6:47:31 GMT 10
Quick techno question about 12 volt water pumps..... What one do I need? The situation is this. - The pump needs to be automatic when a tap is turned on.
- It will only run cold water to the kitchen sink for now but later be used to pump water to a shower, the sink, and through a hot water system
I have asked a number of retailers and gotten a number of answers so getting a little confused. Once I have the pump I'll take photos of the install and post it here and on my 78 viscount refurb page.
What I need to know is what flow rate (in litres/min) and pressure (in psi) you would all recommend and any leads on brand names. I'm leaning towards one around 70psi and 4 litres/min but a little worried about the flow rate being enough to run the shower.
Thank in advance! 
Matt
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 8:29:13 GMT 10
Quick techno question about 12 volt water pumps..... What one do I need? The situation is this. - The pump needs to be automatic when a tap is turned on.
- It will only run cold water to the kitchen sink for now but later be used to pump water to a shower, the sink, and through a hot water system
I have asked a number of retailers and gotten a number of answers so getting a little confused. Once I have the pump I'll take photos of the install and post it here and on my 78 viscount refurb page.
What I need to know is what flow rate (in litres/min) and pressure (in psi) you would all recommend and any leads on brand names. I'm leaning towards one around 70psi and 4 litres/min but a little worried about the flow rate being enough to run the shower.
Thank in advance!
Matt
flow rate should be determined by adding shower and taps water usage .most shower heads will run comfortably on 6 litres per minute but throw an open tap in with that and you will hear blue bloody murder coming from the shower user |
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Post by viscount6116 on Oct 30, 2014 10:20:26 GMT 10
Gday Matt The pump I have in my van is a Flojet 4406-143 Quad II diaphragm Automatic water system pump with internal bypass valve (no need for accumulator tank). Features are self priming (up to 6 feet) dry running without damage rubber mounts to minimize noise Will run up to 5 outlets Flow 12.1 l/min Max pressure 35 psi Max current draw 7 amps Min current draw 2 amps In my van I have 6 water outlets (3 hotwater and 3 cold water....however they don't all run at the same time) and this pump performs very well and you can actually have a decent shower. I personally wouldn't like to have a smaller pump as the water pressure and flow could be a bit marginal for showers and running through a hot water service. Caravans Plus have them for sale or plenty of options on evil bay however pressure and flow are the important things to remember with regard to water pump performance. Also with Flojet pumps all parts are available to rebuild it in the future when needed as well as having a 2 year warranty as opposed to cheap Chinese throw away pumps Cheers Andy caravansplus.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=6490 |
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Post by 2lateagain on Oct 30, 2014 10:46:24 GMT 10
Matt, Do not go under the 12 l/m pump size, that size is adequate for most things, in our Millard we have put a 17 l/m which is better, much less noise and does not draw any more power than the 12 l/m pump.
Graham
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Post by viscount6116 on Oct 30, 2014 12:57:02 GMT 10
Matt, Do not go under the 12 l/m pump size, that size is adequate for most things, in our Millard we have put a 17 l/m which is better, much less noise and does not draw any more power than the 12 l/m pump. Graham Gday Graham Just out of interest what breed of pump do you have in your Millard and at what cost ? Cheers Andy |
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Post by 2lateagain on Oct 30, 2014 16:23:53 GMT 10
Andy, It came off e-bay, I think I can do a link. There are a number of different sizes, ours was the 17 l/m at 40psi. I have no attachments to the e-bay site, just another buyer and the price I thought was good compared to some of the pumps I looked at. stores.ebay.com.au/Escaping-Outdoors-Caravan-CampingGraham |
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matt
True Blue
A wise man once said..... "the journey of 1000 miles is easier when stabiliser legs are up!"
Posts: 84
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Post by matt on Oct 30, 2014 21:13:01 GMT 10
Thanks for all the help. So basically I'm gathering, if you only need to run a kitchen sink then a 4ltr/min unit is fine, but once showers or multiple outlets are involved then a 12 - 17 ltr/min unit is needed.... and keep away from the Chinese crap....lol
Time to go shopping!
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Post by viscount6116 on Oct 31, 2014 1:18:55 GMT 10
Andy, It came off e-bay, I think I can do a link. There are a number of different sizes, ours was the 17 l/m at 40psi. I have no attachments to the e-bay site, just another buyer and the price I thought was good compared to some of the pumps I looked at. stores.ebay.com.au/Escaping-Outdoors-Caravan-CampingGraham Thanks Graham Yes I like you also regularly shop on ebay because of price mainly, however sometimes you just don't get what you expected or quality and longevity that you think that you purchased just isn't there because of poor quality of one component in the assembly that fails (happened recently to me with a set of Chinese folding solar panels where the panels were excellent quality but the wiring and regulator were absolute rubbish and after replacing both at extra cost to me made the deal still good but not quite as good as what I expected.in the initial purchase ) However that being said over time I have made many purchases through ebay and the savings would add up to thousands back in my pocket instead of retailers bank accounts I suppose two adages come to mind 1 Buyer beware !! 2 You get what you pay for Cheers Andy |
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matt
True Blue
A wise man once said..... "the journey of 1000 miles is easier when stabiliser legs are up!"
Posts: 84
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Post by matt on Oct 31, 2014 6:12:59 GMT 10
A bit off topic but I'm well aware of the pros and cons of some Chinese goods, (and certain online retailers making false claims about the capacity of their goods like Outbaxcamping who sold me an 80W panel when I ordered a 120w, and refused to fix the issue, and also refused to help when the original panel went missing in transit.) Anyhoot, We will be buying a cheaper unit to make sure its the right capacity (Only $70 delivered for an automatic 17 l/m unit) then if its all good then we'll look at an Aussie made one to install and sell the cheaper one for $20 or $30. The way I see it is that I would rather loose $30-$40 than fork out a couple of hundred on the wrong capacity pump. |
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Post by 2lateagain on Oct 31, 2014 6:14:35 GMT 10
Matt, As I said in my first post, do not go under a 12 l/m. We purchased a 4 l/m at great cost years ago and it was like waiting for paint to dry trying to fill a jug/kettle. With the 12 l/m you will get a good flow and not have to wait. We only have a tap over the sink in both vans that we own. The 12 l/m pump which was very costly is very noisy despite being insulated and on carpet. The 17 l/m has about half the noise and is just attached to the frame of the cupboard. I have stopped buying from China, but if someone else wants to import them and accept any faulty return products that is ok with me, but which ever way you go I am sure that you would regret the 4 l/m pump.
Graham
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Post by viscount6116 on Oct 31, 2014 9:52:40 GMT 10
A bit off topic but I'm well aware of the pros and cons of some Chinese goods, (and certain online retailers making false claims about the capacity of their goods like Outbaxcamping who sold me an 80W panel when I ordered a 120w, and refused to fix the issue, and also refused to help when the original panel went missing in transit.) Anyhoot, We will be buying a cheaper unit to make sure its the right capacity (Only $70 delivered for an automatic 17 l/m unit) then if its all good then we'll look at an Aussie made one to install and sell the cheaper one for $20 or $30. The way I see it is that I would rather loose $30-$40 than fork out a couple of hundred on the wrong capacity pump. Hi Matt It is interesting that you name the same store that sold me the folding panel that I previously mentioned !!!  I agree that for $70 delivered the 17 lm pump would definitely be worth looking at even if it only lasted 5 or so years (please let us know how it performs over time , might buy one myself next time  ) I basically did the same thing recently with buying a Chinese diesel heater off ebay at about half of the price of a Webasto unit (of which Webasto spare parts are compatable) .The unit works great and hopefully will stand the test of time as well Agree with Graham about giving a 4l/m pump a wide berth as it wouldn't cut the mustard mate ! I wouldn't worry too much about noise as they all make some noise but for the amount of time that they actually get used it becomes a non event ! (Two things to remember are don't overtighten the rubber pump mounts to reduce noise and install a good quality fine mesh filter screen between the water holding tank and the pump ) Anyhow good luck with the purchase and I hope that it provides many years of good service Cheers Andy  |
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matt
True Blue
A wise man once said..... "the journey of 1000 miles is easier when stabiliser legs are up!"
Posts: 84
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Post by matt on Oct 31, 2014 12:20:11 GMT 10
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Post by supreme78 on Nov 5, 2014 20:48:07 GMT 10
I purchased a cheepie 17l model and then a quality one when I added the storage HWS. the cheapie works fine but noisy and vibrates badly. I now have it on a board with an Anderson plug so I can wash the car or van or even pump water into my water tank from a river ect. And worsed case I can plumb it in if my quality one craps itself. It will rattle around in the back of my van for years but it might come in handy one day. I think my new pump is a sea flow brand and they seem to have a decent quality about them. Sure flow are a very good brand and some very nice intelligent pumps on the market these days. Some up to $500. Not sure I need one that fancy for the viscount Supreme.
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matt
True Blue
A wise man once said..... "the journey of 1000 miles is easier when stabiliser legs are up!"
Posts: 84
|
Post by matt on Nov 13, 2014 21:00:58 GMT 10
I've received my new pump, 95% plumbed up, but enough to test everything. Yep a little noisy but it is only on when you need water so not much of a problem. This particular model had crappy mounts that meant it couldn't be mounted under the van without extra bracing (stone guard yet to go on too). But for the price I couldn't complain. PROS: Bloody cheap, reasonably quiet, flows smoothly on the main tap without pulsing. CONS: Shitfull mount points, pulses when using the drinking water filter... but then again it's trying to deliver 17 l/m into a 2 l/m fitting. Time will tell about the reliability but if you need a cheapie you can get them here on ebay |
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) I basically did the same thing recently with buying a Chinese diesel heater off ebay at about half of the price of a Webasto unit (of which Webasto spare parts are compatable) .The unit works great and hopefully will stand the test of time as well
