Here's the sort version:
I am basically looking for a good solid 110v - to - 12v power converter to run a 12v pump on household current. Feel free to just look at the pictures and skip to the end.
I like to build and restore vintage motorcycles, and one of my favorite tools is a trusty 30L (8gallon) Ultrasonic Cleaner, affectionately named Screech. Its big enough for two or three full four-racks of carbs at once. A CB750 cylinder head can get lost in there.
As you might guess, I LOVE my Ultrasonic Cleaner. My biggest problem with it is that the cleaning solutions get saturated with grime, and changing fluids is a real pain. To try to solve these problems, I am more or less finished building a DIY filtration system for it, but am having a little trouble with powering the pump. I'm hoping for a little input to nudge me toward the finish.
Here are some pictures of my set up:
If you've ever had the pleasure of working with a healthy, multi-frequency ultrasonic cleaner, you'll know why I <3 Screech.
NOTE: you can sort of see that the pump's wires terminate with battery clamps.
This is not a good picture because you can't see much of the stainless steel rolling cart on which Screech is sitting. It has some shelving plus room for a spare insulated tank which holds an alternative cleaning solution. The insulated tanks are nice because while Screech has an integrated heater, it takes a while to obtain operating temperature. Sometimes I switch back and forth between solutions during a job. This way they stay warm longer.
The pump is set up to allow for two fluid inputs and two outputs. This will let me (1) constantly cycle Screech's cleaning solution through filtration and back into the Screech, (2) use the pump to empty Screech's solution into a second tank, (3) suck a new solution out of a third tank, up into Screech. As mentioned before, I have several tanks for different solutions. I used to have to lift and pour the big, heavy tanks by hand. UGH! What a pain -- not to mention chemical spill yucky!
Here is the pump in question.
My problem has to do with the pump. It is 12v, and I need to power it with my standard 110v household current. In all honesty, I wish I could find a similar 200-ish gallon per hour, 110v pump, but have not been able to find one. Now that this one is plumbed in, I am committed to using it. The pump is a China-made "Pacific Hydrostar," bought from Harbor Freight, their part # 09576 (
LINK).
Here are its advertised specs: 12V DC, 50 Watt, Amps: 7.5 start, 5 continuous
I am fishing for an appropriate 110v to 12v power supply for this pump. I am not very experienced at shopping for power supplies -- several months ago I bought one from a China-based eBay seller, and while its numbers looked OK on paper, it was disappointingly small, and its wires were WAY too thin to power my pump for all-day use. It accidentally got wet, and I never got to try it. The label with its specs fell off (and I don't remember its advertised specs). I'm pretty sure it was basically just a paperweight -- even before it got drenched.
Lets consider the power requirements for the converter I need to buy.
Once again, here are my pump's advertised specs:
12V DC, 50 Watt, Amps: 7.5 start, 5 continuous
Assuming that as the pump wears out, its 'start up' will require more juice:
8amps * 12v = 96w (hmm... this is about 90% more than the pump's advertised specs....)
for household current:
96w / 110v = 0.87 amps ( I have a hard time believing the pump will actually require that little amperage.)
There also will be some loss, considering the pump and converter, probably a lot of loss.... So if I am more or less correct, it looks like a 1 amp converter should be just fine for powering my pump. At least on paper.
HOWEVER, here's my experience so far experimenting with my old school 2amp car charger (2-10-55 selectable). Basically, it does not consistently start the pump -- after connecting the clamps (and nothing happening) I have to switch the charger to 10amps, then back to 2amps. This might be from some sort of safety-protecting circuit in the charger, I don't know.... Once the pump gets going, it seems to like the juice, and everything works well at 2 amps. It REALLY likes the 10 amp setting. I have not measured the flow, but I would guess that at 2amps the pump appears to run fairly close to the advertised 200gph (3.33 gal/ minute), maybe a little less.
Having said all that, I have two questions:
1. Since the pump is sold as a boat bilge pump, and its power cord terminates with simple battery clamps, I would assume that its intended use is to be connected to a 12v marine battery array -- which puts out LOTS more juice than one or two amps.
If this is the case, as long as its getting 12v, do I need to worry about overpowering this little pump?2. Then the second question is the obvious,
what would be the ideal power supply for this pump, and can anyone recommend a specific product that will be good for 3-8 hours of continuous use, hopefully something priced around $30 or less, and available in the USA as I am running out of funds and patience for this project. eBay links would be very helpful here.
Thanks for your input, corrections, suggestions, and/or feed back.
Peace and grease,
-Steve
