Regarding pumps

[txashurst]

I thought I'd post an e-conversation Bio-Texas-DFW and I have been having. We started out discussing trailers to pick up large quantities of WVO and drifted into pumps.

Bio-Texas-DFW said:
I have been doing some research on trailers and costs, and there's a company out of Indiana that makes tandem axle trailers with 7,000, 9,000 and 12,000 lbs hauling capacity. The 7,000 lbs were running in the $2200 range and the 9,000 and 12,000 were just an axle difference, so shouldn't be too much more. And they have covered (completely enclosed) trailers starting in the $3500 range. I recalculated my cost for making BD to include Kim's $0.50/gal WVO and it came out to $0.90 per gallon. Which is roughly 1/3 the cost of dino.

I said:
I think we also ought to keep an eye out for a trailer made for hauling liquids. I know I saw a military surplus water buff. trailer for sale recently for $200 - they hold 7-800 gallons. Wylie trailers makes a 1,025 gal trailer for spraying water for dust abatement and I think it would work great. It even includes a gas-powered pump and hoses. www.wyliesprayers.com/images/S897_EXP500_full.jpg I don't know the price, but they have a distributor in Waco.

Bio-Texas-DFW said:
WOW, THAT SEEMS LIKE THE WAY TO GO. EVEN IF IT'S SAY $3000, IT WOULD SAVE A LOT OF TIME AND TROUBLE. WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THE TRAILER, TOTES, ETC. THEN YOU'RE ABOUT THE SAME.

I said:
Yeah, I found out the hard way that it takes a long time and lots of sweat to pump a drum full of oil with a hand pump. A full tote would be a real workout!


Bio-Texas-DFW said:
HMMM, I WAS GOING TO GET A 12V INVERTER AND JUST RUN A $25 HARBOR FREIGHT PUMP. IT WOULDN'T EVEN BE THAT HARD TO HOOK UP A CIG LIGHTER PLUG ON THE TRAILER THAT WAS POWERED FROM THE TOW VEHICLE.


I said:
An inverter + HF water pump should work fine. I was also looking at their little marine pump that is made to run on 12V (link below) and pumps 240 gal./hour vs. 330 gal./hour for the clear water pump. It has male 3/4" garden hose connections on each end, which simplifies the plumbing, so it's kind of a plumbing vs. capacity tradeoff.. I already have a drill pump which also has garden hose connections, so next time I go I'm going to be using that, too. I bought a cheap hose and a couple of female hose repair kits so I can cut the hose to length and put a new end on it - presto, it's the right length and has the right plumbing.
www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=9576


Bio-Texas-DFW said:
Hey, that's a good idea. Maybe even run 2-3 pumps at the same time. If you have 240gph and whatever the drill pump is and then the 320gph you could fill a tote in no time. (I just wanted to let you know the Northern Tools' little blue pump (like the HF one) is $39.99 but it has 720gph rating, more than twice as fast) www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=7738&R=7738

Here's another one. I know Northern is a little more expensive on more of there items, but it seems their pumps flow more.
www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=16817&R=16817

[txashurst]

One other factor regarding pumps that I forgot. The clear water pumps from HF and Northern have to be primed, which can be a pain in the neck, while the drill pump and marine pump are self priming. That could be a great feature when you're out at the site.

If you had say a Northern pump for your main, you could use one of the smaller pumps to fill the hoses and prime it.

[Bio-Texas-DFW]

That's a good point I didn't think about either.

The Northern Tools 12V pumps ($39.99) with garden hose threads was self priming with 250gph flow.

[txcas]

This is an interesting post. I just want to add that I don't think a 12V pump will work during the winter months. My last 2 oil collections have been in the mid 40's. I have a small 2 cycle trash pump that is having the hell of a time pumping oil in these temperatures. In hot weather it was pumping oil like it was water, but now it even shuts itself down because of the oil thickness. The pump is working, but it it working hard. It think that under the same conditions a 12V pump will either burn out or blow fuses. Just keep that in mind before you invest in pumps.

[Bio-Texas-DFW]

That's very true, but wouldn't any pump have trouble if it's cold enough.

I guess one of those 1000 gal trailer with a pump on it already might be a good idea for the company type situation, but for individuals it might be a little out of our price ranges.

These bound to be a good solution out there somewhere.