Project #2 (210 EXT Contest) by DVA: TIG Water Cooler
I needed a water cooler for my 250 EXT so I made a makeshift water cooler that will be integrated into a cart for the 250 EXT when time allows.
Water cooler uses a Flojet pump that is 120 V motor rated at 1.8 gpm but has a very flat pump curve from 1.8 gpm to 0 gpm at about 60 psi. To control the pressure I added a ¼ inch globe valve to allow some water to bypass the flow to the torch. When I first ran the pump there were huge pressure spikes as this pump is a positive displacement pump (~30 psi pulsations). To dampen the pulsations I added a pulsation dampener made out of some extra piping that adds an air bubble to absorb the energy. The pressure pulsations are now about 5 psi with the bypass valve just cracked off the seat. Pump seems to work best when set to about 30 psi, I think this is because of the tuning of the pulsation dampener but the torch receives plenty of cooling with this pressure and I ran the thing at 200 amps for some time with no issues in cooling capability.
Pump costs about $105 shipped and the other fittings were about sixty dollars. Do not forget the five gallon bucket, they are about seven dollars at Home Depot.
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