Dimmer Switch

Hi Alan, I source most of my supplies from the car boot sale so it all has to be overhauled/modified before use. Never gave any thought to the fuse, just the standard 13amp in the plugtopand left the pump setting at max. I bought the pump for £3 which had 22mm connecting pipes, so that made it easier to connect. A 2 gal plastic container is used for the tank. I located the outlet about 2" from the bottom using a 15mm tank connector and then a 15mm flex with suitable connectors to the pump. On the pump discharge, the pipe is reduced to 10mm and a length of soft poly pipe goes from there to the lathe. I used the flexible "clicklok" system which came with a valve and nozzle to complete. To fit it in the lathe, a piece of scrap alloy bar is used about 1"x3/4" X4", drilled to make what I can only describe as an internal elbow. the holes were tapped to take a threaded spigot to which the poly tube is attached. The other end is threaded to take the valve, which I find can be controlled over quite a range of flow. My local £1 stall at the market have magnetic coat hooks which consist of a round magnet with a 3mm tapped spigot in the centre and supplied in packs of 2. Using a 3mm bolt the magnet is attached to the underside if the alloy bar which allows the coolant outlet to be positioned .

For the return to the tank, it is just a short length of garden hose feeding into a kitchen flour sieve to catch most of the crud. So far, I have not experienced any problems but after all this time, there must be a build up of gunge below the tank outlet which will have to be tackled eventually. For now, I prefer to leave as it is on the basis if it is not broken, why fix it.

Ray

With a running wattage of 50W it equates to 0.2083 amps at 240 volts. As it's a motor and probably an inductive load the rule of thumb used to be to multiply the running current by 1.8 to give an estimated start current and would then be 0.375 amps. So even a 2amp fuse should be ok to run the pump motor (I seem to remember a 2A fuse is the smallest amperage that will fit in a UK plug). If it's pumping a heavier fluid e.g. cutting oil, I imagine it might add a little to the start load due to effort required, but not much.

It's a bit late to say it but just going by the power rating and ignoring efficiency, that pump is a little smaller than a "proper" suds pump, so its flow may need no adjustment anyway.

Thanks for getting back to me Ray seems a good way to go with it so thanks again for the info, Jonathan that's a surprise I thought a proper suds pump would have a lot more go in it than a heating pump, you learn something every day. the chap that said the pump would need a valve that opens when the pump start's has baffled me a bit, can't think how many pumps I've changed and also fitted but never have i come across this vale he mentioned, sorry but if i go back a page to get your name i will lose everything I've just written.

Alan.

I was talking about BIG centrifugal pumps (multi kW) where the electrical start up surge can be a major problem to cope with. By starting against a closed (or just cracked open) valve, the pump doesn't do much work so draws little power and motor can accelerate to full speed, without tripping out the supply. Then the valve is opened, flow increases, as does power draw.

A similar idea can be used in mines as an automatic control for sump pumps. A float is linked to the delivery valve, closes to prevent the pump from pumping the sump dry (and then air locking).

in your opinion and of course that's the correct one

Edited By jason udall on 15/11/2013 14:46:06

Thank you Brian.

Jason I don't know where to start with this so forgive me if I miss out something,yes I fit lot's and lot's of Grunfos pump's for me they are the best on the market so that's why I said what I said, this forum has helped me out a lot since I joined it but being a beginner it's difficult to be much use to the member's so I thought I would say which fuse we use on different systems my way of trying to be helpful, I asked what size fuse Ray has been using only because his pump is pumping coolant or even oil for all I know so thinking it will have a higher viscosity it may put more load on the pump and need a bigger fuse. at the beginning of this thread I asked a simple question, will a dimmer switch work on a heating pump to which Kwil answered in a way that would suggest I asked a different question he's still crying about that it seems, as for the rest of your reply I don't have a clue what your on about.

Maybe you and Kwil should get a room and forget about this thread.

Your's Alan, busy playing engineering on my own, it's more fun.

Now, now chaps, lets not get excited about a simple pump. Alan asked politely if it was possible to control a central heating pump electrically and I guess that this is not possible but seeing that these pumps are used in central heating systems where they are expected to run for many hours, sometime days without stopping and give years of service, they are a cheap alternative to the rather expensive suds systems available commercially. My system cost about £25 but could have been made cheaper had I not bought a valve and clicklok pipe but used a gas valve and copper tube instead.

Now before anyone gets technical and starts quoting figures and procedures, in another life I worked in an oil refinery for 30 years and for a good part of that time was responsible for all oil movements and storage. Operation of pumps was second nature to me, from the very small to the truly enormous. You dont play about with oil without following very strict operating procedure but then that was then, now we are talking about a hobby, a pastime where we relax and get pleasure from our efforts successes or failures. When someone new to the hobby asks a question, surely the attitude shuold be to help and not criticize just to score points

Ray Lyons

I don't know what runs through your veins Ray but a transfusion from you into some people (no names mentioned) would be so so good, nicely put Ray.

Jason expect what you want to you obviously know every thing about every thing and I don't

Still happy Al.

Thanks Ray, can all members bare this in mind otherwise if things degenerate into a slanging match the thread will get locked.

J (MOD)

Edit following the last post which was posted while I typed thios its now being locked

Edited By JasonB on 15/11/2013 20:00:01