Water Cooler

[Burf86]

I just got myself a tig welder and want to make my own water cooler for the torch.

What do I need other than a pump? The welder has the female side of a kettle plug for the cooler connection.

Cheers
Burf

 

[NTwoO]

Do a hunt on the forum. There are some water cooler projects. (BTW. there are some people that prefer the projects section to contain actual tangible projects.)

 

[hotrodder]

If the welder is designed to power/control a cooler then you'll need to know the output specs to source a suitable pump as voltages and power can vary. From the simple connection i'm guessing your machine probably switches the cooler on when an arc is struck and will cut power to it on a timed delay after the arc is extinguished.
As said, there's a couple of threads on the subject here's one

Some Lincoln and Kemppi cooler specs

 

[Burf86]

Thanks for the links hotrodder. I did do a search but mine returned nothing.

 

[Burf86]

What is a self priming pump?
Do I need one or can I go with one that is non self priming?

 

[Windy Miller]

What is a self priming pump?
Do I need one or can I go with one that is non self priming?

A self priming pump is one that can suck water up it's inlet tube. A non self priming one can't - it would need to be gravity fed.

A non self priming one would work for you as long as it was mounted below the water tank, and the out flow from the tank was at the bottom.

A self priming pump could be mounted anywhere that was convenient, and would suck the water up happily wherever it was fed from.

 

[astro_al]

Don't worry too much about using the cooler provision on the welding plant, you can make an entirely separate water cooler to be plumbed into your water cooled torch independently of the machine. Just leave it running while the welder is switched on.

Don't use a water cooled torch with no coolant running through it though.

Depending on the machine / work you're doing, you can add a small radiator on the return line to help keep things cool.

Al.

Al.

 

[Dr pepper]

As said a self priming pump can pump air and water, so if the water runs back to the tank, the pump will suck it back again.
I tend to do things with scrap stuff (I'm attracting comments), if you have a pump then you could use a car heater matrix as the cooler, you could use the whole heater with its fan, a car battery charger would power the fan, so long as it a 10amp one or so.

 

[langy]

I made a cooler for my spare 200 Tig, I used a 25 litre plastic barrel and a central heating pump, the pump needs to be gravity fed, I also added a computer water cooloing radiator and twin electric fans, probably a bit over the top but it all works perfectly and cost me £65

As has been said don't use a water cooled torch without the water running.

 

[Burf86]

I tend to do things with scrap stuff

Sounds a bit like me. I want to do this as cheap as possible and really don't care what I have to use to make it work. In my opinion the bigger the bodge the better

What sort of pump should I go for? I found this one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marine-Automa...essories_SM&hash=item58873b392e#ht_1269wt_698

Is it overkill? Can I get away with something smaller and cheaper?

 

[graffian]

I have just been playing with a central heating pump, to use as a coolant pump.
I have decided to alter the pump so the pump it self is in the water tank[i.e make it look like a normal coolant pump].

My Tig has a watercooled torch and it runs all the time, only downside is the pump is noisy. I have had it 20 years and keep meaning to pull the pump out of the tank and see why it's so noisy. but not yet got round to it.

A Holley fuel pump[probably plenty of other pumps like them] would work as a pump, it's a vane pump and can be mounted above the reservoir, I use them for coolant and parts washer.

 

[langy]

The Holley is rather expensive

I have just been playing with a central heating pump, to use as a coolant pump.
I have decided to alter the pump so the pump it self is in the water tank[i.e make it look like a normal coolant pump].

My Tig has a watercooled torch and it runs all the time, only downside is the pump is noisy. I have had it 20 years and keep meaning to pull the pump out of the tank and see why it's so noisy. but not yet got round to it.

A Holley fuel pump[probably plenty of other pumps like them] would work as a pump, it's a vane pump and can be mounted above the reservoir, I use them for coolant and parts washer.

 

[Wedg1e]

I did have a BOC water-cooler from a TIG set; I flogged it to a guy near Bradford. It was essentially the same as an x-ray system water-cooler: a header tank/radiator, cooling fan, thermostat and flow switch and a graphite sliding-vane pump by Procon.
If you have an inspection company nearby (will probably have 'NDT' in the title!), walk in and ask if they have any scrap x-ray water coolers, you never know. There's a LOT of old x-ray kit sat idle these days because, well, Britain just doesn't make anything anymore.

 

[graffian]

The Holley is rather expensive

The alternative was a Miloden oil pump;-)
Sure there must be similar[cheaper] alternatives.

 

[pedrobedro]

A little fish pond pump would do the job wouldn't it ? Put a bypass pipe for the extra volume of water and a heater matrix from a car with a fan blowing through it.

 

[Windy Miller]

.... In my opinion the bigger the bodge the better....

Is this going to be the water cooled TIG version of a rat bike?

 

[Burf86]

Weeeey

Managed to get it all working last night. Will get some pictures up as soon as I find the download cable (think I binned it)

 

[Shox Dr]

Central heating pumps need a head of water to work well, Pond pumps although pump a lot of water as soon as there is a restriction they won't pump, and there in lies the problem. You need to spend money to get a pump that will pump at pressure

 

[Shox Dr]

A fuel pump would work

 

[Burf86]

Central heating pumps need a head of water to work well, Pond pumps although pump a lot of water as soon as there is a restriction they won't pump, and there in lies the problem. You need to spend money to get a pump that will pump at pressure

Yeah, it's only dribbling out the other end... gonna have a play with it and see if I can improve things