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So I received a water pump for Christmas. It was an expensive gift with a lot of thought behind it. It checks all of the boxes, pumps at 3.5 gallons, can run dry, self priming, 12v, 4 diaphragms, but, it is meant for washing down a deck of a boat and not for potable water.
The parts that come in contact with the liquid are: glass filed polyprpolene, santoprene, nitrile, stainless steel. The only difference with their potable pumps is instead of santoprene, they use monprene.
I know some people use bilge pumps, or submersible pumps that are also not designed for potable water.
I am okay using this pump and not taking the shine off of a great gift, or do I go back to the gift giver to see if he could exchange the pump? He may have got a deal on this pump, that may not be available for other pumps.
Edit: I read about santoprene, the only component that touches the liquid, that is different from the potable pumps and it is considered food safe. So it may have to do with how the bearings seal, or simply the company did not want to go through the expense of getting the pump certified for this application.
This may now free up some cash to build the RO.
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I have run into this before. I have used several different diaphragm pumps, I am not a chemist or materials expert but here are my experiences. What I do is look for one rated for potable or drinking water use. Sometimes a pump does not specifically say that it is potable water rated but the materials are the same as ones that are potable water rated. Same materials, santoprene etc, same ratings maybe? If a pump is marketed for bilge pump, waste water, sewage, or sprayer use I tend to avoid it. I like diaphragm pumps made by Shurflo, Delavan, USA Adventure Gear, Uniflo, some Seaflo, which I believe all state that they are rated for potable water. The black polypropylene housings generally seem to be OK. I don’t believe fluid is exposed to any bearings internally. Those are just my thoughts, do your own research and let us know what you find.
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So the Whale pump I got for Christmas had a 1/2” npt inlet outlet, so I tried to find an adapter fitting from 1/2 npt to a garden hose thread, but I could find anything that would screw onto the 1/2” male npt. The only thing that would go on it was the plastic fitting that came with the pump that had a barb on it.
I went to a plumbing store and the guy looked at it and said that the plastic fitting was all that would fit on it. I did not feel that the plastic fittings would hold up to the stresses of a RV hose being moved around. I decided to make a short piece of garden hose, attached one end to the barb on the plastic fitting and added a fitting with a garden hose male fitting and a barb, then secure that piece, to remove the stress on the plastic fitting.
It looks like a real redneck fix and one friend said it looked like I was making a bomb. I hooked it up to my ATV and everything worked and it did not leak.
I still had air in the pump, but I guess that finds a way to work itself out.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/092l...PyEqho7fwzu4AQ
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A Shurflo or swivel fitting fits best, but I have found that a standard 1/2" NPT threaded PVC coupler will fit if you are careful to avoid cross threading it. Then you can adapt to other fittings. Using pipe sealant helps it thread easier. Metal NPT threaded fittings tend to strip the pump threads easily so I try to avoid them.
Dave
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Looks pretty good Gary. If it works don't try to fix it or change it until something happens.
