Tubing washer rentals

[Dave Y]

I am look to rent a tubing washer. If anyone has one, or an idea where I could rent one. please let me know. Now it has to be a reasonable distants from NWPA. Any ideas are appreciated!

[danno]

Hi Dave -

You can build your own for $20 if you have a water supply on a pump (garden hose?) and an air compressor. Let me know if you want details.

[TapME]

danno; could you share them with a Mainer.

[Dave Y]

Danno, I would be interested in having that information. you can send me a Pm or an e-mail @ dyeany@gmail.com thanks

[danno]

I'll post pics and an explanation when I get home from work this evening. But I can't take the credit - I copied New Hope's. Works great but be prepared to get wet - the water/air mixture will be flying.

[danno]

Here's my $20 tubing washer, works like a charm.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee56/littlejohn170/tubingwasher.jpg

They say the trick to good cleaning is air and water, not just water.

A couple years back I had to figure out how I was gonna clean my tubing.
The hill was too steep to tractor water to the top of the bush and I did not have near enough water pressure to push water up my 3/4 mile long mainline.

The tubing washer is a simple manifold (3/4" poly pipe or what ever you have around) that connects a garden hose from my house to the bottom of my mainline. On the manifold there are two checkvalves - one so that the compressed air does not run into the gardenhose and one so that the water does not run into the compressor (if that is even possible). Thus, the air and water have no place to go except up the mainline - and it does in a hurry. There is also a pressure guage and air compressor niple on the manifold. Lastly, there is a valve on the manifold to allow the water to drain down the mainline and out the manifold when you are done washing.

The compressed air and water travels up the mainline at 80 psi and causes huge turbulence in your lines. When you full a tap, air and water are flying out and if you let go of the dropline is dances all over. Sometimes it's hard to even get the tap into the cup with all the water/air. Find a warm, sunny day because you will get wet but your tubing will be clean. Hot water would probably work better than cold, but I use cold.

I just disconnect my mainline from my vacuum releaser and connect it to the manifold. If you are getting more air then water, reduce the air pressure.

Some use vacuum at the end to suck their lines dry.

Hope this helps somebody, I know it has helped me! Thanks New Hope!

[royalmaple]

Dave sent you a PM.

[Sugarmaker]

Danno,
Thanks Wonder it I could place another valve to shut off the water and blow the lines out with air once done with the power air water rinse? Looks like this would work with a tank of water on a pick up and a 12 volt (bildge) pump along with a portable (maybe gas engine powered) air compressor?

This year I have all the tubing down and in the sugarhouse for cleaning.

Chris

[Dave Y]

Danno
Thanks for the info. all I need now is a gas powered air compressor. Then I will give it a try.

[tapper]

Dave,

Or a generator and an electric compressor.

[maple flats]

That looks very similar to mine in principle. I use my sap pump, getting water from my sap transport tank. I haul my generator and my air compressor. This works well. I have a ball valve on my air inlet and regulate the air as needed. My compressor is only a 2hp but it does the job. The highest i have tried for lift so far is about 100' rise, if more is needed just increase the air.

[danno]

Chris - blowing air without water at the end to blow out the lines should work nicely but this is what you have to consider.

When I'm washing my lines, I add my air/water and start at the very last tap on the main line. Works great if you have two people. I pull the tap and move on to the next. Other guy is about two taps behind me. He plugs tap into the cup. By the time he gets to the tap, it's blown air/water for 30 seconds or so.

Point is, you have to plug the taps back into the cups as you go, or you will lose air/water pressure quickly as you move down your laterals. I've got a couple different sections all on separate valves. I do one section at a time, closing valves on sections that are not being cleaned. This keeps all the water/air in the section I'm cleaning.

Now Chris, if you want to blow all your lines, you're walking the bush again to pull the taps out of the cups, blowing them, and placing them back in the cup. Do-able, yes, and probably a good idea, but that's allot of hoofing.

[danno]

That . The highest i have tried for lift so far is about 100' rise, if more is needed just increase the air.


Mapleflats - I'm pushing air/water up hill close to a mile before I hit my laterals and over 500' rise. At 60-80 psi, it's cranking air/water when you pull a tap. I'm actually surprised I'm not blowing fittings. I'm pretty careful to at least keep one or two taps untapped at all times.

[H. Walker]

I have been told to only use a oil-less compressor to prevent even a little oil contamination. Is this over-kill prevention??

[Sugarmaker]

Danno,
I did build a washer for water and Air tonight.

Thanks for the advice. I did not put in a second check valve and had water going back into my air filter on the compressor. I had the check on the water side. I just moved it to the air side and it seemed to work well. The tubing was pulsating and the water had a lot more action!

Sounds like you got my system figured out. I do need a gas powered air compressor for the field work, or generator to power my compressor.
Yes sounds like at least two or three trips up and down the lines to remove taps but still might be easier while the tubing was strung? When its in a roll its hard to tell what taps have been finished. I thought about numbering the taps on each line to make sure I get all of them.

H Walker,
I do use extra air filter system on the air line, like for automotive finishing requirement. To reduce the chance of contaminating the lines with oil.

Regards,
Chris

[danno]

Chris - glad it's working for you. I don't know what the air will do to your water line. You may want to add a check valve on that side as well. $8 of good insurance.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited

[maplecrest]

i have one wet dry main line that is a mile and a half long. to wash that distance i time the water to a gallon a minute in a pail adjusting with a 1/4 turn valve.to 80 lbs air. and turn on about two hours before washing way out ,for it takes that long to get the water there. air commpresser water and oil traps are needed if you are using an oil driven compresser.i have not seen oil in the catch but that does not mean that there is not a trace.i have been thinking about taking water up there and vac it back instead of waiting for the water. might make washing go faster at the end of the line.

[thunder mountain maple]

I have a airblow tubing washer that we do custom washing with. But I dont know as it would be worth going to PA for.

[Sugarmaker]

Some pictures of the tubing washer I built. I used this in the sugar house on rolls of tubing and drops that I had taken down.
I manually adjust the air pressure, the tap water its about 50 psi.
I did add the check valve on both air and water side. After getting good agitation through the line, I open each tap and let the water air mix squirt out for a couple seconds, I then shut off the air and water and reconnect the tap to the cup with the drop line parallel to the main 5/16 line. When I get done all taps are set to that position. Then back through them with just air purge and I set them 90 deg to the main line, a quick look and I can see the ones that I have missed.

Has any one used a pressure washer to clean tubing?

Chris

[Justin Turco]

Danno has a good picture of the unit he uses to introduce air into the water he sends up through his lines. Check out his post dated 4/7 I haven't built one yet but hope to before next year.