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Drip,drip,drip

RCIA Founder

Roof Cleaning South West Georgia (229)344-5596 wrote:

Well Chris Tucker has preached for years don't pull roof chems through bulk head fittings on your tank and today I found out why.I was replumbing our John Blue putting on the new 200ft of 1/2 Kuri tech hose and testing things and it seemed like I was going through a lot more chem than usual.I looked to see a drip just shy of a steady stream running out the bottom of the bulk head fitting.
The tank has been plumbed that way for about 4yrs now so I'm not getting to upset over the whole thing.I'm going to replace it with 2-55 gallon drums that we will pull chems from the top.

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning South West Georgia (229)344-5596 on Saturday 21st of August 2010 11:40:37 PM

How are you going to rig the 2 55's Scott ? if you were gonna do one 55 chlorine and one 55 water, be careful! I have not had good luck getting the pump to prime pulling from BOTH drums, at once. What usually happens is ONE drum will prime,leaving no suction for the other one!

Roof Cleaning Little Rock Arkansas · Guest

Too bad that doesnt work Chris. Its a great idea in theory. Im about to try something simialer with my downstreamers.

Am I the only person who gets on the job and has a pump that refuses to prime when pulling from the top?

Glen · Guest

Roof Cleaning Arkansas wrote:

Too bad that doesnt work Chris. Its a great idea in theory. Im about to try something simialer with my downstreamers.

Am I the only person who gets on the job and has a pump that refuses to prime when pulling from the top?

No your not. It seems to me that it gets a vaper lock on the exit side. If I open the conector on the exit side it seem to prime. Once it is primed I have no problum with it.

RCIA Founder

Glen wrote:

Roof Cleaning Arkansas wrote:

Too bad that doesnt work Chris. Its a great idea in theory. Im about to try something simialer with my downstreamers.

Am I the only person who gets on the job and has a pump that refuses to prime when pulling from the top?

No your not. It seems to me that it gets a vaper lock on the exit side. If I open the conector on the exit side it seem to prime. Once it is primed I have no problum with it.

ROTFLMFAO

This is one reason we like the Yamada pumps. They have a button you push to re set the air valve. Sometimes you can just push the button a few times and it will prime, w/o having to open the exit ball valve. And when the pumps get weak, sometimes we have to pull the feed tube out of the top of the tank, and pour a big glass of water in in (we keep a 2 liter pepsi water bottle)!

Aug 22, 2010

Scott, why not just replace the fitting for a couple of bucks. I have replaced mine about 3 times in the past 8yrs on my 125gal tank ever since I started using it for Chems. It only takes a few minutes and your back in business.

http://www.watertanks.com/category/132/

I also forgot to mention...Watch out with the 55gal drums. Two weeks ago I was filling my 55er to use as extra chems for 3 big Roof Cleaning jobs when one of the guys in the parking lot noticed that I was leaking. As it turned out, my 55'er had actually split at the seam running along the bottom of the tank. Yea!!! That was the begining of a great day...NOT! cry

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor FL 727 543 3276 on Sunday 22nd of August 2010 03:57:03 PM

RCIA Founder

Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor FL 727 543 3276 wrote:

Scott, why not just replace the fitting for a couple of bucks. I have replaced mine about 3 times in the past 8yrs on my 125gal tank ever since I started using it for Chems. It only takes a few minutes and your back in business.

http://www.watertanks.com/category/132/

I also forgot to mention...Watch out with the 55gal drums. Two weeks ago I was filling my 55er to use as extra chems for 3 big Roof Cleaning jobs when one of the guys in the parking lot noticed that I was leaking. As it turned out, my 55'er had actually split at the seam running along the bottom of the tank. Yea!!! That was the begining of a great day...NOT!

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor FL 727 543 3276 on Sunday 22nd of August 2010 03:57:03 PM

The BEST Bulkhead fittings are Hayward, if you are going to use one.

Click Here to see them, you want the PVC or CPVC with the FPM (Viton) seals.

They are far and away the best Bulkheads we have ever used, but they still leaked! A leak can be a bitch with a 500 gallon tank, kinda hate wasting chemicals.

-- Edited by Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 on Sunday 22nd of August 2010 04:35:13 PM

Guest

I guess I hadn't even given any thought to replacing the bulk head....doh

I'm having one of those weeks

Roof Cleaning Little Rock Arkansas · Guest

Ive got a yamada thats a year and a half old. Its pumped a lot of strait bleach. Some days Itll prime somedays it wont. Up to last spring we were pulling from the top of a 60 gallon drum. I actually put a T in the line to connect a water hose to prime it with. It got old priming the sob everytime I closed the trigger SO I bought a new pump and plumbed it from the bottom. No leaks 6 months later.... Ill fix it when it does.

RCIA Founder

Roof Cleaning Arkansas wrote:

Ive got a yamada thats a year and a half old. Its pumped a lot of strait bleach. Some days Itll prime somedays it wont. Up to last spring we were pulling from the top of a 60 gallon drum. I actually put a T in the line to connect a water hose to prime it with. It got old priming the sob everytime I closed the trigger SO I bought a new pump and plumbed it from the bottom. No leaks 6 months later.... Ill fix it when it does.

In a trailer, thats ok, but we have flatbed trucks, leaks will destroy the chassis/drivetrain/u joints/ Snapping driveshafts and u joints gets old!

Roof Cleaning Katy Texas (281) 392-2304 · Aug 23, 2010

Glen wrote:

Roof Cleaning Arkansas wrote:

Too bad that doesnt work Chris. Its a great idea in theory. Im about to try something simialer with my downstreamers.

Am I the only person who gets on the job and has a pump that refuses to prime when pulling from the top?
No your not. It seems to me that it gets a vaper lock on the exit side. If I open the conector on the exit side it seem to prime. Once it is primed I have no problum with it.

Is your pump higher tha the chemical level in your tank?

AC Lockyer · none

Roof Cleaning Arkansas wrote:

Too bad that doesnt work Chris. Its a great idea in theory. Im about to try something simialer with my downstreamers.

Am I the only person who gets on the job and has a pump that refuses to prime when pulling from the top?

Do the hose reel wiggle..........that usually works. Its an art form :)

AC

Matthew · Guest

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor FL 727 543 3276 wrote:

Scott, why not just replace the fitting for a couple of bucks. I have replaced mine about 3 times in the past 8yrs on my 125gal tank ever since I started using it for Chems. It only takes a few minutes and your back in business.

http://www.watertanks.com/category/132/

I also forgot to mention...Watch out with the 55gal drums. Two weeks ago I was filling my 55er to use as extra chems for 3 big Roof Cleaning jobs when one of the guys in the parking lot noticed that I was leaking. As it turned out, my 55'er had actually split at the seam running along the bottom of the tank. Yea!!! That was the begining of a great day...NOT!

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor FL 727 543 3276 on Sunday 22nd of August 2010 03:57:03 PM

The BEST Bulkhead fittings are Hayward, if you are going to use one.
Click Here to see them, you want the PVC or CPVC with the FPM (Viton) seals.
They are far and away the best Bulkheads we have ever used, but they still leaked! A leak can be a bitch with a 500 gallon tank, kinda hate wasting chemicals.

-- Edited by Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 on Sunday 22nd of August 2010 04:35:13 PM

Thats what we use Chris!
I pull from under the tank not a bulk head from the side. Our tanks are plumbed from under with good fittings and unions.

Will they leak, yes... someday.
It taks all of 15 minutes to fix once the tank is empty.
I inspect them ever time I go out.

ATTICUS Roof Cleaning Ohio · Guest

Hmm, other than the leaking aspect of drawing from the bottom of a tank doesn't it just make sense to do it that way. We just got our delevan 5850 and I am under the impression that at least from a physics stand point, it is easier to push something than it is to pull it. So why not let gravity do the pushing and draw from the bottom?

I guess the reason I ask is because we just came upon a 275 gallon that has the 2" ball valve which I thought we be ideal for us.

I really dislike the term but we are "newbies" and only come seeking knowledge. I may be getting ahead of myself as that question might already be answered and if so forgive me. I just happened upon this thread and thought I would ask.

Roof Cleaning Little Rock Arkansas · Guest

AC Lockyer wrote:

Roof Cleaning Arkansas wrote:

Too bad that doesnt work Chris. Its a great idea in theory. Im about to try something simialer with my downstreamers.

Am I the only person who gets on the job and has a pump that refuses to prime when pulling from the top?

Do the hose reel wiggle..........that usually works. Its an art form :)

AC

Im gonna work on that

Chappy · Guest

Its not just the bulkhead fittings, but the chems tend to corrode the shutoff valves so they are hard to turn at best, and stick open at worst.
I filled up abt 180 gals in the 300 gal tank and just as I pulled the hose out I noticed a heavy leak. The pipe from the bulkhead had cracked almost all the way through.
I was able to save the mix by pumping it into the PW buffer.

I also have huge holes in the 2x6 flooring where the tanks have leaked.
I just got a new tank and am cutting no holes!!

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum "Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

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"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"